Bullying is a major problem at schools all around the country and LGBT teens bear the brunt of it. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said that nine out of 10 LGBT teens report being bullied at school within the past year. So now, Rawlings is hoping to bring attention to the situation by declaring September 12-16 as “Stand Up Against Bullying” week.

The highlight of the week is a visit from international rugby star Ben Cohen, whose StandUp Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness about anti-LGBT bullying. Cohen will be speaking at an anti-bullying forum at Southern Methodist University, at high schools across DFW and will be at a fundraiser for his StandUp Foundation.

Jeff Hickey is the man largely responsible for bringing Cohen to the area and for bringing the situation of bullying to Rawlings’ attention. He is a local gay activist that formed a group called Dallas Stands Up – the main goal of which was to bring Cohen to Dallas and to spread the word about his visit.

Though LGBT movements have made great strides over the years, there is still a stigma against them in some areas. Hopefully, after Cohen’s visit and Stand Up Against Bullying are finished, Dallas won’t be one of those areas.