BY ROB SALERNO – The Dutch ombudsman for children has launched a major awareness campaign against homophobic bullying with a video ad that doesn’t pull any punches. 
Eschewing the traditional uplifting or happy endings of public service announcements, this campaign presents the stark reality of bullying for queer teens.
“I have almost no feeling in my arms or legs from all the hard kicking and punching,” says the gay teenager in the video.
It certainly conveys the brutality of bullying for lots of gay teenagers, but I’d have hoped it could present a way to solve the problem. If you were a bully who saw this video, would you be particularly moved to hear that gay kids get beaten up a lot? If you’re a bullied kid who’s seen this, would it give you any kind of comfort? Let me know in the comments section below.
At least it’s raising awareness that this is problem, which is pretty great, and frankly, more than we can say for most Canadian governments.
If you need a palate cleanser after that depressing video, try this oddly compelling mashup of Dumb & Dumber-era with Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”:
Why you can trust Xtra
