We are up to nine now

[dsc]

Nine young men, some of whom were gay, some of whom weren't, who have killed themselves because they were percieved to be gay and were bullied to the point they couldn't take it for another day. Here is a photo gallary.

Caleb R Nolt date of death Sept 30, 2010



Felix Sacco date of death Sept 29, 2010





Harrison Chase Brown date of death Sept 25, 2010





Asher Brown date of death Sept 23, 2010



Tyler Clementi date of death Sept 22, 2010



Seth Walsh date of death Sept 19, 2010



Cody J Barker date of death Sept 13, 2010





Billy Lucas date of death Sept 9, 2010



Of the nine only Felix's bullying hasn't be specified so it could be merely 8. Ask yourselves for a second what would the national response be if 8 kids died of ecoli or salmanella, or chicken pox? Now compare it to the reaction with this. No federal calls for any kind of investigation into what might be causing school climates to be so awful that kids kill themselves to avoid them. No calls for our hate filled clerics to shut the hell up about gays being evil. Nope, just business as usual.

I end this post on one more depressing note. Listen and weep, I all but did.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130258246&ps=rs

If you are a parent, make it clear to your child that you will love him or her not matter if s/he is gay or straight. It can make a big difference as this link shows.

http://www.kez999.com/cc-common/mediaplayer/player.html?redir=yes&mps=BFT.php&mid=http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/23392/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/23392/793/richmedia/mothers_letter_dan_sav_interv9-30-10.mp3?CCOMRRMID=20514601&CPROG=RICHMEDIA&MARKET=PHOENIX-AZ&NG_FORMAT=&NG_ID=&OR_NEWSFORMAT=&OWNER=793&SERVER_NAME=www.kez999.com&SITE_ID=793&STATION_ID=KESZ-FM&TRACK=

If you are a teacher, please try to help your gay students. I know it can be tough but please try. If you are a kid in this situation please know it will get better. Take it one day at a time. If you feel like killing yourself today, you can always do it tomorrow. If you feel like killing yourself tomorrow, you can always do it the next day. Soon the five or four, or three years become just a day at a time.

I don't know what else to say except that I am deeply depressed over this state of affairs. I think of those nine boys, and how alone they must have felt, and how much pain they must have felt, and how ashamed they must have felt, and I just want to give up and cry. Instead I posted a video at it gets better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjrtXv9YQuM

[gateley]

1. .That we're aware of. :-( nt

[murielm99]

6. Indeed.

There was a suicide here a couple of years ago. It received no national publicity. My family is only aware of it because my husband served on the coroner's jury. I am sure there are many more.

[Bluebear]

2. Our government told them they were too disgusting to ever serve in the military

Our President says they should never marry. The messages come from the top down, but they were too young to know they should buck up. :(

[Scuba]

5. + one half

I'm not aware that the President actually said that. Do you have a reference, or was it hyperbole?

He has not backed gay marriage as he should (in my opinion), and your comment regarding the military is spot on!

[awoke_in_2003]

31. Go to youtube and search...

"Obama on marriage". Here is one for you-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K9dS9wl7U

[Scuba]

32. He should be ashamed.

[awoke_in_2003]

41. he is a politician...

they feel no shame.

[rainlillie]

68. I knew his stance on same sex marriage early on, he never made it a secret, neither did Hilary.

I support same sex marriage, but at the time whether we voted for Obama or Hilary we would be in the same place we are in now.

[Bluebear]

58. “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.” - Barack Obama

More precisely, Sen. Obama said, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman,” shortly after being asked if he opposed same-sex marriage, to which he responded, “Yes.” This positioning is not new for Sen. Obama. He has uttered those words plenty – during a debate with Alan Keyes in 2004, on the Senate floor in 2006, even in his 2007 Human Rights Campaign candidate questionnaire.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2008/06/20/Obama_and_One-Man,_One-Woman_Marriage/

[The Doctor.]

60. How convenient it must be to use such tragedy to scapegoat Obama.

No, it's not the system, the culture, the hate-mongerers, the bullies... it's Obama. Yes, I know how criminal it must be of him to have played it safe when he could have risked marginalizing himself instead of trying to get somewhere he could do some good. He should have stated firmly that he held nothing but totally progressive values so he could be easily compartmentalized by his opponents.

Pardon me, PT, but even though we agree it sucks that politicians have to equivocate, we also must agree that equivocation is the price of admission.

While his words may trouble you, his actions have been admirable. I defy you to show any other viable candidate with a more compassionate agenda.

That all said, we are still moving more slowly towards equality and acceptance than many can bear. These tragedies can be prevented with the right message from ALL of us.

