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WATCH LIVE: White House Conference on Bullying Prevention

The President and First Lady are delivering opening remarks at the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, which began at 1030A/ET in the East Room.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

In addition to President and Mrs. Obama, the conference includes Administration officials, teachers, students, parents and community leaders. White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett will lead the morning session. At 1220P/ET there will be a special Facebook LIVE event via the White House Facebook account. Submit your questions HERE.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

Chicago LGBT Students Crash Event, Demand CPS Grievance Process

Chicago LGBT student activists escalate their campaign to obtain a formal grievance process for Chicago Public Schools students. Activists with GenderJUST targeted openly gay CPS CEO Ron Huberman at a May 13 fundraiser, reports Chicago Pride.com. 

"[A]bout 20 young LGBT activists intercepted Huberman as he made his way to a fundraiser, where he receives a Peace in Education award. The group surrounded Huberman before he entered the building and protested for roughly 10 minutes. According to Sam Finkelstein, Gender JUST members don't believe that Huberman has done anything to make schools safe for students, such as addressing violence. Finkelstein said, "It's bigger than just LGBT stuff. Students are literally being killed."

The Windy City Times adds: "According to [Finkelstein], Arne Duncan, the previous CEO, had also been offered a similar award but had turned it down, saying that he could not accept it in good conscience when CPS students were facing high rates of violence. Finkelstein said that recent research by GLSEN showed that 80 percent of LGBTQ students experienced some form of violence, whether physical or verbal."

Students have lobbied CPS for more than a year to develop a formal complaint process against faculty and staff accused of harassment and bias. CPS blames the current budget crisis but activists fear "outside pressures" from anti-gay right wing groups have made Huberman very cautious.

Meanwhile: At the same time Chicago schools face a $600 million shortfall and "up to 2,700 teachers and 300 non-teaching union members could be out of a job if class sizes rise from an average of 30 to 35" ... the CEO is doing quite well for himself.  Huberman and his partner just purchased a $900,000 , 5-bedroom vintage Victorian house on the North Side.

Chicago LGBT Youth Protest Harassment by School Teachers

There's an interesting local story developing on bullying and harassment of LGBT youth in Chicago Public Schools. The bullies: Teachers. To complicate matters, the openly gay schools chief has been described as not taking the issue "seriously."

District policy prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation but many students want a formal complaint process against faculty and staff accused of harassment and bias. Last Tuesday, LGBT students and activists with Gender JUST rallied outside CPS headquarters, reports ChicagoPride.com.

"Brian, a recent graduate, said that when he stood up for himself in class after being ridiculed for being gay by a teacher, he was suspended, but the teacher was not punished. 'There was no repercussions on her part,' he said. 'It went on my report and she got off scot-free.' A 2007 graduate of Roosevelt High School, who identifies as a lesbian with a disability, also shared her experience with her peers. 'They (faculty) discouraged me and pushed me away,' she said. 'I wish we had ways to speak up. We need to give students a voice when they face oppression in the school system.'"

More photos of the protest and the student activists—it's an incredibly diverse group—are HERE.

Co-founder Sam Finkelstein says after several meeting there is still no action. CPS blames the current budget crisis but activists fear "outside pressures from right wing groups like Illinois Family Institute" have made openly gay CPS CEO Ron Huberman very cautious. Says Finkelstein: "We don't think they are taking us too seriously. Especially in the context of these budget cuts, it's even more important to address these issues."

Huberman was appointed in early 2009 after Arne Duncan was named Secretary of Education by President Obama. Huberman publicly came out in a Sun-Times profile around that time.

These are just the latest reports of Chicago-area teachers using homophobic language and/or harassing gay students. Last October, a teacher in far-suburban Geneva was reprimanded after ranting against "black fags" during a lesson on public arts funding.

News: Recovery, Michelle Obama "Vogue", Illinois, Matthew Mitcham

· The Senate passes President Barack Obama's $838 billion economic recovery plan. Only three Republicans supported the plan on a 61-37 vote and they're "already signaling they'll play hardball to preserve more than $108 billion in spending cuts made last week in deal making. Obama wants to restore cuts in funds for school construction jobs and help for cash-starved states."

· Wall Street not impressed with the spending plan. Dow Jones falls 382 points.

· Education Secretary Arne Duncan: $39 billion in aid to states proposed in stimulus bill is "not nearly as much as we need." Duncan cites a new University of Washington study that estimates  "almost 600,000 education jobs are at risk of state budget cuts."

· Michelle Obama covers March Vogue. She becomes only the second First Lady to grace the cover and will wear a "magenta silk dress by inaugural gown designer Jason Wu." Obama is captured by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz—who lensed the image at right for Paris Match—and "also shot inside photographs for the article by André Leon Talley, who discloses that he is a 'passionate supporter' and 'volunteered in the campaign trenches.' "

· Openly gay legislator in Illinois files legislation to allow same-sex marriage. "Two years ago, a civil union bill introduced by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) died when the session ended and conservative groups already have made it known they will fight the marriage bill. They [are] pushing for a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage they hope will make it to the ballot in 2010." Harris admits "it will be tough" to get a vote in the House.

· Telstra, Australia’s largest phone company, signs openly gay Olympic gold medal diver Matthew Mitcham to a one-year deal. Oustports reports, "This is Mitcham’s first endorsement contract since the Olympics. While no dollar figure was disclosed, Mitcham said it would be a 'significant' help as he trains for competitions, with his goal being a repeat gold medal-winning performance in the 2012 Games in London." Mitcham covers the current issue of The Advocate.

· After Elton has a list of Mitcham's fantasy endorsements a considers it their "gay-given duty to help him keep his shirt off for as long as possible."

· Utah's governor supports civil unions? "Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. backs a legislative effort that would provide some rights to gay and transgender Utahns. Even more, the Republican governor favors civil unions," reports the Salt Lake Tribune, noting the position runs counter to his political party "and against the majority of Utahans—70 percent of whom oppose civil unions, according to a recent  Lake Tribune poll"

Obama Chooses Gay Ally, Chicago Schools Chief as Education Secy

 

The Barack Obama transition team will nominate Arne Duncan, the Chicago public schools chief, as his choice as Secretary of Education. Duncan has run the country's third-largest school district since 2001, pushing to boost teacher quality, improve struggling schools, and, has been an outspoken advocate against handgun violence.

Duncan is also considered a strong ally of the gay and lesbian community. The CPS executive backed a recent proposalfor a high school planned as a haven for LGBT and bullied youth. Mayor Richard M. Daley and some gay advocates are not supporting the proposal and the plans are now considered DOA.

Not all educators in Chicago are pleased with the appointment. Some teachers have criticized Duncan's strong advocacy for charter schools and so-called "contract" schools which tens of thousands of Chicago students now attend.