San Francisco's Mission Middle School Takes A Stand Against Gay and Lesbian Bullying

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- More than 400 people gathered in San Francisco Saturday morning for an all-day conference focused on the issue of bullying that targets teenage gays and lesbians.

Organizers say national interest stemming from the recent suicide of a Rutgers freshman after he was videoed having sex with another man, as well as other incidents, prompted the gathering at Horace Mann Middle School in the Mission District.

Max Philp, a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School, said he noticed lot of the abuse was verbal, but admits he has been physically assaulted and that harassment is still an everyday occurrence for local gay teens.

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

"I've been hit up against lockers. There's a lot of cyber-bullying that goes on; comments on YouTube videos," said Max.

He and hundreds of other teens are participating in the 7th Annual Youth Empowerment Summit organized by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

Executive Director Carolyn Laub said the problem of bullying isn't new, but the public focus on it is.

"We're excited that we're actually seeing an interest in attending the conference, because people are looking for solutions to the epidemic of bullying LGBT in schools," said Laub.

The summit includes 30 workshops, a keynote speech and the screening of a film on family acceptance of gays and lesbians.

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