We
Must All Protect Gay Youth from Suicide
Our family, and the staff and board at the Matthew
Shepard Foundation, are all deeply saddened by the devastating report
of at least the fourth gay or gay-perceived teen to commit suicide in
this country in the last month.
Reports say that Tyler Clementi, 18, leapt to his death
from the George Washington Bridge near his New Jersey college campus
after a roommate allegedly broadcast him in a same-sex encounter behind
closed doors in his dorm room, and apparently invited others, via
Twitter, to view it online. Regardless of his roommate’s alleged tweet,
Tyler had apparently made no statement about his own sexual
orientation. I’m sure we will all learn more about this terrible
tragedy as legal proceedings unfold, but the contempt and disregard
behind such an invasion of privacy seems clear. In the meantime, we
send our thoughts and prayers to Tyler’s family as they mourn their
loss.
In the last month there has been a shocking series of
teen suicides linked to bullying, taunting, and general disrespect
regarding sexual orientation, in every corner of America. Just a few
days ago, Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old in Tehachapi, Calif., passed away
after 10 days on life support after he hanged himself. Police say he
had been mercilessly taunted by fellow students over his perceived
sexual orientation.
Billy Lucas, 15, hanged himself a few weeks ago at his
Indiana home after years of reported harassment by students who judged
him to be gay. Asher Brown, a 13-year-old in Harris, TX, who had
recently come out, took his life with a gun after, his parents say,
their efforts to alert school officials to ongoing bullying were not
acted upon.
Many Americans also learned this week about Tyler
Wilson, an 11-year-old boy in Ohio who decided to join a cheerleading
squad that had been all-female. As a gymnast, he was interested in the
athletic elements of cheering. He was taunted with homophobic remarks
and had his arm broken by two schoolmates who apparently assumed him to
be gay. He told “Good Morning America” that since returning to school,
he’s been threatened with having his other arm broken, too.
Our young people deserve better than to go to schools
where they are treated this way. We have to make schools a safe place
for our youth to prepare for their futures, not be confronted with
threats, intimidation or routine disrespect.
Quite simply, we are calling one more time for all
Americans to stand up and speak out against taunting, invasion of
privacy, violence and discrimination against these youth by their
peers, and asking everyone in a position of authority in their schools
and communities to step forward and provide safe spaces and support
services for LGBT youth or those who are simply targeted for
discrimination because others assume they are gay. There can never be enough
love and acceptance for these young people as they seek to live openly
as their true selves and find their role in society.
Suicide is a complicated problem and it is too easy to
casually blame it on a single factor in a young person’s life, but it is
clear that mistreatment by others has a tremendously negative effect on
a young person’s sense of self worth and colors how he or she sees the
world around them. Parents, educators and peers in the community need
to be vigilant to the warning signs of suicide and other
self-destructive behaviors in the young people in their lives, and help
them find resources to be healthy and productive. We urge any LGBT
youth contemplating suicide to immediately reach out to The Trevor
Project, day or night, at (866) 4-U-TREVOR [866-488-7386].
President, Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors
