Dynasty had been taunted with homophobic slurs and had rocks thrown at him as he walked home from the school bus. When Dynasty's mother, Chelisa Grimes, appealed to school officials, she was told that Dynasty was too flamboyant.

Last week, Ms. Grimes gave Dynasty a stun gun to take to school for protection. He was surrounded by a group of boys who threatened to beat him up, so he shot the gun into the air. No one was hurt, but the police arrived, and Dynasty was expelled from school.

Weapons are not allowed in any school, but I can only imagine how frustrated and angry Dynasty and his mother were. School officials once again refused to protect a student who was put in a dangerous situation.

Right after this incident occurred, a pro-LGBT rally was being held in Danville, Indiana by the Unitarian-Universalist Church. Rick Sutton from Indiana Equality and I drove Dynasty and his family to the rally giving me an opportunity to meet and spend time with them.

Chelisa Grimes has 5 children. Dynasty and his identical twin brother Darrell are delightful, and they have an older brother and two younger sisters. At one point in the rally Dynasty, Darrell and one of their sisters performed a dance routine - they are all quite talented.

When the rally was over, we went out for pizza. Before we ate, Chelisa asked us all to hold hands and the family said grace. They are a very close, warm family and totally support Dynasty.

Word of this incident spread not only throughout Indianapolis, but all around the country. National PFLAG called me to offer Dynasty help through the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Early on GLAAD offered assistance, and many attorneys offered their legal expertise. Dynasty appeared in TV interviews and in newspaper articles. It seemed that his story touched many hearts and everyone wanted to meet him.

Dynasty's story also resonated with the young LGBT kids here in Indianapolis, and they arranged to hold a Anti-Bullying Rally yesterday in support. Following the rally, they planned to march to a meeting of the IPS Board of Education. They wanted the school board and IPS School Superintendent Eugene White to know that the schools must adopt a no-bullying policy, and that they are responsible for their students' safety.

In the meantime, Dynasty endured another violent incident. A few days before the Anti-Bullying Rally, he was attacked at Circle Centre Mall by a 34-year-old man. The man recognized Dynasty from news articles and shouted homophobic slurs at him and then hit him in the face. He was arrested, but the damage was done.

However, today we just learned that the Indiana PTA has taken a giant step forward and passed a resolution at their state conference which says that all schools in Indiana should adopt anti-bullying policies for LGBT students and that these same students deserve to learn in a safe environment.

When I read the resolution, it actually brought tears to my eyes. After too many suicides of LGBT students in Indiana due to anti-gay bullying, and the recent incident involving Dynasty Young being bullied and not being listened to, which ultimately led to his mother giving him a stun gun to take to school in order to protect himself, I can only applaud the Indiana PTA because they have been listening.

The resolution is after the break.

Jonathan Warus, one of the medical students, began with some statistics. Lesbians, gay men and bisexual people comprise 3.8% of the Indiana population. He said that many LGB people suffer from minority stress, which is the effect of discrimination on minority populations. Minority stress will result in a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and alcoholism. LGB people begin to internalize the prejudices that others have towards them, and they can begin to hate themselves and, as a result, indulge in harmful behaviors.

Jonathan said that at least 47% of LGBT teens think about suicide, and that 36% have attempted it. They also will begin smoking, and using alcohol and drugs, which leads to heart disease and other health problems. He also said that when LGBT kids are rejected by their families, they are 3.4 times more likely to engage in unprotected sex, which also leads to health problems.

Regarding marriage, there is an increase in the likelihood of mental disorders in LGBT citizens who live in states that passed constitutional amendments which ban same-sex marriage. The marriage state provides support that leads to lower rates of stress and mental disorders. And without marriage benefits, the cost of healthcare of LGB couples transfers to taxpayers.

Just wait... There's more after the break.

Are they worthy of my membership, or are there other national LGBT organizations that I should send funds to instead? I'd like Bilerico readers' insight.

