Thousands Of Toronto Public School Students Take Anti-Bullying Pledge, Opponents Of Same Sex Marriage In Scotland Steal The Signatures Of Twenty-Seven University Students, Democratic Senate Candidate Warren Courts Gay Voters In Massachusetts, A Good Percentage Of Troy Voters Want Their Anti-Gay Mayor Janice Daniels Gone, Golden Globes, Prince Harry On The Town, Douglas Booth And Tom Hardy Attend Ballet, Eddie Redmayne For Burberry

An estimated 9,000 Toronto students cheered, chanted, and pledged to end school bullying at a raucous rally held at the Ricoh Coliseum on Thursday. CTV reports that the day-long event featured students from the Toronto District School Board and a series of motivational speakers, athletes and entertainers. The rally was designed to spotlight bullying, much in the news following the death of 15-year-old Ottawa high-school student James Hubley. Hubley, openly gay, was tormented by depression and his peers, and committed suicide on October 15. TDSB Director Chris Spence wants students to understand that bullying won't stop unless a collective effort is made. "You have a say in what goes on in your school. Because a safe school is a shared responsibility," Spence said. "And that's why the pledge ‘I will make it better' speaks to every kid. That's what we're asking them to do." Students made the anti-bullying pledge en masse. Rally speakers said bullying was prevalent in schoolyards and on computer screens. Cyber-bullying, it was a noted, was a growing problem. Kids were also treated to entertainment in the form of freestyle soccer pioneer Eli Freeze, the band Neverest, beatboxer J-Box and freestyle rapper Duane Gibson. Rally attendee Danny Smith has experienced bullying first-hand. "Some kids say I'm stupid because my parents are gay," the 10-year-old student said. The Ontario government has introduced legislation that would ramp up penalties against school bullies who pick on kids like Smith. The proposed legislation would also force schools to allow students to form gay-straight clubs, which Hubley had been trying to organize in his own high school at the time of his death.

Proponents of a petition against Scottish Government proposals on same sex marriage have been criticized for allowing the names of Edinburgh students to be signed up to the document without their knowledge. Scotland for Marriage has attracted more than 9000 online signatures from those opposed to the consultation on the controversial issue within the last two weeks. The Scotsman reports that on Wednesday it emerged that at least 27 students, most of them thought to be from Edinburgh University, had been added to the petition without their knowledge. Many of them had been working on the students’ association rival campaign for same sex marriage, suggesting the move had been malicious. The names were all uploaded from the same computer, according to the website administrator. The National Union of Students criticised the Scotland for Marriage movement – backed by the Archbishop of Edinburgh Cardinal Keith O’Brien and other high-profile figures – for allowing the students to be added to the public document. In response, the faith movement said it had been targeted by “malicious individuals” trying to discredit the petition, including those who had posted numerous messages of abuse to them. Matthew McPherson, president of Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) and one of those whose name appeared on the list of supporters, said: “As someone who represents an organisation which has thrown its weight behind the campaign for equal marriage, I must say I was surprised, to say the least, when I saw my name on this petition. “What’s most concerning for the Scotland for Marriage campaign is that it throws every one of their signatures into disrepute.” Fellow student Stuart Tooley added that he and his friends had been targeted. He said: “In my view, this petition is totally discredited, and the MSPs should take no notice of it.” The Scottish Government has promised to consult on new legislation allowing gay marriages in churches. Currently only an e-mail address is needed to sign up to the petition, but Scotland for Marriage said it would be considering more stringent controls. Spokesman Colin Hart said, “Prior to this we’ve had people uploading obscene names, quite anti-Roman Catholic sentiment, and pretty nasty stuff. Despite that we are determined to continue with our petition. We’ve removed those whose names have been added to the list without their knowledge.”

Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is reaching out to gays and lesbians in Massachusetts, penning an op-ed in a liberal blog touting progress for gay rights in the Bay State and calling for a repeal of a law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, reports The Hill. “As other states grapple with whether to support marriage equality, I’m ready to move to the next step: End the two-tiered system created by the Defense of Marriage Act,” Warren wrote Thursday in the blog Blue Mass Group. “Our federal government should not be in the business of selecting which married couples it supports and which it treats with contempt.” Warren also declared her support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which Democrats have been unable to get through Congress despite almost two decades of attempts, and denounced anti-gay bullying toward children of all sexual orientations. Gay rights have largely taken a back seat to economic concerns in most campaigns, but the play for gay support is unlikely to pose much of a risk for Warren in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage has been legal since 2004. Democrats in Massachusetts said they see the issue as an opening to draw a clear contrast between Warren and Sen. Scott Brown (Republican-Massachusetts), whom Warren will face in November if she wins the primary. They note that Brown, the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, was also the only member not to participate in the “It Gets Better” video series to combat anti-gay bullying. But Brown has deviated from Republican orthodoxy on gay rights in the past, and was honoured in September by the Log Cabin Republicans, a group that represents gay conservatives. Brown also voted for the repeal of the military’s ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. And while he opposes same sex marriage, Brown has called the issue “settled law” in Massachusetts and has worked to maintain a cordial relationship with gay and lesbian voters.

Troy, Michigan Mayor Janice Daniels' controversial gay slur posted to Facebook has garnered a negative reaction by 37-percent of residents who want her to resign, according to a newly released survey. The Detroit News reports that some 300 registered voters in the city were called this week by the Glengariff Group's public polling program. When asked about Daniels' June 25 Facebook post that read "I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there," some 95-percent said they had heard about it. Among other findings in the survey, not commissioned by a group, and had a 5.6 percentage margin of error: 41.4-percent of residents said they viewed Daniels unfavourably; 44.7-percent said they would vote to recall the mayor if an election were held; and 28.4-percent disapproved of her job performance. Daniels, elected in November, has faced a flurry of criticism nationwide since her post went viral this month. Protesters have created an online petition calling for her removal; several of residents spent hours decrying her remarks at a City Council meeting last week; and dozens of people have told the Chamber of Commerce they will stop visiting Troy's restaurants, hotels and retailers. Online comments even suggested that Daniels lost her realtor's position at Century 21 Town & Country in the fallout, but Dan Kersten, who manages the Troy office, said Daniels' license was in escrow, meaning she has put her license to conduct real estate transactions on hold. "She was basically a part-time agent, anyway," he said, adding that Daniels didn't have a desk or office and hadn't been practicing "in quite some time." The mayor could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. She has apologized for the Facebook comments but said the posting was meant as a joke and stressed that marriage should be solely between a man and a woman.

The Golden Globe nominations were announced Thursday morning in Los Angeles, should you care, and since The Help inexplicably earned five nominations, you likely shouldn’t.

Prince Harry back in London, out and about, till all hours, naturally.

The smoking sexy Douglas Booth and Tom Hardy attend the National Ballet’s Christmas Party in London Wednesday.

Eddie Redmayne (My Week With Marilyn) and Cara Delevingne star in Burberry Spring/Summer 2012 campaign, Redmayne telling British Vogue, “I have worked with Burberry before and it’s always a fantastic experience,” adding, “I am huge fan of Christopher Bailey.”