{UK} Parents of Suicide Bullied Kid Bring Law Suit

Desperate: Jacob Hancock, 18, committed suicide after being tormented for years at North Sanpete high school in Utah

Parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit after claiming a school failed to protect their son from years of bullying, hazing and false sex assault allegations that led to his suicide.

Bradd and Edna Hancock were seeking unspecified financial damages against North Sanpete School District in the document filed on January 17.

Their son Jacob Hancock, 18, took his own life on January 21, 2010 in Fountain Green, Utah. 

The high school senior was the target of physical and emotional abuse from students and school district employees for more than five years.

The school failed to adequately protect the teenager according to Sonny Olsen, an attorney for the Hancock family.

It was not clear why Jacob Hancock was targeted but court papers said the bullying and harassment began with gay slurs from three male students while Hancock was in the eighth grade.

The abuse escalated to physical assaults, including pushing Jacob Hancock against a wall and a fist fight that ended with all involved being referred to juvenile court, the lawsuit stated. 

One assault occurred while Jacob Hancock was naked and showering in the boys' locker room.  Teammates reportedly touched his genitals and urinated on his towel.

Following a complaint from his parents, the school district offered to buy Jacob Hancock a new towel.

Similar attacks continued for 18 months without intervention by the district, the lawsuit claims, increasing Jacob Hancock's anxieties and negatively affecting his academic performance.

Jacob Hancock began to lash out at others and suffered a mental breakdown where he was placed on suicide watch.

The bullying and harassment continued into high school and included at least one death threat from another student. Agitated and unable to sleep, Jacob Hancock first attempted suicide in 2008, court papers stated.

Compensation: Jacob Hancock's parents are suing North Sanpete school district in Utah as they claim that employees failed to protect their son from years of bullying

The harassment continued in 2009, including incidents in which Jacob Hancock was physically restrained by a school police officer and hit by another. 

The same year, a football coach said publicly that he believed Hancock looked like a pedophile.

The lawsuit also alleged that a high school vice-principal publicly discussed Jacob Hancock's emotional struggles with teachers and students, including stating that Hancock had suffered a mental breakdown.

'It's not like Jacob was a kid that nobody knew about. It we can't save a kid in that setting, then either our policies are wrong or the people that are executing them are not the right people.'  

Sonny Olsen, attorney for Hancock family

After his father Bradd Hancock complained about the administrator's actions, Jacob Hancock was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl and was arrested.

The girl later said she had only been 'tickled' and the charges were reduced.

Jacob Hancock was suspended from school and then unsuccessfully tried to enroll elsewhere. 

Those efforts were blocked by false reports from the Sanpete school district that Hancock had been expelled, according to records. 

Jacob Hancock committed suicide a few months later.

The lawsuit contends that district officials failed to protect Jacob Hancock properly and did not implement existing policies against bullying, hazing and suicide prevention.

Mr Olsen said: 'It's not like Jacob was a kid that nobody knew about. It we can't save a kid in that setting, then either our policies are wrong or the people that are executing them are not the right people.'

The lawsuit names the school district, its board and the Sanpete County sheriff's office, which provides schools with campus-based officers, as defendants. 

The North Sanpete High School and Middle School principals were also individually named in the lawsuit, as were other school employees and two police officers.

Victoria Schoenfeld, spokeswoman for the Division of Risk Management, said: 'We have received the complaint and we understand a suit has been filed, but we're in a phase right now where we are still gathering information.'

Sanpete County Attorney Brody Keisel said the sheriff's office was aware of the lawsuit and will defend itself against the claims.

Family lawyer Mr Olsen said the Hancocks were bringing the lawsuit two years after their son's death because continued inquiries into how Jacob Hancock was treated suggested school officials were negligent in their handling of the situation.

The lawsuit stated: 'As reported by other students and peers, the harassing conduct was so prevalent and obvious that the responsible adults must have known, and indeed, witnesses it.

'J.H.'s actions in taking his own life were a foreseeable result of the defendant's tortuous acts.’ 

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Do You Know Who This Is? {A Model}

 

{Equador} Health Minister “ No Mas” Gay Cure Clinics

by Joseph McCormick 

The appointment of a lesbian politician as Ecuador’s new health minister has caused a stir this week, as she announced a campaign to shut down religious ‘lesbian cure’ clinics.

Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, announced the appointment of Carina Vance Mafla, who is openly gay, as the newest member of his cabinet.

The American-born activist hit the ground running, with an announcement that the health ministry will be working closely with lesbian rights group Fundacion Causana, and other civil rights groups, to shut down the remaining religious clinics which promise to ‘cure’ lesbians.

Vance has been heavily involved in campaigning towards equal rights, and was previously the Executive Director of Fundacion Causana.

