Gay kids need to 'get better' now, Rick Mercer rants - The Globe and Mail

Contents:

• RICK MERCER LLS FOR ROLE MOLS FOR GAY TEENS
• RICK MERCER SAYS GAY TEENS NEED MORE ROLE MOLS
• NO, RICK MERCER, NOT ALL GAY PUBLIC FIGUR NEED TO STEP FORWARD
• RICK MERCER’S TELEVISN RANT AGAST THE BULLYG OF GAY TEENS GO VIRAL
• JAMIE HUBLEY SUICI: RICK MERCER'S PASSNATE RANT ON GAY BULLYG (VIDEO)
• GAY KIDS NEED TO 'GET BETTER' NOW, RICK MERCER RANTS
• IS RICK MERCER GAY?

RICK MERCER LLS FOR ROLE MOLS FOR GAY TEENS

Gay.

Is Rick Mercer gay? Sexualy: Gay. CanadaComedian Rick Mercer believ much of the bullyg of young gay people uld be prevented if more proment gay Canadians publicly me 's rant on teen suiciCBC's Rick Mercer believ much of the bullyg of young gay people uld be prevented if more proment gay Canadians publicly me outComedian Rick Mercer believ much of the bullyg of young gay people uld be prevented if more proment gay Canadians publicly me appeared on CBC Rad's The Current wh Anna-Maria Tremonti on Thursday and discsed his life as a gay man, and his ll on The Rick Mercer Report this week for more gay adults to act as role mols for gay rerd his rant followg the ath of 15-year-old Jamie Hubley, a gay Ottawa teenager who mted suici after beg rant has gone viral sce was posted told Tremonti that he wasn't openly gay when he was high school.

"In his rant, Mercer said he knows police officers, soldiers and bet misters who are gay. Comedian Rick Mercer is speakg out agast the bullyg of gay teenagers, sayg public figur need to provi them wh more support.

RICK MERCER SAYS GAY TEENS NEED MORE ROLE MOLS

"If you are young and vulnerable and that age, would certaly help to see more and more visible people who are gay and lbian. If you are gay and public life, I'm sorry, you don't have to n around wh a pri flag and bore the hell out of everyone, but you n't be visible, not anymore. Although Mercer is openly gay his private life, he was cricized for not explicly mentng that on his televisn show, the CBC's Rick Mercer Report.

NO, RICK MERCER, NOT ALL GAY PUBLIC FIGUR NEED TO STEP FORWARD

The bullyg of gay teenagers has taken on great promence over the past year after the high-profile suicis of several teens, many of whom were featured the "It Gets Better" mpaign.

The "It Gets Better" project was the brachild of sex advice lumnist and gay rights advote Dan Savage, and featur gay adults tellg teens their liv will improve. Mercer said he's agast outg people, as gay and lbians may have personal or profsnal reasons for not g out, but 's somethg to thk about.

RICK MERCER’S TELEVISN RANT AGAST THE BULLYG OF GAY TEENS GO VIRAL

"I'm not sayg people need to step up and be a lear or gay activist... (I'm) jt sayg would be better if there were more visible gay ps, gay soldiers, gay hockey players, " he said.

he would put on gay people public life. "I know gay ps, soldiers, athlet, bet misters, " the 42-year-old Mr.

Mercer, who is gay, said on his CBC-TV show this week. Gay teenagers need them as role mols, he said, bee gay teens are beg bullied, and some take their own liv – Jamie Hubley, jt 15, of Ottawa, did so this month. "If you're gay and you're public life...

JAMIE HUBLEY SUICI: RICK MERCER'S PASSNATE RANT ON GAY BULLYG (VIDEO)

Mercer would impose a burn on gay people that is on no one else our society. That is a very big burn, different (and yet not so different) is om the burn of recent tim which gay people felt they had to keep their orientatn secret, even om fay members. One of the signal victori of the past few s has been to ee gay people om the burn of secrecy.

There are many reasons why some gay ps, soldiers, athlet and policians might wish not to be open about their orientatn. Would every gay person now need to hold a news nference? Mercer may be right that if all gay athlet, soldiers, etc., were somehow able to make their orientatn known far and wi, would rce the power of stereotype and spread tolerance.

GAY KIDS NEED TO 'GET BETTER' NOW, RICK MERCER RANTS

It might weaken the posn of the bulli, or at least give fort to vulnerable gay Mr. Mercer is sayg amounts to this: falls to succsful gay adults to protect vulnerable gay teens om the problems associated wh beg 's wrong. The job of protectg gay teens or anyone else om bullyg falls to everyone.

IS RICK MERCER GAY?

OTTAWA – Openly gay edian Rick Mercer seems to have stck a chord wh his ll for an end to bullyg school by llg attentn to the problem wh one of his signature “rants. Mercer add his voice Tuday to the chos of lls om opn makers that the bullyg of gay teens school be featured the issue one of his rants, a popular fixture on his CBC televisn program “The Rick Mercer Report. ” The segment is now rackg up hs on YouTube, wh nearly 126, 000 as of Thursday lls have been sparked by this month’s suici of openly gay Ottawa teenager Jamie Hubley who was bullied relentlsly by his the vio, Mercer pots out that every year Canada, 300 kids m suici _ a number he lls “md-bogglg.

He not only tak schools to task for not dog more to al wh bullyg and fdg out who exactly is rponsible, but he also says adults _ particularly gay adults who are public figur _ need to stand up and be role mols for gay teens. Mercer says he knows gay ps, soldiers, athlet and bet misters, for example. “So if you’re gay and you’re public life, I’m sorry, you don’t have to n around wh a Pri flag and bore the hell out of everyone, but you n’t be visible _ not anymore, ” Mercer says his rant.