Joel Burns (politician)
Encyclopedia
Joel Burns is an American
politician. A city councilman for District 9 in Fort Worth
, Texas
, he received national and international press attention in October 2010 after speaking at a council meeting about the issue of suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth
, as part of Dan Savage
's It Gets Better
campaign.
because of his sexual orientation. At one point in the video, he broke down and struggled to push forward with his prepared speech, eventually opting to skip a few lines. In subsequent media coverage, he confirmed that the section he skipped included an acknowledgement that he too had considered committing suicide because of the harassment he was facing.
The speech has resonated throughout the Internet in a matter of minutes after Gawker.com
had first reported the clip on its Gawker.TV website. Shortly thereafter, Burns held his first television interview on the subject with CNN's Ali Velshi
, after the show aired the thirteen minute YouTube clip in its entirety, an unprecedented occurrence for a major daytime news program. One day later, Burns and his speech was featured on scores of national and international news media, as well as NPR's All Things Considered
. In under one week, the clip had garnered over one and a half million views, ultimately leading to Burns' in-studio interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show as well as an appearance on the popular Ellen DeGeneres talk show. As of late March 2011, the clip has sustained over 2.5 million hits, making it one of the most-watched videos in the 'It Gets Better' campaign.
, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
conducted a raid on a Fort Worth gay club (see Rainbow Lounge raid
), prompting a large public outpouring of anger towards the Commission and the Fort Worth Police Department. During a very heated City Council meeting shortly after the raid, Joel Burns reassured many of the gay Dallas-area protesters in attendance that the City of Fort Worth will not allow such intolerance to continue and vowed to create a GLBT Liaison within the Fort Worth Police Department.
Burns was first elected to Fort Worth City Council in 2007 in a special election, during which a sitting city council-member, Chuck Silcox (who is now deceased), campaigned for Burns' opponent Chris Turner because Turner was straight. The election was called when his predecessor, Wendy Davis
, vacated her council seat to seek election, ultimately successfully, to the Texas Senate
. Both straight and gay voters of Fort Worth's District 9 overwhelmingly voted for Burns despite the political homophobic remarks. He was elected to a full term in the 2009 municipal election. He was the first openly gay person ever elected to political office in Tarrant County
.
Boards and Commissions Joel has served on:
Neighborhood and other groups:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician. A city councilman for District 9 in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, he received national and international press attention in October 2010 after speaking at a council meeting about the issue of suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth
Suicide among LGBT youth
Researchers have found that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth is comparatively higher than among the general population...
, as part of Dan Savage
Dan Savage
Daniel Keenan "Dan" Savage is an American author, media pundit, journalist and newspaper editor. Savage writes the internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column Savage Love. Its tone is frank in its discussion of sexuality, often humorous, and hostile to social conservatives, as in...
's It Gets Better
It Gets Better
It Gets Better is an Internet-based project founded in the United States by Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller on September 21, 2010, in response to the suicides of teenagers who were bullied because they were gay or because their peers suspected that they were gay...
campaign.
Speech
In his speech, which was subsequently released on the Internet as a video, Burns spoke about his own experience as a 13-year-old boy facing bullying at school in Crowley, TexasCrowley, Texas
Crowley is a city in Johnson and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas; virtually all of the city is in Tarrant County, with only about .01 sq mi in Johnson County...
because of his sexual orientation. At one point in the video, he broke down and struggled to push forward with his prepared speech, eventually opting to skip a few lines. In subsequent media coverage, he confirmed that the section he skipped included an acknowledgement that he too had considered committing suicide because of the harassment he was facing.
The speech has resonated throughout the Internet in a matter of minutes after Gawker.com
Gawker.com
Gawker is a newsmagazine/blog based in New York City that bills itself as "the source for daily Manhattan media news and gossip" and focuses on celebrities and the media industry....
had first reported the clip on its Gawker.TV website. Shortly thereafter, Burns held his first television interview on the subject with CNN's Ali Velshi
Ali Velshi
Ali Velshi is a Canadian-American television journalist best known for his work on CNN. He is CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, Anchor of CNN's Wake Up Call and a co-host of CNN's weekday morning show American Morning.-Personal life:...
, after the show aired the thirteen minute YouTube clip in its entirety, an unprecedented occurrence for a major daytime news program. One day later, Burns and his speech was featured on scores of national and international news media, as well as NPR's All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
. In under one week, the clip had garnered over one and a half million views, ultimately leading to Burns' in-studio interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show as well as an appearance on the popular Ellen DeGeneres talk show. As of late March 2011, the clip has sustained over 2.5 million hits, making it one of the most-watched videos in the 'It Gets Better' campaign.
Other activities
In 2009, on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall RiotsStonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission was created in 1935. The TABC has the task of inspecting, supervising and regulating every phase of business related to alcoholic beverages...
conducted a raid on a Fort Worth gay club (see Rainbow Lounge raid
Rainbow Lounge raid
The Rainbow Lounge raid occurred in the early morning hours of June 28, 2009, at the Rainbow Lounge, a newly opened gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas. The raid was carried out by members of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Fort Worth Police Department...
), prompting a large public outpouring of anger towards the Commission and the Fort Worth Police Department. During a very heated City Council meeting shortly after the raid, Joel Burns reassured many of the gay Dallas-area protesters in attendance that the City of Fort Worth will not allow such intolerance to continue and vowed to create a GLBT Liaison within the Fort Worth Police Department.
Burns was first elected to Fort Worth City Council in 2007 in a special election, during which a sitting city council-member, Chuck Silcox (who is now deceased), campaigned for Burns' opponent Chris Turner because Turner was straight. The election was called when his predecessor, Wendy Davis
Wendy Davis (politician)
Wendy Davis is a state senator representing District 10 in the Texas Senate.-Election history:Davis ran unopposed for city council in 2001 and 2005 and for senator in the 2008 Democratic primary.-2008 election:-2007:-2003:-1999:...
, vacated her council seat to seek election, ultimately successfully, to the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
. Both straight and gay voters of Fort Worth's District 9 overwhelmingly voted for Burns despite the political homophobic remarks. He was elected to a full term in the 2009 municipal election. He was the first openly gay person ever elected to political office in Tarrant County
Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 1,809,034. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the sixteenth most populous county in the United States and the third most populous in Texas. The county is named in honor...
.
Boards and Commissions Joel has served on:
- District 9 Commissioner on the City of Fort Worth Zoning Commission
- Past Chairman of the City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmark Commission
- Tarrant County Housing Partnership, Board Secretary
- Historic Fort Worth, Inc
Neighborhood and other groups:
- Fort Worth Central-City Redevelopment Committee
- Fort Worth South, Inc. Development Committee
- Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors
- Leadership Fort Worth
- Ryan Place and Fairmount neighborhood associations