This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton each released video messages this week on the problem of bullying. Both messages centered on abusive behavior toward homosexuals.

BARACK OBAMA: "Like all of you, I was shocked and saddened by the deaths of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay, and who ultimately took their own lives. As a parent of two daughters, it breaks my heart. It's something that just shouldn't happen in this country. We've got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage -- that it's some inevitable part of growing up. It's not."