In the past, she called for reforms of the country’s health system, specifically for the closure of the ‘gay cure’ religious clinics, the regulation of HIV treatment distribution, and to put an end to LGBT discrimination within the health system.

A petition run by Change.org calling for the closure of such clinics raised 113,761 signatures, and is being welcomed as a victory. A similar petition on Allout.org currently has 64,650.

The petitions had praised the government for the closure of over 30 clinics, but called for an end to the institutions, which ex-patients reported tortured and abused lesbians both physically and psychologically.

Fundacion Causana, based in Quito, Ecuador, released a statement on the success of the campaign:

“After ten years of outcry, the nation of Ecuador- through the Ministry of Public Health- has entered into a commitment with civic organizations and society in general to deconstruct the belief that homosexuality is an illness and root our the use of torture in these clinics.”

This announcement has also meant further praise for the president Correa, who has been complimented for supporting a pro-LGBT constitution.

The previous health minister, David Chiriboga, resigned this month after failing to reform Ecuador’s failing health service.

pinknews.co.uk
picture: lonelyplanet.com

Gov. Christie Says He Will Veto Marriage Equality Bill

 Republican Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday he'd veto a gay marriage bill advancing in the Legislature and instead wants same-sex unions put to a referendum. Angry Democrats said lawmakers have an obligation to protect civil rights and the issue should not be put off for a public vote.
Christie made his first explicit promise to veto a gay marriage bill during a visit to Bridgewater, just hours before the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee forwarded the measure to the full Senate on an 8-4 party-line vote.
"Let the people of New Jersey decide what is right for the state," Christie said.
Christie told a town hall audience that an issue of such magnitude should be decided by residents and shouldn't be treated as "a political football." He said a proposed constitutional amendment should be drafted and put to a referendum, a position he also held when he campaigned for office in 2009.
"Whether or not to redefine hundreds of years of societal and religious traditions should not be decided by 121 people in the Statehouse," he said.
Gay marriage legislation failed in the Senate two years ago and Christie's opposition was known when it was again introduced this month.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat sponsoring the bill, said civil rights issues like the right to marry are guaranteed under the state constitution and do not require a public vote."Civil rights is not to be placed on the ballot," Sweeney said during a hearing on his legislation after being informed of Christie's comments.
Sweeney, who didn't vote on the measure the last time around, has said he has since had a change of heart. He said it's time for New Jersey to join six other states and 10 countries that sanction gay marriage.
The first to testify at the hearing ahead of Tuesday's vote, Sweeney said gay couples are being denied basic civil rights under the state's civil union law.
In response to Christie's announcement, State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, another chief sponsor of the proposed new law, said "marriage equality isn't like sports betting."
"It's a civil right which is already guaranteed in our constitution. It's up to the Legislature to guarantee these rights and support marriage equality for same sex couples," he said.
Earlier Tuesday, 127 professors from 48 law schools around the country signed a letter saying New Jersey's civil union law cannot be fixed.
The professors, including former New Jersey Public Advocate Ron Chen, said the law granting gay couples the benefits of marriage without the title will never be equal to the right to marry.
The letter was sent to Christie, a Catholic, and the Legislature.
Christie on Monday nominated an openly gay black man to the state Supreme Court. During a news conference that followed, he said he would look at the gay marriage bill if it gained momentum, though he was unlikely to alter his opposition.

Deseretnews.com

Tennessee Teen Suicide Linked to Proposed Anti-Gay Bill

 by Jim Buzinski. outsports.com

Blogger and athlete Robert Scott
 

Phillip Parker, 14, of Gordonsville, Tenn.,killed himself this month, a victim of constant bullying at school, his parents said. “He kept telling me he had a rock on his chest,” said Ruby Harris, Phillip’s grandmother. “He just wanted to take the rock off where he could breathe.” His death stunned his family (750 people attended his funeral) and should outrage us all. It angered Robert Scott, an openly gay high school soccer player in Memphis, who is part of the teen blog BradRobertBen we have written about before.

While [Philip] has passed and will be remembered as another of the wrongly killed students of our time, he has sparked something in me and others alike. We want to lift that rock from his chest – let him breathe freely without others freely bullying students like him.

Robert, 18, linked Philip’s death to a climate of anti-gay hatred in Tennessee, whose legislature might act again on what is called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The bill would make it illegal to discuss homosexuality in the classroom before ninth grade. The bill stalled last year but is poised to be reintroduced in the legislature this session. As Robert wrote:

If this is passed then the teaching/discussion of anything other than heterosexual issues in grades K-8 would be unlawful. This is a major setback to anyone determining their own sexuality. It might as well be saying that anyone in grades K-8 who thinks that they may be gay or bisexual should hide it from everyone.

If you think this is wrong, please speak out – at the very least for Phillip.

