| Suicide of gay students brings national focus on hate crimes against homosexuals |
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| Written by Ron Kaye |
| Thursday, 30 September 2010 20:22 |
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Local resources are available to help prevent such tragedies The death last week of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who killed himself after other students posted a video of him engaging in a homosexual tryst, has elicited widespread responses throughout the country, shining a light on teen suicides, which have reached epidemic proportions in the US. According to the Trevor Project (see link below), suicide is the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, and gay, lesbian, and transgendered people in that age range are almost four times as likely to attempt suicide as their straight peers. Sometimes these tragedies occur among even younger people. Earlier this week, a thirteen-year-old in the Houston area fatally shot himself with a pistol in his home. The parents of Asher Brown, a student at Hamilton Middle School in Cy-Fair ISD, say their son was literally "bullied to death," enduring eighteen months of taunts and physical harassment for being Buddhist and gay. The students allegedly made fun of him for many things, including his religion and sexuality; although he converted to Christianity to "fit in" better, the torment continued. His parents say that kids performed mock gay sex acts on him in gym class, and the day before his death, students tripped and kicked him as he was descending stairs until he fell. Not surprisingly, individual responses to these incidents have run the gamut, from sorrow and anger over the bullying; to remorse on the part of some of Rutgers student Clementi's classmates for not doing more to support him; to blame leveled against Brown's parents for not pulling him out of the school when it became apparent that nothing was being done about the bullying. As might also be expected, there have also been voices of moral outrage from those who feel that gay people's chosen behavior renders them deserving of whatever they get. While the polarization of opinions as to the origins and morality of homosexuality is unlikely to go away any time soon, the most critical need is for people who are considering suicide to know that there are always better ways of dealing with the problems they are facing, and that there are resources to help them through the tough times. First and foremost, people who feel desperate and depressed for any reason need to know that they are not alone, and that there are others who know - through personal experience - what they are feeling, and know how to help them work through their desperation and go on to live a positive, productive life. There are resources available to educate the general public, as well as to help people who are in crisis. Here are a few: The Fulton County Department of Mental Health, Emergency Mental Health Services maintains a suicide hotline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is (404) 730-1600, or (404) 730-1608 for TDD (hearing-impaired) callers. The Atlanta Executive Network website at http://www.aen.org/related/health.shtml has links to local organizations offering guidance and support to gays, lesbians, and their friends and families. Suicide.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of suicide through support and education. They have a web page specifically devoted to the unique problems faced by gay, lesbian, and transgendered individuals at http://www.suicide.org/gay-and-lesbian-suicide.html. They also have a page listing the various suicide hotlines available in Georgia at http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/georgia-suicide-hotlines.html. The Trevor Project (http://www.thetrevorproject.org/) is a national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