[reggie the dog]

62. obama is part of the system of hatred

he has not taken a firm stand on gay rights, he, as our leader, could have done much more yet has dropped the ball, he is not directly at fault with the bullying but indirectly he is squandering a great opprotunity to fight for civil rights

[rainlillie]

69. What a disgusting , idiotic thing to say!

[reggie the dog]

81. how is it disgusting or idiotic?

if the leader condones discrimination based on sexual orientation (such as not letting openly gay people marry and adopt kids or not letting openly gay people serve in the military) they are part of the problem, they accept the hatred and dont work against it so they share the guilt. Had obama pushed to end dadt and pushed to have sexual orientation included in a civil rights acts and failed he would not be part of the problem.

[rainlillie]

86. Obama has a long way to go, here's a list of things he has done for the LGBT community

http://www.equalitygiving.org/Accomplishments-by-the-Administration-and-Congress-on-LGBT-Equality

[reggie the dog]

94. i was not aware of all of that had been done

that is great progress, not a huge leap but those are steps in the correct direction. someone who extends definition of hate crimes to include gays is indeed sending a message that it is not right to target people for being gay. why would he then have so much reserve about gay marriage or ending dadt??? he could just say it is all a part of supporting the civil rights movement...

[rainlillie]

95. I agree with your points.

[RaleighNCDUer]

105. I think, like many people, he has difficulty separating personal and

public stances on the issue. He could easily say "I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman, BUT my personal beliefs are not paramount here - it is the rights of citizens to make their own personal decisions on their own relationships."

I don't think my sister is any more married now that she and her partner have a Canadian marriage certificate, any more that I think she was any less married before they went to Canada. And my belief, whatever it is, has no impact whatsoever on them.

Perhaps he thinks it will complicate the legalities of marriage - which is fundamentally the State's only interest in the whole matter - but IMO it will tremendously simplify them.

[Le Taz Hot]

72. Excellent point. n/t

[Bluebear]

117. If all you get out of this is poor Obama being "scapegoated"...

then there is a problem.

Face it, he said he would be a fierce advocate for gay folk and has been anything but.

[rainlillie]

55. So now this is Obama's fault?

[Bluebear]

57. Yeah, as a matter of fact it is. He's part of the problem of institutionalized discrimination.

[rainlillie]

66. I disagree, he at least believes in civil unions and I seriously doubt he's pro-teen suicide.

[VMI Dem]

67. Are you impressed with people that wanted separate water fountains for blacks?

:shrug:

[rainlillie]

70. Wow you guys are really reaching here. It's cold here today, I suppose that's his fault too.

[VMI Dem]

71. Reaching for what? You are advocating separate but equal as if it is virtuous.

:rofl:

[rainlillie]

73. You have no idea who the hell you're talking to

Is it a huge surprise to you that neither Obama or Hilliary supported same sex marriage? FYI: I have a sister who is a lesbian and I work closely with her organization that helps gays and lesbians with legal problems. Also I'm a proud member of PFLAG. I just don't see the point in blaming one politician for the suicides of these teens. Yes, I disagree with Obama's stance, but it's quite a reach to blame him. You have not a clue what was going in the lives of these kids.

[VMI Dem]

76. The poster stated that Obama is part of the problem of institutionalized discrimination.

You disagree and brought up civil unions. So you agree with separate but equal. Its quite simple.

:hi:

[rainlillie]

78. I said Obama supported civil unions.. try to keep up with me.

His stance is no different than Hilliary's. I support same sex marriage, Obama never made it a secret where he stood.

[VMI Dem]

79. So you think civil unions are advocating separate but equal and agree with the poster.

Good.

:toast:

I am still not clear on the Hillary obsession.

[rainlillie]

80. Try really hard here to comprehend..

I'm saying whether we voted for Hilliary or Obama, we would have a president who was opposed to same sex marriage but supported civil unions. I can't be any clearer than that. I don't support civil unions I was telling you where Obama stood.

[rainlillie]

83. Here's a list of elected officials who support same sex marriage..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supporters_of_same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States

[reggie the dog]

87. it is not your fault

but i find that list to be far too short

[rainlillie]

88. I do too.

[VMI Dem]

93. The poster commented on institutional discrimination. You said you disagreed.

Can you outline exactly how you disagree then? You didn't simply state where Obama stood.

[rainlillie]

96. I looked at all of the things Obama has done thus far and concluded that

wasn't a fair statement.

http://www.equalitygiving.org/Accomplishments-by-the-Administration-and-Congress-on-LGBT-Equality

[VMI Dem]

97. "he at least believes in civil unions" How is that statement contrary to the posters assertion?

[rainlillie]

99. It's Monday, you must be bored. I already stated my positions and explained them.

and ultimately agreed with the posters positions on a few things.

[Bluenorthwest]

90. What does Hillary have to do with this?

Nothing. But you keep bringing her up. Do you think her being wrong mitigates Obama being wrong? How? Explain.

[rainlillie]

91. I was making the point, that if we voted for Obama or Hillary we'd be in the same boat we are in now

So at the time what choice did we have?

[Bluebear]

115. You just couldn't be any more insensitive and unaware if you tried.

'It's cold here today, I suppose that's his fault too.' - how juvenile.

[Le Taz Hot]

75. Seperate but Equal

was declared unconstitutional in 1954.

[reggie the dog]

85. because separate is inherently unequal

[reggie the dog]

84. do civil unions offer a green card or nationality

for people from foreign countries as marriage does??? that is one of my biggest points of contention with civil unions here in france, civil unions are for homo or hetero sexual people, marriage just for heteros, only marriage gets your partner a resident alien card or nationality, so as i say i married a french woman but what if she wanted to marry a woman she fell in love with who was american and not french?? why is it ok to tell a hetero couple that they can have a resident alien card when the same right is denied to a homo sexual couple???? separate is inherently unequal

[muffin1]

92. Civil Unions = Separate But Equal

How does a man whose own parents were not allowed to marry when he was born not understand this? He has not fought for the repeal of DADT, in fact I can probably count on one hand the number of times he has spoken about it in public. Fierce advocate? I think not.
Shit, when Professor Gates was a victim of discrimination, the whole country watched a 'beer summit' to bring both sides together. Where is the summit for MILLIONS of GLBTQ people who are being discriminated against EVERY FUCKING DAY OF THEIR LIVES?

From Obama's own mouth came the words 'marriage is between a man and a woman'. On more than one occasion. He has been a huge disappointment on Civil Rights. Disgusting.

[thereismore]

107. Way to go, piling thousands of years of bigotry on one limited man. Congratulations. nt

[Bluebear]

116. Limited by his own prejudice, sorry.

[Bluebear]

59. Any comment?

[JNelson6563]

109. Yes, he can legislate hateful behavior away

With the wave of his hand he could end racism, homophobia and all the other stuff! He even holds the power to make believers not fear and hate atheists too!

[Brickbat]

3. There absolutely has been a statement on the federal level.

Every time someone hems and haws about not letting gays in the military, it makes a huge statement. When a survey is sent to a soldier's family members asking THEM how they would feel if their spouse had to serve with an openly gay person, it makes a huge statement. This attitude isn't only in the schools; it's still pervasive across society. When "gay" isn't an insult and being perceived as gay is not a big deal -- like being perceived as the wrong age or in the wrong grade -- then we'll have made some progress.

[CatFancy55]

108. Where is Obama?

We need something. I'm not asking for a primetime address, but something.

[RobertDevereaux]

4. Young people like these...

...are what primarily moved me to write my novel Santa Claus Conquers the Homophobes.

How long, o Lord, how long?

[Yeshuah Ben Joseph]

17. You're asking Me?

I told those homophobic idiots (who claim to be My disciples) to get over it years ago. As usual, they weren't listening. Do we need to bring back the raining frogs and plagues of locusts to get their attention?

If any odd weather patterns develop in Colorado Springs or Virginia Beach in the near future, you will know that Dad & I have spoken.

[Jamastiene]

64. I love you.

:hug:

[jhrobbins]

74. Very funny, your grace..uh, holiness; no, that's the Pope. What are we to call you?

[handmade34]

7. my two sons have never

given me any indication that they are gay but both my partner and I have told them again this week how proud we are of them and that we love them NO MATTER WHAT... no matter who they date or choose to be with

I want to stop weeping for the beautiful children our society is losing

[reggie the dog]

63. in this respect you are a great parent

my parents told me the same thing when i was young and i am not gay but damn was i lucky to have such cool parents

[EFerrari]

8. .

[Scuba]

9. As the parent of a gay son....

One of my sons is gay. He also has learning disabilities and has had to attend "special" classes.

Compound that with the fact he is of a minority race while we live in whiter-than-white Wisconsin.

This combination of factors could have led to tragedy. Fortunately for us, it did not.

When my wife and I first suspected he might be gay, we made a special point to let him know that we loved gays just as we love others, and that we would always love him, no matter what.

He saw right through us and immediately denied he was gay (obviously he was feeling something!!).

