And yet another freaking suicide (this time of a Trevor Project intern)

[dsc]

who also made an It Gets Better video.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/01/suicide-claims-another-lgbt-youth-trevor-project-intern-eric-borges/

Eric James Borges, 19, of Visalia, Calif., succumbed to suicide Wednesday, January 11, 2012. Known as EricJames to his friends, he was an intern with The Trevor Project, and a Supplemental instructor at the College of the Sequoias.

I am so sick of reading about these suicides. Time and again we see young (mostly male) gay kids killing themselves and time and again we say it has to stop, and time and again nothing gets done. I am glad we saw a hate crime bill pass and the ending of DADT pass, but maybe, just maybe, adult gays should have allowed our baby gays to go first here. Maybe, just maybe, we should have used our majorities to pass a nationwide, anti bullying bill with teeth. I admit, this particular suicide was probably not bullying related, but most of them have been.

I have quite honestly lost count of what number suicide this is. I would guess we are in the high double digits or maybe even low triple digits by now. Yet, we have zero chance of seeing action on this issue nationally and very little chance of seeing it in a majority of our states. And what is national gay groups reaction to this state of affairs. As far as I can tell, pretty much nothing. It it going to take the 1000th suicide, the 10,000th?

Shame on our nation for letting this happen with no one apparently giving a damn. American exceptionalism my ass.

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Especially disturbing because

the Trevor Project does their best to stop suicides. I wonder what finally pushed this victim over the edge.

[targetpractice]

2. I wish it were possible to know...

...how many of these kids were taking anti-depressant medications at the time of their suicide.

I ask, because I've been there, and I can say that SSRI's and similar medications can simply "take away" the negative feelings and comprehension of consequences regarding "bad" decision-making (e.g., spending money, risky sex, self-harm, etc.).

I have no doubt that modern anti-depressants lower the threshold of suicide... especially for immature minds who don't understand the finality of death.

[Luminous Animal]

3. A commitment from grassroots Democrats to our Democratic leadership would

for equal rights would mitigate the social alienation for some of these kids.

[shireen]

4. i can't imagine the pain

that kid was feeling. The fact that he was with the Trevor project indicates that he was trying to heal. He tried. But his pain was too overwhelming.

Officially, they're calling it suicide. I call it murder. He was pushed off a cliff by haters.

RIP to a fine young man who deserved so much better.