On radio this morning, you may have noticed the My Little Pony stuffed animals on Glenn, Pat, and Stu’s desks. Glenn also asked his listeners to send in photos of themselves with My Little Pony paraphernalia. Why? Because today Glenn is standing in solidarity with a nine-year-old North Carolina boy named Grayson Bruce.
On Saturday, TheBlaze posted a mind boggling story involving Grayson, a new lunchbox, a group of bullies, and a school that isn't doing anything about it. In need of a new lunchbox and a fan of the animated TV program, My Little Pony, Grayson he picked a bag with the character Rainbow Dash from the program. That decision led to him being bullied at school – punched, shoved, and called names.
Grayson’s mom, Noreen Bruce, said that last Thursday morning her son was "so upset he would not get out of the car." Rather than discipline the billies, a school counselor suggested Grayson “should hide his lunch box in his backpack and that when you carry things like that these things happen.”
“Here's why I'm torn on this because in a society where I have to build you a special bathroom because you're confused… God forbid you were ever born a certain gender. No, no. I have to build a bathroom for you,” Glenn said on radio this morning. “But a 9-year-old boy can't choose to be different? A 9-year-old boy can't choose My Little Pony and be protected by the school?”
The way Glenn sees it, this was a teaching moment and the school essentially taught that, when push comes to shove, you should hide who you are. The school district’s website states: “Buncombe County Schools strives to foster a climate of respect and personal responsibility among students, and does not tolerate bullying in any form.” And yet the school did not respect Grayson’s views.
“You didn't respect his viewpoint of 'I like My Little Pony.' I don't have a problem if you say, ‘Hey, buddy, I want you to know there are jerks everywhere’… But they're tolerating it… They're building special bathrooms for protected classes," Glenn said. "Meanwhile, a 9-year-old who just likes My Little Pony is not a protected class, so he has to be told, 'You should hide who you are.' How do you expect our children to even know which way is up and which way is down? Because I don't even understand it.”
The school claims it fosters ‘personal responsibility,’ and yet the school is not taking action against the bullies. Instead, it is encouraging Grayson to hide who he is.
“The only ones being responsible here, I think, is the 9-year-old kid Grayson. He's being authentic. He's being responsible. He's saying, ‘This who I am. I don't care what anybody else says about me. This is what I like.’ Everybody else is not being responsible… What are we doing?”
This morning, Glenn decided to send a clear message to Grayson and everybody else to let them know “it’s okay to be different.” He asked those listening to share their photos with My Little Pony using the hashtag #StandWithGrayson or email them to me@glennbeck.com.
“We're not aficionados on My Little Pony. But I am an aficionado on what it takes to be a man in today's world. And just because you like little ponies means nothing. You having the courage to be who you are and stand up no matter what society says, that is worth its weight in gold,” Glenn concluded. “Send us your snapshots or whatever else you might have and we'll post them. And Grayson, if you and your mom ever want to come down to Dallas, you let me know. You can bring your My Little Pony lunch bag, and I might bring My Little Pony lunch bag. And we can have lunch.”