He denies ever have been bullied, but did become a workout warrior and sculpted his body into one that suggests strength and quickness.

Now, years later, he is openly gay (some would say "flaming") and fully accepting of himself. I strongly believe the acceptance and love from his mother and I was instrumental in his well being.

My point is that until we rid society of the intolerence and hate, millions of young men and women are going to have their lives ridiculed and slandered, and sometimes even lost. This tragedy must not continue.

As another poster on this thread wrote, not allowing gays to serve in the military sends a message to those who would bully and ridicule them. When we tell all Americans that gays are not good enough to serve we tell them that gays are not worthy. That's just wrong.

[dsc]

16. You are great parents

thank you so much for doing what you did.

[ThomasQED]

50. Your post made me think back...

In my school, we had kids who were in various stages of being openly gay and who were more or less comfortable with themselves and who were very well accepted. Not to say there weren't a few jerks who made fun of them, but those were the jerks who made fun of everyone, and most of the students treated the gay students well.

Then there were a few who were suspected to be gay and denying it, and they got the worst bullying by far.

I'm wondering if the bullying has more to do with self-confidence and self-acceptance than anything else. The bullies identify the internal "weakness" and pile on.

Whether or not any of those kids were gay was none of our business and shouldn't make the slightest difference or be an issue at all. I'm just wondering now if those who are more conflicted about it get the worst bullying.

You are a good parent.

[jhrobbins]

77. You are TOO COOL for school!!

[Swamp Rat]

10. k&r

[Scuba]

11. As the parent of a gay son...

One of my sons is gay. He also has learning disabilities and has had to attend "special" classes.

Compound that with the fact he is of a minority race while we live in whiter-than-white Wisconsin.

This combination of factors could have led to tragedy. Fortunately for us, it did not.

When my wife and I first suspected he might be gay, we made a special point to let him know that we loved gays just as we love others, and that we would always love him, no matter what.

He saw right through us and immediately denied he was gay (obviously he was feeling something!!).

Now, years later, he is openly gay (some would say "flaming") and fully accepting of himself. I strongly believe the acceptance and love from his mother and I was instrumental in his well being.

He denies ever have been bullied, but did become a workout warrior and sculpted his body into one that suggests strength and the ability to defend himself.

My point is that until we rid society of the intolerence and hate, millions of young men and women are going to have their lives ridiculed and slandered, and sometimes even lost. This tragedy must not continue.

As another poster on this thread wrote, not allowing gays to serve in the military sends a message to those who would bully and ridicule them. When we tell Americans that gays are not good enough to serve we tell them that gays are not worthy. That's just wrong.

[myrna minx]

12. .

:cry:

[City Lights]

13. K&R

:cry:

[66 dmhlt]

14. Focus on the Family Pours Salt in Our Wounds

James Dobson's Talibangelical christianist horde actually defends homophobic bullies while trying to play the victim card:

Focus on the Family, however, says that bullying isn’t the problem, anti-bullying policies are. The group’s True Tolerance campaign argues that school strategies to target bullying are really covert ways for "activists who want to promote homosexuality in kids" to "capture the hearts and minds of our children at their earliest stages."

Candi Cushman of True Tolerance asserts that "gay activists" are "infiltrating classrooms under the cover of ‘anti-bullying’ or ‘safe schools’ initiatives." That’s why Focus on the Family claims to be defending the "innocence and purity" of children against LGBT groups that conspire "under the cover of so-called safe-school initiatives" and use "‘Safety’... as a political arm-twisting tool to force an adult agenda into schools."
(Emphasis added)

Source:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/does-focus-family-stand-its-campaign-against-anti-bullying-initiatives

[Yeshuah Ben Joseph]

18. Mr. Dobson, let Me spell this out for you as clearly as I can......

Get the message, asshole?

[RainDog]

30. Focus on the Family is a hate group

and ANYONE who supports a church that teaches hatred of gays supports a policy of hatred toward gays.

That's the truth whether people want to admit it or not.

[muffin1]

82. They are indeed a hate group.

My father and brother 'like' their page (and their related pages) on FB and both are 'Christians'. :puke: My brother has been married three times, his current wife has been married three times, and my father has been married FOUR times. Yet, they all are for denying marriage to GLBTQ people - because marriage is so sacred and all. My SIL posted something on her wall that said something like "I'm in charge of the world for the day. I will grant you one wish. What do you want?" People answered things like, "a million dollars", "a new car", so I piped up and said "Equal Rights for all citizens". Naturally, she answered everyone else and totally ignored my comment. A couple hours later, I wrote "Equal Rights...too controversial?"...again I was totally ignored.

