Martin Luther King Jr. Day saw me delivering a speech at the American Legion. This legion post is in the inner city, in fact based in a Pentecostal church. The legion is known for its youth programs in the community, so I thought it might be an opportunity to talk about bullying to an urban crowd. Before they called me, they recognized several other awardees. Most interesting to me was a segment of the program where they honored boxing legends, such as “One Punch” Carr and two others with “Bang Bang” in their names and one called the Candyman. As I looked at the crowd, it occurred to me that among the veterans and their families present were possibly bullies and their victims sitting directly in front of me.
When Billy Denny, the legion’s commander, announced me by saying they had chosen me because I’ve “engaged and informed the public in matters that touched our daily experiences while maintaining dignity and pride under a watchful eye of a grateful city,” I didn’t know if I could live up to the introduction.
After thanking the legion for the honor and congratulating the other awardees, I spoke about a past meeting with Coretta Scott King many years ago as my segue into families and the issue of bullying. At this point, I addressed my words to bullies in the room, then I spoke from the pulpit (literally) to the victims themselves.
After the ceremony, we walked into the crowd. All of a sudden, I was surrounded. First by some of the parents, then their kids, some of whom wanted their picture with me. Then, with the crowd surrounding us, a 12-year-old boy told me about the bullying he has suffered because others think he’s gay. Not only is this boy a victim, he wants to help other victims by speaking up. I may have been given an award for being outspoken, but this boy is a hero for speaking up. What’s more, he was supported by his mom and minister. Now that is what I call community action and a lesson for us all.
Miss’d America was a hit
Miss’d America made a triumphant return to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall last Sunday night — and while they crowned a new Miss’d America, the event’s reigning indispensable queen is Robert “Sandy Beach” Hichen.
Now here’s the real news: Aside from the fact that the brand-new owners of Resorts International stepped up to the plate and sponsored, along with Tropicana Casino, the show in Atlantic City, a city deep in recession, it actually beat last year’s numbers. They sold over 1,200 tickets to this event. The pageant’s founders, John Schultz and Gary Hill, and the organizers did a great job. It’s the one event I look forward to each year, and can’t wait for next year’s surprises.
Mark Segal is PGN publisher. He is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media, having recently received the 2010 Columnist of the Year Award from the 2,000-member Suburban Newspapers of America. He can be reached at [email protected].