Via SPLC:

May 27, 2010

Dear Daniel,

All our children are entitled to a safe learning environment — one free from harassment and abuse.

That's why I'd like to extend a special invitation to you to help us produce a new classroom film about one of the most important civil rights issues of the 21st century — the persistent homophobia in our society and the tragic bullying of gay students.

The film, Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case that Made History, and its accompanying teaching kit will inspire millions of students and educators for years to come, teaching them that anti-gay bullying is wrong — morally and legally.

In appreciation of your support, we'll add your name to the film credits and send you a free copy of the film. Your name on the film will reflect your commitment to justice.

Bullied will impart its powerful lessons through the story of Jamie Nabozny, a gay student who endured years of abuse and torture. Jamie's day often began on the school bus with "Good morning, faggot." The verbal and physical harassment by his classmates was relentless and frequently violent. Once, Jamie was beaten so severely he required surgery.

Despite Jamie's and his parents' pleas for help, his teachers and school officials never disciplined his attackers, forcing him to turn to the legal system. After a historic trial, a federal court ruled that school officials could be held accountable for not stopping anti-gay abuse, leading to the nation's first legal protections for gay students in schools.

Sadly, thousands of students in our nation's schools continue to suffer the kind of abuse that Jamie endured. I'm sure you've seen the shocking headlines about children — some as young as 11 — so tortured by anti-gay bullying that they have taken their own lives.

That's why our new film kit is so timely and necessary. We need to provide teachers and students with the necessary tools to curb the devastating consequences of anti-gay bullying, and we need it now. With your help, we plan to release Bullied in September and distribute 25,000 kits free of charge to schools in the first year.

I hope that you'll accept my invitation to join us in this important project. You can also help by speaking out when you hear anti-gay and other bias slurs, especially coming from children and teenagers. Together, we can make a difference.

With my sincere thanks, Morris Dees Founder, Southern Poverty Law Center P.S. Right now, our production team is working hard to complete the film so we'll be ready to distribute it to schools this fall. The deadline for having your name included in the classroom film credits is July 12.