Brooks Requests Meeting via Petition and Letter after Scathing Op-Ed and Personal Attack from Secretary of Energy Rick Perry

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today announced support for Texas A&M University student Bobby Brooks, the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected student body president for the university, following a scathing op-ed written by Secretary Rick Perry and published in the Houston Chronicle in which Perry called Brooks’ election a “mockery” and said “this quest for ‘diversity’ is the real reason the election outcome was overturned.”

On Friday, March 24, Brooks released a letter requesting a meeting with Secretary Perry. In the letter, Brooks requested an in-person meeting with the secretary and said he would like to “discuss how we can work together to achieve our common vision.”

In support of Bobby, GLAAD launched a petition for community members and allies to add their name to Brooks’ letter at www.glaad.org/bobby.

According to Brooks, since Rick Perry wrote his op-ed, he has experienced harassment and even physical threats from opposing campaigns – specifically an incident on March 17. The harassment is what compelled Brooks to write a letter to Secretary Perry inviting him to meet with Brooks one-on-one in either College Station, Texas or Washington, D.C.

“Young people like Bobby Brooks are the future, and should be encouraged, not harassed,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “I hope Secretary Perry takes this opportunity to meet with Bobby and learn what this student already knows – that diversity and inclusion are among our greatest strengths.”

Screenshot of GLAAD petition for Bobby Brooks

Ahead of GLAAD’s official announcement, more than 3,100 signatures have been collected. Brooks will also be a featured guest at the 28^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 1 in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton and at GLAAD’s Inaugural Rising Stars Luncheon where other LGBTQ college students will receive grants for LGBTQ advocacy projects.

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About GLAAD: GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQs acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.