ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joel Burns - City councilman
Amid a rise in bullying and a rash of teen suicides, politician Joel Burns spoke up at an otherwise ordinary city council meeting and delivered a powerful message to teens tormented for being gay.

Why you should listen

As a city councilman for Fort Worth, Texas, Joel Burns serves on a number of local boards and commissions and works with neighborhood and professional groups to preserve and protect Fort Worth. He brings community leaders, neighborhood associations and developers to the same table to work together. Burns' agenda includes a plan for bringing light rail and commuter rail to the Fort Worth area.

In October of 2010, video of his courageous message to the targets of teen bullying went viral on the web.

More profile about the speaker
Joel Burns | Speaker | TED.com
Fort Worth City Council

Joel Burns: A message to gay teens: It gets better

Filmed:
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In a courageous, intensely emotional talk at the city council in Fort Worth, Texas, councilman Joel Burns reaches out to the targets of teen bullying -- kids who are gay, perceived as gay, or just different -- with a vital message about their lives, and the harassment they face.
- City councilman
Amid a rise in bullying and a rash of teen suicides, politician Joel Burns spoke up at an otherwise ordinary city council meeting and delivered a powerful message to teens tormented for being gay. Full bio

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joel Burns - City councilman
Amid a rise in bullying and a rash of teen suicides, politician Joel Burns spoke up at an otherwise ordinary city council meeting and delivered a powerful message to teens tormented for being gay.

Why you should listen

As a city councilman for Fort Worth, Texas, Joel Burns serves on a number of local boards and commissions and works with neighborhood and professional groups to preserve and protect Fort Worth. He brings community leaders, neighborhood associations and developers to the same table to work together. Burns' agenda includes a plan for bringing light rail and commuter rail to the Fort Worth area.

In October of 2010, video of his courageous message to the targets of teen bullying went viral on the web.

More profile about the speaker
Joel Burns | Speaker | TED.com