Played a leading role in State Legislature’s 2010
harassment law
When Corey Bernstein was in middle school in Millburn,
he was bullied so much he faked illness to stay home. When he told his guidance
teacher about the bullying, the teacher said he must be lying. In eighth grade,
his parents moved him to a private school in Hoboken. Four years later, Corey, 17, now a senior, has become a vocal leader in the effort to stop bullying and to build support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. After coming out as gay in ninth grade, he went on to head the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, and he is now co-chair of the Youth Caucus of Garden State Equality, the organization that campaigns for LGBT rights in New Jersey.
In 2010 Corey played a leading role in getting the State Legislature to pass anti-bullying legislation.
Steven Goldstein, founder and chair of GSE, described Corey as “the very personification of tikun olam. To see how he embodies our Jewish values and commitment to heal the world makes me kvell more than words can describe. He has become a light for thousands of others.”
“I was so unhappy in middle school, I can understand why kids commit suicide,” Corey said in an interview with NJ Jewish News on Aug. 15. “I’m not sure why I was bullied; I hadn't come out yet, and it was never about my being Jewish, but I suppose I was different. I wasn't into sports, and I was short. But my parents were supportive and I was able to move to a better situation. What about those people who don’t have that option?”
Though watchful and soft-spoken, Corey conveys a kind of steely confidence that he said has been fostered by his family and people at his school and GSE who have taught him to organize and advocate.
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