I have sent message after message to them, trying to show them that their hate is detrimental to our society, and doesn't gel with anything Jesus ever said - Love thy neighbor, take care of the downtrodden, etc. I haven't heard back from either of them. I am coming very close to cutting them out of my life. My dad is getting up there in age, so it scares me to do this, but the things that come out of his mouth make me physically ill. My best friend in the world is gay and I've seen the pain discrimination has caused him first-hand. And now with all these poor kids killing themselves because of the hate espoused by these bigots, it's getting harder and harder to ignore the hate in my own family. I am really torn up about this...

[mwooldri]

114. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

The non-profit I work with is in the process of developing an anti-bullying program. A true, non-political program that treats everyone equally - period. This would include bullying because of a religious difference. How would Focus on the Family feel if a school student was picked upon and bullied because of their Christian beliefs?

Bullying in school, at work, in society in general is wrong. Period. Goes against fundamental human rights, goes against the UN declaration of human rights...

There it is! Focus on the Family wants to deny you your human rights!

Enough said, stick a fork in it. They're done.

Mark.

[ruggerson]

15. .

[WCGreen]

19. I had a childhood friend who killed himself...

I remember when he was young, he came over to my house and wanted to compare, well, private parts...

I was in 6th grade and it didn't seem right to me but it also didn't really phase me. Didn't tell my folks or anyone else and still remained friends although our friendship was... Different.

I moved to another city and didn't give Jimmy another thought.

Then in 11th grade, he showed up at my new school.

We had obviously grown way apart. I was an outspoken :trouble maker" and he was just a guy trying to get along.

I went up to greet him one day and it was strained. Didn't say anything bad to one another, just talk for a minute and that was it...

He wasn't in any of my classes so I only saw him occasionally in the hall.

We would nod at each other and that was it.

Next year, I found out he had hung himself over the summer.

I wondered at the time why he would do such a thing. The schools back in Lakewood were so full of people you could disappear, remain out of sight and out of mind.

In Westlake, pretty much everyone was on display. To put it in perspective, there were more kids in the graduating class in Lakewood than were in the whole Westlake High School.

Maybe he didn't fit in, maybe he was lonely and maybe he discovered he was Gay and knew what that would entail for a kid in the 70's...

[dsc]

20. the irony being that Lakewood (Ohio) is one of the big gay areas of Cleveland

if he had just held on a little bit longer.

[WCGreen]

40. This was back in 1969...

He moved out to Westlake in 1974.

I remember he had a pinball machine in his basement, I can still see the room and how cool it was.

[orleans]

52. the late '70s were amazing times from

dec. '77 or jan. '78 was when i walked into my first gay bar--and what a phenomenal experience! i had my fake id (i was under age) and went with a few friends to the bistro in chicago. it seemed as if the those times/years were the beginning of a societal wave of a new way of thinking about sexuality--an open-mindedness, an acceptance.

maybe it was just due to my age or the people i hung around with (creative types; actors, writers, artists, musicians) that made me feel or believe that people were becoming more open in their way of thinking. my best friend (one of the people that i was with as we stepped inside the bistro that winter night) and i have talked about this off and on through the years. and we both agree that neither of us could have ever imagined that twenty years from that time same sex marriage would not be legal.

i'm sorry to hear about what happened to the boy you knew.
if only he had been a little older... the 70's seemed to have held such promise for good things to come

these suicides of our gay youth is an absolute national tragedy. of course every suicide of every young person or any person of any age is tragic. but what takes this story to a national level, obviously, is the tolerance of bullying and the unspoken acceptance of hateful behavior our society seems to have as long as it is directed toward gay individuals.

[GOTV]

100. I went to Lakewood high in the 70's ...

... but it was the late 70's and it sounds like you were talking about the early 70's. But what struck me about your story is, I remember one summer, one of the older kids on my street hung himself. I'm pretty sure it was a few years before I would have gone to high school. I was old enough to know what killing yourself was but I don't think I knew what gay was.

As I remember the story at the time everyone was shocked and it seemed strange that his family was going out to get ice cream and he didn't want to go but he did ask for them to bring him some back. When they came back he was dead.

I think his name was Ken but I don't remember it that well.

[chowder66]

21. Carl Walker-Hoover

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7366805

Not known as gay but was bullied.






http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=28876

Raymond Chase - openly gay - reason for suicide unknown at this time

[dsc]

22. can't believe I left Raymond out

Raymond Chase date of death Sept 29, 2010

[chowder66]

23. yeah...he and Carl

both seem to be missing from the general discussion. Carl was bullied for being gay but wasn't. The harm this causes is tremendous.

