When is the last time your feelings were hurt because of someone else’s words? My answer is—not so long ago. For as long as I can remember, classmates have laughed about my last name, “Fung-Wiener,” and it took me years to embrace my name as a goofy representation of my culturally diverse background. Most teens deal with bullying in some way during their high school experiences. Haven’t you?

The Bully Project is a grassroots movement that uses local campaigns, video projects and social media “to build an alliance of students, parents, school staff, policy makers and engaged citizens to create a positive environment in schools where everyone feels safe and respected.”

At the heart of The Bully Project is a documentary of the same name, directed by celebrated filmmaker, Lee Hirsh. The film spotlights the stories of five different American teens and families in their homes and at their schools. Through these stories, The Bully Project searches for the answers to questions we’ve all asked ourselves: Why do we bully each other, and how can we stop it?

The Bully Project film is scheduled for broad release in U.S. theaters soon. But we don’t need to wait for the movie to learn how to make a difference! On the project’s official Web site, bold letters beckon teens across the nation to “JOIN THE MOVEMENT” by signing up to hear about their latest news and initiatives.

So think about it—when is the last time bullying affected your life, or that of a friend or family member? You’re not alone. It happens all the time to teens all over the nation, but bullying doesn’t have to go on like this forever. We have the power to stop it. So check it out. Speak up. Join the movement.

—Hannah Fung-Wiener, 16, Staff Writer

Have you ever felt like Facebook makes dating complicated? I was talking to a friend about dating and relationships, and she went on a rant about her boyfriend’s lack of enthusiasm when it came to liking her statuses, commenting on her photos and so on. She then explained how the way he acts on Facebook must reflect what he thinks of their relationship. But is that really true?

People can get crazy about their boyfriend, girlfriend or crush’s wall posts, status updates, pictures—and not to mention relationship statuses. When we see someone has gotten in or out of a relationship, everyone wants to know what happened. This can make something intimate more of a public spectacle. Rumors can also easily spread because of something seen on Facebook, creating drama and unnecessary conflict in the dating scene (as if it weren’t already difficult enough!) Should we be counting on Facebook to develop healthy relationships?

When the main form of communication in a dating relationship is Facebook, you are concentrating on the virtual aspect of the relationship. But it can make things downright awkward in-person. It’s best to establish a healthy relationship outside of Facebook and talk to people you trust, such as parents or teachers, about dating rather than going on Facebook to check up on every little thing your partner or crush is or isn’t saying on Facebook.

Instead of getting caught up in Facebook drama, we can educate ourselves about healthy relationships. For more information on dating, love and healthy relationships, check out the Love & Relationships section of Sexetc.org.

—Casandra Fetchik, 18, Staff Writer

Australia recently began offering a third gender category in addition to male and female on their country’s passports. In addition to “M” for male or “F” for female, people can choose “X.” This change was made to help fight discrimination usually faced by people who are transgender or intersex since they may not identify as male or female.

Although Australia is the only country who offers a third gender category, many countries, like England and the United States offer citizens the option to mark whichever gender they identify as. While it is great that the U.K. and U.S. have adopted policies that allow citizens to choose the gender that they identify as, I feel like these policies don’t compare to what Australia has done. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to explain to immigration or customs officials that although your passport states you are male or female, you do not identify as either, and instead feel that you are something entirely different. These kinds of situations degrade the individual involved and open them up to more discrimination and abuse.

Australia’s third gender category on passports grants intersex and transgender individuals a more comfortable way to identify themselves without having to worry about being forced to select a gender when neither male nor female feels right for them. Gender “X” will also hopefully help spread acceptance of transgender and intersex individuals. If other nations adopted this third gender, people might begin to see it as part of the norm. Hopefully, this will promote an understanding that not everyone identifies as either male or female, and maybe, just maybe, it will help promote a future where we openly recognize that we cannot all be classified into just two genders.

—Sam Dercon, 17, Staff Writer

I’ve started losing interest in Twilight fandom, and it’s all because of the long awaited marriage and sex scene between Edward and Bella in the latest film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.

In the books and movie, Bella wants more physical intimacy with Edward, but he says they must marry first. So what does Bella do? She rushes too quickly into marriage—a very serious thing—because that’s the only way Edward will have sex with her. Her only concern seems to be what will make Edward happy—not a good message to send to the fans. It’s frustrating that Bella’s character is portrayed as so dependent on Edward. He spies on Bella while she sleeps, dictates her choice of friends and encourages her to trick her father, among other questionable actions that make Edward a creep and not a healthy choice for a boyfriend or husband. But will girls and guys believe having a controlling and possessive partner means your partner “loves” you, because they see Bella and Edward’s relationship portrayed as “romantic”?

And what about sex? The sex scene wasn’t described in detail in the book or movie. But the aftermath was shown with the breaking of a headboard and Bella’s body covered in bruises. (Edward can’t control his superhuman strength during sex with a mere human. This makes me wonder: Does this leave people thinking a partner really desires you if he or she hurts you during sex?) While Edward is disgusted with himself because he has bruised Bella, she is happy they have finally had sex. One moment Bella and Edward are in total bliss, and the next they’re both upset. Communication before, during and after sex might have helped avoid some of the misunderstanding.

At first I thought the Twilight storyline was cute, and of course, I daydreamed about how lovely a vampire boyfriend would be, but when I actually thought about what Bella and Edward’s relationship is like, I really lost interest. (But Team Jacob all the way!)

—Casandra Fetchik, 17, Staff Writer

There was a lot of hype over the last few weeks regarding the Glee episode, entitled The First Time. The episode was about the sex lives of two of the shows’ couples—Rachel and Finn, and Kurt and Blaine—as they had sex for the first time. For three of the four, this was their first time ever having sex.

I have to say, for all of the hullabaloo, between the excitement of fans and the protests of advocates of “clean TV,” the episode spent less time than I would have expected actually focusing on the sex plotline and instead spent a lot of time on other characters and story lines. And after all of the controversy, the “raunchiest” scene involved the couples in bed, clothed.

In fact, what turned out to be the most interesting part of the episode, at least for me, was comparing the situation between the heterosexual and gay couples. Fans of Glee know that the show’s writers aren’t afraid of controversial topics: so far the show has seen teen pregnancy, underage drinking, gay and lesbian relationships, cheating and betrayal. But in the show, Kurt and Blaine’s relationship has been more about longing glances and adorable declarations than hand holding or kissing. Having the couple develop a romantic and emotional connection that isn’t just physical illustrates that their relationship is serious and just as valid as any heterosexual relationship—an idea that is not accepted by everyone. The montage of the two couples before and after they had sex for the first time did a great job of comparing the two sexual encounters and showing viewers that relationships whether you’re gay or heterosexual are not all that different.

So sure, maybe some viewers were scandalized by the implications of teens having sex. But that’s a fact of life. Some teens have sex. Most don’t though. But if some viewers were scandalized by the idea of gay teens having sex, then hopefully this episode had them reevaluate their perception of LGBTQ relationships.

—Taylor McCabe, 19, Contributor