July 10, 2010
Dear Mr. Savage,
I applaud your efforts on the It Gets Better Project. Though it is marketed towards gay youth, the movement offers guidance for any person that experiences bullying regardless of the situation. We all hope the positive message will prevent youth suicides and violence.
However it is ironic that you are the leader of a movement that supports the victims of bullying and degrading ridicule. Mr. Savage, you are a bully.
Here are examples of how you hurt people through degrading ridicule:
1. In 2003 you started a campaign to redefine Rick Santorum’s surname to mean a sexual material. This was in response to his comments on personal privacy rights and his idea of deviant sexual behavior that were widely construed as anti-gay. Together with your readers you defined “santorum” as "the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex". Your website www.spreadingsantorum.com continues to besmirch his name today.
2. In 2009 you led a campaign to define “saddlebacking” as "the phenomenon of Christian teens engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve their virginities". This was your strike against Rick Warren, the pastor at Saddleback Church, in response to his vocal support of California’s Proposition 8 that would eliminate the rights of same-sex couples to marry.
You have every right to your opinion and to express yourself. But there is a major conflict regarding your involvement with the It Gets Better Project. The vile nature of your attacks delegitimizes your role as an anti-bully advocate. Furthermore your attacks have the unintended consequence of slandering family members and others associated with the names you smear.
Admit you are guilty of bullying and publicly apologize or disassociate yourself from the It Gets Better Project. I hope you take this to heart and find a way to heal with the people you bullied, for everyone’s sake.
Sincerely,
Austin Given
The Elephant We Ignore
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