The morning’s hot topic, “That’s So Gay! Combating Homophobia to Reduce LGBTQ Health Disparities” began with an interactive exercise: Know your gay celebrities! Luminaries include: Ricky Martin, Ellen de Generes, Lily Tomlin, Clay Aiken, Jody Foster, and the purple Teletubbie character “Tinky-Winky.” Co-presenters Ilsa Bertolini and Kevin Gogin showed the groundbreaking LGBTQ website dedicated to “creating a safe place for all students.” Kevin told the story of the public reaction to the site’s presence, some negative and positive—and ways they mitigated the issues. They showed sobering statistics: higher incidence of alcohol and marijuana use; elevated mental health indicators for depression and suicide; and an increase of threats at school. Facilitators shared a powerful film addressing bullying with participants called "Let's Get Real."
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