[dsc]

25. Carl was last year so I didn't include him

since I would have had to find dozens of pics to go back that far. Raymond was a mistake though. I just fucked up on that one.

[chowder66]

29. you are right....It was last year. It was linked to an article the other day.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

24. .

:cry:

[MrScorpio]

26. I'm quite sure that there were a lot more than just nine...

Besides all the ones you've just demonstrated, there were many more who came before them who were under the radar.

[MellowDem]

27. It seems that gay guys get the brunt of the bullying...

you don't hear as many cases for lesbians. Mainstream society views gay guys as disgusting, but lesbians as slightly scintillating. Maybe that's part of it.

[bobbolink]

28. Yes, it is very depressing. So are the numbers of gay children out on the street, homeless, and

abused, used sexually, and left to suffer and die.

I agree with you on this:

"Ask yourselves for a second what would the national response be if 8 kids died of ecoli or salmanella, or chicken pox? "

People definitely don't look at certain issues in the same way, and I agree that it gets ...well, it would be ridiculous if it wasn't so deadly.

There are many homeless children literally DYING on the street, and the reaction is the same.

When we all decide to come together on this, only then can things begin to change.

[Moonbat2]

33. how many

kids committed suicide in that same time period for any reason? Far to many I'm sure

[struggle4progress]

34. This is an important issue, and it is good to have some national attention devoted to it

To save lives, one might also want to monitor how the issue is covered in the media

Samaritans chief issues warning after suspected copycat suicides
Media coverage of deaths is feared to have prompted women to kill themselves
Robert Booth and Haroon Siddique
guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 October 2010 22.19 BST
The chief executive of the Samaritans said today she was "very alarmed" about a suspected copycat double suicide yesterday that may have been prompted by news of a similar incident last week. Catherine Johnstone gave "a strong warning" about the media coverage of suicides after police were called to a flat in Putney, south-west London, where two young women were found dead, apparently from chemical poisoning. Ten days earlier it was widely reported that a man and a woman were found dead in a car in Braintree, Essex, having killed themselves using a similar method. Police were last night treating the latest deaths as unexplained but not suspicious ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/01/samaritans-warning-suicides

<article on computer modeling)
Celebrities Spawn Copycat Suicides, Study Confirms
ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2009)
... Copycat suicides occur when one person's suicide is at least partly caused by exposure to another person's suicide. Sociologists have proposed that clusters of suicides around the same time or geographical area may be caused by this copycat effect ... Two kinds of suicide clusters have been identified by previous sociological research. Mass clusters are suicides that occur around the same time but across an entire geographic region (eg. a country), and are often associated with media coverage of celebrity suicides, such as that of the musician Kurt Cobain ... Additionally, point clusters are suicides that occur around the same time and physical place, for example a number of suicides occurring in a school or hospital during a few weeks or months. Point clusters have been attributed to direct social learning, where people pick up information in their local social networks or communities. This is the most common theory behind the spate of tragic suicides among young people in Bridgend, South Wales ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930102528.htm

<2007>
Teenage Copycat Suicides In Wales
Natasha, 17, is the seventh victim in town hit by series of copycat suicides
Natasha Randall was 17, had a large circle of friends and was studying childcare when, without any indication that she was unhappy, she hanged herself in her bedroom ... Within days two 15-year-old girls, both of whom had known Tasha, as she called herself, had also tried to take their lives ... In the 12 months before Tasha’s death, six young men from Bridgend and the surrounding area had killed themselves. Most were known to each other. This month Tasha attended the funeral of 20-year-old Liam Clarke, who was found hanged in a local park the day after Boxing Day ... Copycat suicides are a well-known phenomenon but in Bridgend the tributes left on websites such as Bebo appear to have had a significant impact ...
http://clinicallypsyched.com/bridgend-wales-teenage-suicide.html

Japan in Anguish as Bullied Kids Commit Suicide
Education Official Makes Public Plea to Stop Wave of Tragedy
By MARK LITKE and NORIKO NAMIKI
Nov. 18, 2006
... At the beginning of this month, the Japanese minister of education received a chilling letter from a young student, threatening to kill himself on the coming weekend if other students didn't stop bullying him. In an unusual step for Japan, where social problems are usually kept under wraps, the minister, Bunmei Ibuiki, made the letter public and urged the writer not to commit suicide ... Almost immediately, there was widespread concern that the publicity would spark a wave of copycat suicide threats or attempts. In Japan, where suicide historically has been viewed as an honorable way to resolve conflicts, that fear was not unfounded. Over the next few days, there would be at least 24 more letters threatening suicide. Three young students, including Rie, killed themselves over the next weekend. And one elementary school principal hanged himself from a tree. He reportedly had been reprimanded for his slow response to a case of bullying at his school ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=2664256&page=1