NOTE FROM BIL: Keep in mind that Annette is a PFLAG mom so let's do this mom-style. Don't just say something negative about HRC. If you don't think she should donate there, tell her where you think she should donate and tell her why. Sell her on the merits of your chosen organization instead of telling her why other groups stink. Keep it positive.

In 2009, they arrived in Indianapolis to protest the production of The Laramie Project at North Central High School, as well as at the Jewish Community Center. So when I learned last week that they would be returning to Indianapolis, I decided to make a sign and join other counter-protesters.

Sunday morning was cold and sunny. The Phelps clan first "invaded" my own city of Carmel. They split up and made appearances at the East 91st Street Christian Church and Carmel Lutheran Church. They were upset with the East 91st Street Church because they allow women ministers and with the Carmel Lutheran Church because they are an LGBT-affirming church.

They claimed they were picketing the Super Bowl because they feel that people spend too much time watching football when they should be in church instead.

Pictures and more after the jump.

Yesterday I read that you are upset with the gays and feel that what they are doing to your husband is backyard bullying. Well, Karen, I feel your pain. I can only imagine what it must be like for poor Rick to get up every day knowing that so many people don't like him for who he is.

It has to be difficult standing up in front of the TV cameras knowing that at any minute, someone he doesn't know might rush up to him and push him or throw something at him for no good reason. I wonder if he has to use back doors to leave a building so the gay bullies won't be able to find him, follow him home and beat him up.

Does he hide under the covers in bed at night, crying about the injustice of it all and feeling that no one else in the world understands? What would you do if one night your husband didn't come home? What if he just couldn't take it anymore and ran away to another city where no one knew him, only to find that no one would take him in and he had to sell drugs on the streets or prostitute himself just to be able to feed himself?

And Karen, it must not be only the gays who bully Rick, but the pro-choice people too. Given his stance on abortion, he must cower thinking that women who have been raped or been the victims of incest might be after him too.

Does he run down alleys when he leaves a debate, hoping these women, heavy with babies they didn't ask for, don't come lumbering after him, ready to shove him into a garbage can or knock him down and stomp on his face, leaving him half-dead in the alley? What if these "sinners" reached him and tied him up to a tree, and beat him senseless?

However, I am not so foolish or socially rigid to not know that many marriages don't end up like mine or my parents and grandparents. Things happen and people find that their marriages just aren't working. But I also try not to make assumptions or judgments about what these people do in their personal lives or how they end up in the situations in which they find themselves.

I will say that I do believe in the "institution of marriage." But I don't look at marriage in a biblical sense. I feel that marriage is personal - between each partner in that union, as well as the children and other family members of the couple. I know that the accumulative affect of divorce over the years does have an impact on society, and that many different things contribute to that, but I'm not a social scientist and don't care to address that at this time.

What interests me right now is the fact that there are many legislators in different states working diligently to save what they believe is the sanctity of marriage and they're going about it the wrong way. They feel that only one man and one woman have the right to be married. They talk about the "slippery slope" - that if LGBT people can get married, then that would lead to marriage with dogs, goats, small children and automobiles. However, it seems that while they're trying so hard to protect marriage for the rest of us, they don't work very hard to practice what they preach.

As I entered, a woman I never saw before approached me and asked if I needed help. I said yes and she helped me set up the copy machine and the payment. She introduced herself as Joan and said she was just filling in for someone who was out that day. She was very friendly and was very eager to chat.

As the copies were being made, I joked around and told her that when I used to work, my office-mates liked me because my hands are so small that I could get them into the copy machine if paper got stuck. She asked me where I worked and I said I don't anymore - but that I'm a volunteer. She asked where and I told her I volunteered with PFLAG and then I explained that PFLAG is an organization that supports parents and families of LGBT kids. Then I told her about the Bullied event - about a young gay man who had been bullied and that he was the first person to sue a school district and win.

Much to my surprise, a look of disgust came over her face. She turned, didn't say a single word, and walked away. She just went into the back room and didn't return. It was as if she was afraid she would "catch something" if she stood near me any longer. So I finished what I was doing, took my copies, and left.

