“”Growing up in Ashland, Wis., Jamie Nabozny was targeted for being gay beginning in middle school and continuing into high school. His years of harassment included a beating that required abdominal surgery. Fearing for his safety, Jamie fled to Minneapolis. After realizing that many other young people endured similar fates, he decided to fight back.
With the help of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Jamie won a landmark lawsuit in federal court. The case established that all students, including those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered have a legal right to a safe educational experience.
The Southern Poverty Law Center produced Bullied: A Student, A School, and A Case That Made History that chronicles Jamie’s life. It chronicles one student’s ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies and offers an inspiring message of hope to those fighting harassment today. Bullied is designed to help administrators, teachers, and counselors create a safer school environment for all students. It is also intended to help students understand the toll bullying has on its victims and encourages students to stand up for classmates who are being harassed.
Jamie now speaks out for the millions of kids bullied every day. He travels the country sharing his story so that no child must endure what he endured. Jamie was recently named a Defender of Human Rights by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.
“My primary target is the kids who are standing by and not doing anything, not saying anything about the bullying,” said Jamie Nabozny. “But I hope the bullies in the room hear my message and they know that it impacts people in very significant ways. I also hope that the kids who are being bullied hear my message and realize that they have a right to be safe.”
Jamie recently screened “Bullied” and talked with students at Logan High followed by a community screening at English Lutheran Church in La Crosse. At the Logan event, students were able to share their own stories about their experiences with bullying.
“I felt that this was really important,” said Logan High School sophomore Blake Bilyeu. “Knowing that I can make a difference at my school had a big impact on me. We are all responsible to change things and I really hope the students, and teachers, and people from the school district take something meaningful away from this to help kids who might be going through these things.”
“Our hope is this presentation gave our students skills that will aid them in conflict resolution, self-advocacy, and accepting responsibility,” said teacher assistant Byron Holz. “Our goal is to make our school a safer and accepting place regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or socioeconomic status. We want all students to recognize the effects of their actions and become more compassionate, accepting, and empathetic people.”
The presentations were sponsored by Coulee Compassion Alliance, Coulee Parenting Connection, Gundersen Health System, La Crosse Public Education Foundation, and The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection.””””[vc_single_image image=”14663″ img_size=”625×417″ alignment=”center”]””””[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEH75H8fPQY” align=”center”]””