<InPsych August 2004 >
By Steven Gregor, InPsych production editor
... Research identified by Mindframe, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing's national strategy for responsible reporting of suicide and mental illness in the media, has concluded that the way the media presents stories on suicide can have a direct influence on the public's perception of suicide and its related mental health issues. As Madelyn Gould, an epidemiologist at Columbia University in the US, stated in a recent article on copycat suicide: "suicide contagion is real. Social behaviour is contagious and influential. We wouldn't have a billion-dollar advertising market in this country (the US) if people didn't think you could influence someone else's behaviour." Debate does continue, however, on how significant the media's reporting of suicide is on actual suicide rates. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a psychologist specialising in treating adolescents at Melbourne's Albert Road Centre for Health, believes the impact is substantial, warning that inappropriate media coverage can "romanticise, glamorise, sanitise and normalise" suicide ... http://www.psychology.org.au/Content.aspx?ID=1830

[leftstreet]

35. No women? Says quite a lot about patriarchy n/t

[dsc]

36. you have provided no link of women having committed suicide in this manner

so I don't think you really want to say men have it better somehow.

[leftstreet]

37. That was the point. Gay women apparently AREN'T committing suicide

Gay men are.

Patriarchy, the pressure to be "male," not the undesirable "female"....patriarchy, get it?

:shrug:

[dsc]

38. ah sorry about that

I will say that more women do try suicide so there may well have been attempts, just not sucessful ones. I also think lesbians do have it a little easier most of the time at school.

[leftstreet]

39. Indeed, patriarchy makes it difficult for anyone outside the gender norms

Such rigid adherence

It's really sick

[bigwillq]

42. K and R (nt)

[DeSwiss]

43. K&R n/t

[barbtries]

44. i'm still doing what i've been doing all weekend

http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject#p/f/399/m0lGt-jeqIo

watching the it gets better project on youtube. this particular video tells another story yet, of a transgender teen who killed himself in april this year.

had really high hopes that the project would be saving lives.

so very sad. but why should we be surprised? look at a typical tea party and the way the people talk to anyone they perceive as "the other" - and those are supposed adults. look at the laws that still exist on the books institutionalizing discrimination and inequality.

it reminds me of all the murder going on in LA, where i'm from. why should we be surprised when our own government runs roughshod all over the world and throws the bodies of our own young after the bodies of innocent civilians wherever and whenever it appears to suit the ptb?

we are a totally fucked up country.

GOTV. i really do shudder to think of how much worse it could get if the fucking republicans win in november. hangers to perform abortions anyone? if poverty is bad now, how's it going to look when americans are literally starving on the mean streets of this rich so-called democracy? i can't bear to consider it.

sorry for going off. i have actually been engrossed watching the videos all weekend, and i have learned so much about the struggles of the lgbtq community, including terms i've never heard - but mostly the common thread is that middle school and high school are ABSOLUTE HELL for way, way too many of them.

it's not enough to tell these poor suffering souls to hang in there - i mean, i want them to hang in there! but damn. i want to see some prosecutions and some wrongful death lawsuits. as one poster put it, "bullycide " is taking too many lives. :cry:

[ProudDad]

45. K&R

[Rhythm]

46. Nine that have made the news... but how many more have there really been?

These are the ones that made it into the news. But just like car accidents, you don't hear about every one.
For every one of these young men and their grieving families that we've heard about, there are probably a dozen more suffering in anonymity.

This sociopathic savagery has to stop.

k&r

[dave29]

47. "No federal calls for any kind of investigation into what might be causing"

There are some on our side trying to make a difference. Please do not ignore the facts, or inadvertently spread disinformation on such a horrible issue:

http://minnesotaindependent.com/58090/franken-to-introduce-bill-to-address-anti-gay-bullying

"Franken to introduce bill addressing anti-gay bullying"

Al Franken asked testifiers at the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee how the nation’s public education system can address bullying targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. And the Minnesota senator announced he’ll be introducing a bill to address the issue of bullying that targets LGBT students. It’s the second time in recent weeks that Franken has spoken out in committee hearings about the issue.

“There’s something very specific that has been on my mind… LGBT youth being bullied,” Franken told a panel of education experts. “Right now we have laws that prohibit bullying based on pretty much everything, but not on gender identity and gay and lesbian kids. And the evidence is that gay kids are bullied a lot and that their achievement goes down. There’s a lot of absenteeism and even suicide.”

