Tag Archive for "suicide"

Posts Tagged suicide

Dharun Ravi sentenced to 30 days in prison

In a rather lenient sentencing, a New Jersey judge sentenced Dharun Ravi to 30 days in jail also suggesting that he not be deported. This is a probationary sentence for Ravi, who earlier this year was convicted of bias intimidation and a handful of other hate crimes for bullying his Rutgers roommate Tyler Clementi. Why did they throw the book at him? Because shortly after Ravi had broadcast Clementi’s affairs online–Clementi committed suicide.

This case has been provocative and the outcome unsettling. Long sentences are rarely effective, deportation inhumane and we can pretty much guarantee that Dharun Ravi will never bully someone again. But we will also never know exactly why Tyler Clementi committed suicide, or what he went through. His family will ...

By Jos Truitt • 12 years ago

New data links anti-LGBT school bullying with health risks

Today the Family Acceptance Project announced new research linking high levels of anti-LGBT bullying in middle and high school with negative health and mental health outcomes in young adulthood, including depression, suicide attempts that require medical care, STDs and risk for HIV. This is the first study linking experiences of bullying during adolescence with a range of negative health outcomes later in life.

In a survey of LGBT young adults, those who reported high levels of LGBT school victimization during adolescence were 5.6 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.6 times more likely to report a suicide attempt that required medical care, 2.6 times more likely to report clinical levels of depression, and more than twice as ...

By Miriam • 13 years ago

Arkansas school board member will resign over anti-gay comments

Via CNN:

A school board district member in Arkansas who came under fire for an anti-gay post on a social networking site regrets the comments and will resign his seat, he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday.

“I’m sorry I’ve hurt people with my comments,” Clint McCance, vice-president of the Midland School District in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas said. “I’m sorry I made those ignorant comments and hurt people on a broad spectrum.”

McCance wrote on his personal Facebook page that he wanted gay people to commit suicide, according to The Advocate, a newspaper focusing on gay news.

McCance used the terms “queer” and “fag” repeatedly, promised to disown his own children if they are ...

Via CNN:

A school board district member in Arkansas who came under fire for an anti-gay post on a social networking site regrets the comments and will resign his seat, he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper ...

By Advocates for Youth • 13 years ago

Arkansas School Board Member: “The only way im wearin (purple)…is if they all commit suicide”

Two news items from yesterday:

1) The Department of Education sent out a letter to schools that “clarifies the relationship between bullying and discriminatory harassment,” observing that since homophobic bullying is gender-based, it violates the law, and schools must address and prevent it.

2) A school board official in Arkansas (Clint McCance) declared on Facebook that wearing purple to honor GLBTQ youth is stupid, because all “queers” should commit suicide.

Two news items from yesterday:

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Fort Worth, TX Councilmember Tells GLBT Kids “It Gets Better”

Joel Burns is my new hero. At this Tuesday’s Fort Worth City Council meeting, Burns used his platform as a councilmember to tell his story for the first time, and to express what he wished he was able to show all of the GLBT youth — and the 13-year old boy he once was — feeling hurt and alone out there. It’s truly touching and I just had to share. (It’s a long one but completely worth it.)

P.S. Take out your hankies.

h/t to Sarah. Searching for a transcript.

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Fort Worth, TX Councilmember Tells GLBT Kids “It Gets Better”

P.S. Take out your hankies.

h/t to Sarah. Searching for a transcript.

By Miriam • 13 years ago

Round-up: Responses to the gay teen suicides, bullying and It Gets Better campaign

It’s been a tough few weeks for queer youth. We’ve had five (at least that we know of and have gotten media attention) gay youth take their lives as a direct result of bullying or harassment based on their sexual orientation.

It reveals a truth we all know–it’s really hard to be different, especially as a young person. Middle and High School are hard as hell for anyone, let alone someone who is singled out for being different–especially being gay. While I was never bullied about my sexuality growing up (I wasn’t out after all, although that didn’t stop a few people from calling out my queerness way before I ever admitted it) I suppressed it for the very same ...

It’s been a tough few weeks for queer youth. We’ve had five (at least that we know of and have gotten media attention) gay youth take their lives as a direct result of bullying or harassment ...

By Miriam • 13 years ago

What We Missed

Another gay teenager takes his own life after being bullied at his middle school. Rest in peace Asher.

Have you taken action yet to keep Washington from banning abortion coverage for folks with pre-exisiting conditions?

Despite efforts by the GOP to woe woo Latino voters, it isn’t working. Shocking that being anti-immigrant doesn’t win over a primarily immigrant group.

A transgender teen was voted Homecoming King by his classmates and then the school revoked the title because he’s was still enrolled in school as female. WTF?

An Ontario court struck down a Canadian law criminalizing sex work because of the risk those laws pose to sex workers and their safety.

The HIV rate for gay ...

Another gay teenager takes his own life after being bullied at his middle school. Rest in peace Asher.

Have you taken action yet to keep Washington from banning abortion coverage for folks with pre-exisiting conditions?

Despite efforts ...