Thank you for having me here tonight.
So "Carrie" is a film about a girl who is bullied mercilessly by her classmates for being different.
The story, as we all know, is fiction.
But Carrie haunts us so much because the torment that she faces is all too real.
If not for ourselves, for the people that we love.
Two of my older brothers are gay and they were bullied and treated horrifically because of who they are.
I am here tonight to support GLSEN and because bullying must end once and for all.
*Applause*
Thankfully, GLESN and I have had a lot of help.
Students across the country are working with this incredible organization
to ensure that every single student, whether they are gay, perceived to be gay
transgender, a person of color, disabled, or whatever makes them different, is safe in their school.
Tonight, we celebrate an individual who is doing everything she can to make her peers feel included
respected, and accepted regardless of who they are.
I am honored to be here to introduce to you GLSEN's 2013 Student Advocate of the Year
Laila Al-Shamma
*Applause*
Laila is a senior at her school at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad.
A champion in her community who never shies away from an opportunity to make a difference.
Laila has worked tirelessly to ensure that all of her students are treated equally and respectfully on her campus.
Laila has also fought to bring GLSEN's programs to her school
including the Safe Space Program and the Day of Silence.
She reinvigorated her school's GSA
and reached out personally to her teachers on campus to build a network of allies for students
and used the Student's Press to speak eloquently about her own experiences as a lesbian teen.
She leads by example.
Her teachers and mentors call Laila courageous, empathetic, and determined.
GLSEN is proud to call her its 2013 Student Advocate of the year. Proudly presented by AT&T.
Please welcome Laila Al-Shamma.