He asked the panel, “What is the best way to create a positive behavioral environment?

(Video at link)

[dave29]

54. Franken introduces bill to protect LGBT students from bullying - SNDA

http://minnesotaindependent.com/59167/franken-introduces-bill-to-protect-lgbt-students-from-bullying

Sen. Al Franken introduced legislation on Thursday that would protect LGBT students from bullying in America’s public schools. The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) is in response to a series of incidents where students have been bullied to death — either murdered at the hands of their attackers or having committed suicide as a result of bullying.

“It’s time that we extend the protections of our nation’s civil right laws to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students across the country,” Franken said in a statement. “No student should be subjected to the ridicule and physical violence that LGBT students so often experience in school. It’s time we demanded equal treatment for all of our children under the law.”

Last month, Jaheem Herrera of DeKalb County was bullied so incessantly that at one point he physically collapsed in the classroom. He hung himself in his bedroom on April 16.

[Bluenorthwest]

98. Al Franken is a true hearted ally

[beyurslf]

48. something must be done

[Rex]

49. Tip of the iceburg, I can't believe we still live in a country so filled with

hate...oh wait (George and Dicky) I can.

[grantcart]

51. and sadly the real number including the unknown victims is much higher.

[orleans]

53. k&r. truly heartbreaking. n/t

[Norrin Radd]

56. kr

[reggie the dog]

61. why are some people so bothered by the sexual orientation

of others????? i thought this was a free country, if people love freedom they should accept gays without any problem whatsoever

[Solly Mack]

65. K&R

[jumptheshadow]

89. The use of the word "gay" as a double entendre

Another thing that good parents, no, good people, can do is to steer kids away from the use of the word "gay" to denote someone or something that is broken, weak, laughable, odd, uncool, etc.

My spouse and I are gamers (yes, at our age). We encounter the word a lot in open region chat. We try to use humor to defuse it. "Oh, you just call Ninjachoppa 'gay,' -- that probably means he's buff, is good-looking, smart, dresses well, knows how to dance and raises the property values of every neighborhood he moves into." Yes, we are using stereotypes to fight stereotypes, but it often works. And all of a sudden, we start getting emoted waves from players we didn't know existed.

If I were a parent certain words would always be off-limits in my home.

"Gay" used as a derisive term would be one of them.

[Divine Discontent]

111. my sibling's love interest says "gay" for everything bad & has an EXTREMELY flamboyant son who is

picked on in school heavily for appearing Gay (I think he is, I've met him a few times, great kid, just extremely emo from the abuse he takes and so he shuts off the 'fun' him, he says, so people won't harrass him so much). I told my sibling, you gotta get his parent to stop that use of "gay" and to encourage the boy to be himself.

[Divine Discontent]

113. my friend's love interest says gay for "bad" constantly, and yet, this person has a son who is

extremely flamboyant and picked on in school heavily for appearing Gay (I think he is, I've met him a few times, great kid, just extremely emo from the abuse he takes and so he shuts off the 'fun' him, he says, so people won't harrass him so much). I told my sibling, you gotta get his parent to stop that use of "gay" and encourage the boy to be himself and report threats or violence.

[muffin1]

101. K&R

:cry:

[BlueIris]

102. This is just awful. nt

[AldebTX]

103. k&r

I think of all the ones we don't know about too.

[ThatsMyBarack]

104. If you ask me...

Just ONE of these kinds of suicide deaths are unnecessary....

[Kievan Rus]

106. I don't think it's getting worse; I just think we're hearing about it more now

If anything, I'd bet the number of gay suicides among youth has actually gone down over the past decade.

It's just now that it's finally getting the exposure that it needs.

[David Zephyr]

110. K&R.

!

[Echotrail]

112. Can you imagine the pain?

From personal family experience I know that in general schools have not supported the victims of bullying, whether gay or straight. There are many teachers who stand up for kids but there are far more who seem to adopt the bullys' attitude. They expect the kids to figure out how to complete their "sentence" in the school system without support.

There has to be a zero tolerance for bullying adopted by the entire district administration.

If your child is being targeted, go to the principal, go to the school board. If nothing changes, see a lawyer. Don't let up. A lot of parents are reluctant to get involved, thinking their kids will get picked on even more if they do. But think how the parents of these nine feel today.

[earcandle]

118. Our leaders don't seem to care. They protect freedom of hate.

Looks like the kids need to develop some armor.  

Start with this mantra.  And then ignore the fuckers. Or laugh
at them. 

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will
never hurt me."