Justin’s Grieving Mother Visits Michele Bachmann’s Office Today

[FourScore]

Thu Sep 15, 2011 at 06:28 AM PDT
Justin’s Grieving Mother Visits Michele Bachmann’s Office Today
by Clarknt67



8th grader, Justin Aaberg, a student at Anoka-Hennepin public schools hanged himself in
his bedroom in July 2010, after becoming the target of harassment for coming out as gay.


For months, Presidential candidate and Minnesota House Representative Michele Bachmann has been the subject of a Credo Action sponsored petition http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/bachmann_bullying/index2.html asking her to address the issue of anti-gay bullying in the schools. To date, the petition has gathered over 130,000 signatures.

Bachmann was selected because the district she represents is, not surprisingly, the ground zero of the LGBT teen bullying and suicide story. Bachmann's Minnesota Congressional District is home to the now infamous Anoka-Hennepin school district. A rash of teen suicides has swept the district, nine over two years. The Anoka-Hennepin school district has attracted international attention, including an extensive investigation by London's Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2019035/9-student-suicides-Michele-Bacmanns-Minnesota-linked-anti-gay-bullying.html .

Anoka-Hennepin has also become the target of a Department of Justice investigation http://www.startribune.com/local/west/125899803.html into their school policies regarding LGBT students and handling of incidents of school bullying.

Justin Aaberg was once a student there, and now his mother, Tammy has agreed to deliver the petition signatures to Bachmann's office today. From Credo Action:

When Tammy Aaberg's son Justin was a 13-year-old student attending public school in Michele Bachmann's congressional district, he came out to his friends and family. What Tammy didn't know was the extent to which her son was being bullied at school. Not once was she notified by school officials of the harassment he faced.

Just a few weeks after finishing his freshman year in high school, Justin hanged himself in his bedroom, and was later found by his mother and two brothers.

Now Tammy wants to take Justin's story directly to Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has been silent on the issue of anti-gay bullying in schools despite a string of nine recent teen suicides in her district. Tammy will present CREDO members' signatures at a meeting with Michele Bachmann's Minnesota office on Thursday...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/15/1016924/-Justin%E2%80%99s-Grieving-Mother-Visits-Michele%C2%A0Bachmann%E2%80%99s-Office-Today?via=siderec

[Brickbat]

1. What a powerful thing for her to do. K&R for Justin and his family.

[xchrom]

2. Well, that takes your breath away. Nt

[progressoid]

3. What a brave woman.

I don't know if I could do it if I were in her position.

[Mnemosyne]

4. This photo is at least one Duer's sig pic. Now I understand. What beautiful soul shining through...

My heart goes out to Justin's loved ones and the so many others who have lost someone to such senseless tragedy.