I am amazed at how far Robert has come in the year since I first met him. He was closeted, out to only a few people, before starting the blog with Ben Newcomer and Brad Usselman. He soon came out to his parents and friends and posted photos of himself on Facebook with his then-boyfriend. He will attend Augustana College this fall and will play soccer.

Through the blog, Robert and Ben (Brad is not an active athlete thus year and not writing there) have helped many other high school athletes wrestling with their sexuality. I have connected several with Robert, knowing they wanted to share with a peer. He has a great head on his shoulders and can relate to what they’re going through. I loved how Robert handled a classmate last fall who was part of a group asking whether he is gay:

Now being the kind of person I am, I enjoy confrontation – however, when I walked over to sharpen my pencil – one of the guys backed away from me like I had some sort of disease. I didn’t like this very much so I asked what his problem was, and he replied with the word ‘fag’ and other expletives. So I smiled at him, walked back to my seat, grabbed my bag, and headed to my English class to recite a memorization. … I left him with no comment but a smile to piss him off even more.

My point here is, even though you can’t always ‘win’ with words, By simply smiling you can make them feel like what they’re doing is truly not affecting you. Would I have loved to punched him in the face and degrade his lack of intelligence? Sure, who wouldn’t; however, it’s better to be mature and walk away because in the end, … I won’t see him but walking in the hallways for the rest of my high school career.

One blog won’t end teen suicides or change the world, but it and others like it have made a difference to some teens who feel a little less lonely and know there are others like them. That counts for something.

{Back Then -pic,Vid-} Kris Had Walked in on Kim With Naked Instructor

 

Submitted by Michael Allen 

  opposingviews.com

On the season premiere of 'Kourtney & Kim Take New York,'  Kris Humphries moved out of their New York hotel after walking in on Kim, her sister Kourtney and friends taking part in a naked yoga session (video below).

It was only the male instructor who bared everything, but Kris was not happy about Kim being in the company of a naked man.

"That is disgusting," he exclaimed as he opened the door. "This is my home. This is disrespectful."

"You are so immature I can't take it," Kim fired back.

"You can't take it? I can't take it... I felt uncomfortable when I came in. I nearly threw up," Kris replied.

  

Things get even more personal when Kris tells Kim he can no longer live with Kourtney, who organized the naked yoga session: "Kourtney cannot live with us anymore. I will personally pay for her to have a room on a different floor."

But in the end it is Kris who left, and headed to Minnesota: "Mason's playpen five yards from my room. Naked yoga dudes. I think I am going to go to Minnesota and get ready for the season and just train and stuff."

Kim replied: "I don't really know what to say. I just don't really get it, we're going to live separate and stuff."

Later Kim told viewers about Kris moving out just days after they arrived: "I am sad - but Kris is really supportive of my career and if Minnesota is the best place for him to work out then that's what he should do. Everyone was so excited to come to New York. We didn't plan for any of this - but we will figure it

Jude Law is Going BALD

 

Submitted by Celebslam  

For the past few months, Jude Law has been wearing a hat pretty much everywhere he goes (like here in November, and here in December). Many people thought it was because he loved hats. Nope.

As you can clearly see from his appearance at the Paris premiere of Sherlock Holmes 2 last Thursday, Jude's receding hairline has kicked into overdrive and he's half-bald now. Cool. Now no hot chicks will like him, which means more for the rest of us. Losing my virginity, here I come!

{Tim Gunn “Project Runway} NO Sex for 30 Years

I always thought he was fun but kinda of uptight. You know like the person who can only use the bathroom once a month no matter how much fiber it’s in the diet. 


Now thanks to US Magazine.com I find out the reason. He says [Tim] "sex is not the most important factor in a relationship". I say sex is not the most, but as much as anything else in the relationship. In a loving relationship one shares and sharing ones’ body through sex or love making is what makes everything worthwhile. Yes, we can bury our heads in work, family or toys; But nothing replaces the intimacy of a relationship. Through love making and sharing ourselves we get to know about our partners and get to share and taste what no body else knows.  Everything can be replaced now a days. Even a heart can be replaced by a machine, food by intravenous intervention. But nothing replaces a good dinner, a good battle of wine or listening to the heart sing the rhythm of life. adamfoxie*




For nearly three decades, Tim Gunn has been celibate.

During an appearance on ABC's The Revolution Tuesday, the 58-year-old Project Runway mentor revealed that he hasn't "had sex in 29 years."

 Gunn, an openly gay man, said he doesn't feel like "less of a person" because of his non-existent sex life. "I'm a perfectly fulfilled person," Gunn explained. "But it's very physiological."  Gunn added that he doesn't believe sex is the most important factor in a relationship. "I'm happy to be healthy and alive, frankly," he said.

The Lifetime star, who is also an expert on The Revolution, fought back tears as he explained that his former partner of six years "was impatient with my sexual performance," prompting him to become abstinent.