Earlier this week, I joined a group of New Jersey Democrats and Republicans in Congress to release a video message for the “It Gets Better Project.”  Together, we are talking to young people who are bullied in New Jersey and around the country to say, “It gets better.”

We're adding our voices to a message that is gaining traction across America:  that schools should be not only places of academic learning, but also places of learning to live in a diverse community.  We cannot legislate tolerance, but we can work to give schools a more positive and safe atmosphere.

Toward that end, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and I earlier this year reintroduced the “Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act,” which would require colleges and universities that receive federal student aid to have in place a policy that prohibits harassment of students based on their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.

If you are a student in New Jersey who has been bullied, whether you are gay, straight, lesbian, or bisexual, you can seek help by contacting Garden State Equality’s anti-bullying hotline by calling 1-877-NJBULLY or texting NJBULLY to 66746.

SAFELY DISPOSE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ON SATURDAY

On Saturday, October 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., many of our local police departments will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, providing a venue for you to dispose safely of unwanted and unused prescription drugs.  Click here to find a participating site near you.

By properly disposing of unwanted medications, you can help to keep potentially hazardous chemicals out of our water supply, and you can help to prevent prescription drug abuse.

CELEBRATION RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND DIALOGUE

Forty-six years ago, on October 28^th, 1965, Pope Paul VI issue Nostra Aetate, the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. Nostra Aetate was an authoritative declaration on religious inclusion that, for the first time in 2,000 years, opened the door for interfaith dialogue and respect between Catholics and Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and others.

In 2005, I sponsored a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives commemorating Nostra Aetate.  This year’s anniversary is another opportunity to celebrate our progress toward religious cooperation and respect, as well as to remind ourselves of the work that remains to be done.  We cannot remain silent in the face of hate and intolerance.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress