Tammy Aaberg, the mother of Justin
Aaberg, a gay teen who committed suicide last year, met Thursday with
Michele Bachmann staffers to urge the congresswoman to publicly
denounce anti-gay bullying in her district.
Justin, a former student at Anoka High
School, which is in Bachmann's congressional district, took his own
life to escape the daily harassment he suffered. He was 15.
The Anoka-Hennepin district has been
criticized for its “neutrality policy” on issues of sexual
orientation and gender identity. The policy, critics say, foments a
hostile environment for gay youth or teens perceived to be gay.
Tammy and five others delivered a
petition signed by more than 130,000 people from around the country
urging Bachmann to denounce anti-gay bullying in her district.
“I think Congresswoman Bachmann is in
a leadership role to speak out against bullying,” Tammy told gay
glossy The
Advocate. “I'm not asking her to change her beliefs. But
all kids should be protected in school.”
Becky Rogness, a Bachmann spokeswoman,
said in a statement that Bachmann will respond to the petition after
she has had an opportunity to review it.