Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is the only Massachusetts member of the state delegation that has refused to take part in a “It Gets Better” promotional video to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth. Massachusetts lawmakers released a video for the project, promising young people who are getting bullied that life will eventually get better. Brown, the only Republican member of the group, declined to participate.

State Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) pointed that Brown’s latest move is just part of a pattern to neglect the fights of LGBT individuals during a press call. Sciortino stated that in 2006 when Brown was a state senator, he was the only member to vote to uphold Gov. Mitt Romney’s veto of a Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth.

“Sen. Brown’s absence in our congressional delegation’s video sends a message that he supports kids being bullied or harassed,” said Sciortino. “Now, I don’t think that’s the message that Sen. Brown wants to send. I’m asking him, as a senator for the commonwealth, to stand up and show some leadership on behalf of his LGBT constituents, our young people that are facing violence in our schools, our young people that are being bullied in our schools.”

Brown’s office argued that the senator has had a “strong record” on bullying and said his “main focus right now is on creating jobs and getting our economy back on track.”

Meanwhile, Republicans offered a different response, attacking the founder of the “It Gets Better Project” Dan Savage. “Senator Brown believes all people regardless of sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect. He has been a leader in fighting for anti-bullying legislation at the state and federal level.

His main focus is creating jobs and getting the economy moving again. In this case, the individual behind the video has made vile and sexually crude comments about Senator Brown. It’s reprehensible for Senator Brown’s opponents to associate with this person in order to score cheap political points,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, a political adviser to Brown.

He pointed to Savage’s nationally syndicated sex column in February 2010 in which he joked about shoving a “Coke bottle, Oscar statuette, [or] Scott Brown action figure” up “someone’s ass and/or twat.”

Dan Savage released a statement later on Thursday night.

I am not the IGB project. The project has had the reach and impact that it’s had thanks to tens of thousands of people from all over the world who’ve participated. And no one who participates is required to crawl into bed with me. ..:

It is interesting, though, that not a single GOP elected official can bring himself or herself to make a video, or participate in the creation of one. No GOP elected official can risk being seen letting bullied LGBT kids know that life isn’t high school and that it will get better for them. it doesn’t require signing off on the entire gay agenda (the president made a video, and he doesn’t support gay marriage).

No GOP elected can back the seemingly radical notion that LGBT kids shouldn’t kill themselves, that they should have hope for their futures.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/1energy/

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About the author

Erin Chavez
Erin Whitney-Chavez has been writing professionally since 2009. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from St. Bonaventure University and received a Master of Arts in mental-health counseling from Argosy University. Erin Whitney-Chavez is a licensed mental health counselor and has worked in the mental-health field for more than 10 years.