His research has found what so many understand innately - bias and discrimination lead to myriad health difficulties, while acceptance - both legal and social - is sound public heath policy leading to improving and saving lives.

Last year, the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) passed, by an overwhelming majority voice vote at its annual convention, a resolution that the association (1) recognizes that exclusion from civil union or marriage contributes to health care disparities affecting same-sex households; (2) will work to reduce health care disparities among members of same-sex households, including minor children; and (3) will support measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households.

Subsequent Indiana legislative efforts (HJR-6) calling for a constitutional "gay marriage ban" threatens to directly contribute to health care disparities affecting same-sex households. The practical adverse health consequences to be anticipated if a constitutional ban on nontraditional marriage were to become law in Indiana are summarized in an article from William Buffie, M.D. that was published by the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) [pdf] in June of this year.

This year, Dr. Buffie is seeking adoption of a new resolution that calls on the ISMA to: (1) publicly oppose future Indiana General Assembly efforts promoting HJR-6; and (2) support legislative efforts in support of nontraditional marriage.

Dr. Buffie would like the Indiana State Medical Association behind him when he testifies at the State House in 2013. He wants to show the legislators that there are public-health implications of same-sex marriage. To that end, I am asking for help.

We arrived in Arlington on Thursday afternoon. I immediately called Bil and Jerame because I hadn't seen them since they left Indiana. They invited my friend and I to join them at a Vietnamese restaurant - they met us at the subway and we walked to the restaurant. It was great to catch up with my old friends!

PFLAG had arranged a Lobby Day for members on Thursday, but we had decided not to attend. So for us, the convention began on Friday, November 4th, when PFLAG National President Rabbi David Horowitz opened the Annual Meeting.

What is wrong with this picture? Did buildings fall down and did birds come dropping out of the sky? Did oceans flood the land and did volcanoes erupt? Did millions of happy marriages disintegrate? No!

Yesterday I was invited to my first commitment ceremony between two men. I was honored to be on the guest list - I am friends with one of the grooms. Not only was it a same-sex ceremony, but the grooms are interracial. Marriage between two men in Indiana is still illegal (hence the commitment ceremony), and interracial marriage was only legalized in Indiana in 1965. That's not very long ago. I am assuming that before 1965, many thought that disastrous things would happen if two people from different races could marry. Now the same is said of same-sex marriage. Not only will the sky fall if same-sex marriage is legalized, but it will supposedly destroy "marriage as we know it."

I decided to make this video to give the kids and their parents some tools to help them navigate this new world they have just entered. I want them to know that PFLAG is here for them and that it does get better!

About 100 people gathered at 5:00 on a sunny afternoon. One of the goals of the organizers was to have all the participants get to know each other. So everyone present was given the task of participating in a human scavenger hunt. Each person was given a sheet of paper with ten tasks, such as "Find someone who has been arrested," and "Find someone who was born outside of Indiana." The sheets were then gathered and at the end of the rally, the person who got the most answers was given a prize.

This game might have been fun, but there was more to it than that. As I said before, the bills that have been passed are bad for Hoosiers. Luthe-Carter feels that there is strength in numbers. If all of these groups band together and work together, they will show the legislators that we cannot be divided.

When my son first came out in 1998, I had such mixed feelings. I was born and raised in New York City and had been around all sorts of people, including gay people, so I thought I was cool. But I also had no knowledge nor understanding of what it was like to have a gay kid. I was totally confused and couldn't imagine what might have "made him gay." So I did what a lot of parents do when their kids come out - I went into the closet. I stayed there for 2 years. I was embarrassed and thought we didn't have a "normal" family anymore. I thought I'd never have grandchildren. I felt inferior.

When I finally began going to PFLAG meetings, I learned so many new things. I found out that people are born gay - no one or no incident can "make" them gay. I also learned that GLBT people are able to have children and raise families. As I attended more meetings over many years, I met some wonderful parents who became my friends. I talked to them and read a lot and I came out of the closet.