On the night of Oct. 12, at the Fort Worth City Council meeting, council member Joel Burns delivered a heartfelt, nearly 13-minute speech about the rise of bullying against gay and lesbian teens. The next morning the video, in which Burns tearfully recounted his own struggles with bullies as an adolescent, was posted to YouTube. Tens of thousands shared it on Facebook and Twitter. The national media soon started calling. By Tuesday, "Joel Burns tells gay teens 'it gets better'" had been viewed nearly 2 million times.
Herewith an anatomy of a viral sensation.
I voted for Joel as my councilman, and he's also a longtime friend -- so I can't pretend to be objective about this issue. But what a source of pride for Fort Worth: A city that last year suffered the awful indignity of the Rainbow Lounge raid is now being highlighted by NPR, the Today Show and others as a place where elected officials are progressive, tolerant and brave.
As of press time, The Ellen DeGeneres Show was next on Burns' schedule, as he continues to spread an urgent message: It's time for adults to step in and put an end to the bullying, and it's time to stop treating gay and lesbian kids as second-class citizens.
Bravo, friend.
Hey there. or join DFW.com. Your account. Log out.
