CNN: "...The reality of it is, it gets better in ways you can never fathom as a 13- or 14-year-old. Times are dark, and you're either being harassed or bullied inside the school or outside the school. You have a household that may not accept you; there may be any kind of abuse around it," Burns told CNN." There's just no hope that there's life after your adolescence and after your teenaged years. I have often thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if I could go back to the me that existed as a teenager that really didn't think that the future was all that bright at times, and show him just the amazing, wonderful things that have happened in the course of my adult life?..."I was cornered after school by some older kids who roughed me up," Burns said during the council meeting. "They said that I was a f** and that I should die and go to hell, where I belonged..." (Councilman spoke out for gay teens 'who might be holding gun tonight')
Joel Burns (born February 4, 1969) is an American politician. A city councilman for District 9 in Fort Worth, Texas, he received national and international press attention in October 2010 after speaking at a council meeting about the issue of suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, as part of Dan Savage's It Gets Better campaign (Wikipedia).
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Official Web-site: Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns
You Tube: Councilman Joel Burns
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Facebook: Joel Burns
twitter - Joel Burns
Gay candidate Joel Burns wins Fort Worth city council seat
Joel Burns begs teens contemplating suicide: Give yourself a chance to see life get better
The Year in Sanity: A brave councilman
GLAAD Awards 2011 - Joel Burns (Video)
Joel Burns’ Discusses “It Gets Better” Speech on NPR’s All Things Considered (Audio)
This Is the Most Touching "It Gets Better" Video You Will Ever See (Video)