Reply #55: One thing that would help

[noamnety]

is pushing legislation that gives everyone equal rights. If the government is treating gays as second class citizens (and *cough* saying they disapprove of granting equal rights based on their religious beliefs) it gives credibility for everyone at lower levels to treat gays as less than equal.

Don't ask - don't tell needs to be repealed, because it sets the tone that there's a reason straight "manly men" shouldn't have to be around gay people.

We can't expect our kids to treat everyone as equally worthy of our respect when the message from the top down contradicts that directly.

I realize that gays are not the exclusive targets of all bullying, but they take far more than their fair share, and gender-oriented harassment is a large piece of the puzzle.