Another gay teenager commits suicide.

[metta]

7th Gay Youth To Commit Suicide In The Last Couple Of Weeks

7th Gay Youth To Commit Suicide In The Last Couple Of Weeks

Eric Mohat (NY), Seth Walsh (CA), Asher Brown (TX), Tyler Clementi (NJ), Justin Aaberg (MN), and Billy Lucas (IN)

and now, Raymond Chase, 19


Raymond Chase Commits Suicide, Fifth Gay Youth To Take Life In Three Weeks

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/01/raymond-chase-suicide_n_746989.html

 

[SilverWolf]

Not another one

 

[Speeds]

This is very depressing...

 

[jdcnow]

This is really, really saddening, friends.

If this vid had been already posted on one of these threads, I apologize, but I just find this song incredibly comforting in times like these.

 

[Girlesque]

This is beyond heartbreaking.

Autostraddle has a good post on Raymond Chase's suicide.

 

[boxerdudeuk]

Where are our leaders???

do you mean political leaders? like the president? i just want to understand what you mean here and give some insight into what you'd expect to be done.....

 

[backpacker]

So sad. May he rest in peace.

 

[BlondeCanadian]

I don't mean to take away anything from these tragic events but everyone seems to be looking for a trend or some sort of rise in discrimination and bullying against gay teens but I think if we look at the time line around this time every year there are probably increased suicide rates like this. I am a sophmore in university and I can say that by now everyone has made their friends and people are starting to clique up. plus assignments and readings are starting to pile up and you start to get homesick etc etc...

While this is awful and one death is one too many I dont think we should come to the conclusion that bullying is on the ride just yet.....

If these terrible tragedies can influence more policy for awareness and tolerance in teens I am all for it though

 

[Taylor1990]

So sad. It's just so heartbreaking.

 

[BlondeCanadian]

How would you suggest protecting kids from bullying?

I don't mean to be a pessimist but I was bullied growing up and I can not think of anything that a school board can do about it other than press charges when it crosses the line with regards to the law...There will always be bullying...

 

[mbamike]

My heart aches to learn that another kid has chosen to end his life. SO SAD!

 

[Audio Tech]

Oh jeez......

WHYYYYY????

 

[BlondeCanadian]

The only thing i can see helping these gay kids getting bullied is schools changing their policies and openly promoting tolerance.. How many kids would be homophobic if in highschool every year they had to have sex ed which included gay issues or had the lgbt present to them on a regular basis.. in my experience I have only had one guy remain openly hostile and homophobic to me after meeting me and seeing that we are normal people

 

[Seasoned]

The attitude that bullying will always occur is why bullying is always with us. Children need to be supervised, period. Teachers need to be recruited from the ranks of the bullied, not the other way around.

As for college age suicide, fall orientation needs to include suicide prevention information, helplines, and peer counseling, etc.

I don't think one incident can cause suicide. In fact wouldn't you agree that suicide is caused mainly by internal dialogue?

Some of you believe that once we are rid of all the current old farts everything with be fine for gay youth and gays in general. I'll say it again. I don't think any 80 year olds were involved in these incidents. Besides people seem to become more conservative as they age or as they have families. Until rights are codified in law we will have people stating that bullying is kids being kids. We need to chip away at at least some of society's heterosexism. Every gay person comes out to themselves all alone at the most vunerable time of life.

Where I am at now I would welcome someone spy-caming on me. They'd get a bare ass and a noisy one ripped in their face.

I ache and I cry that our JUBBER was not able to live long enough to get to the other side where I am at.

If anyone here entertains thoughts of suicide remember that you are your own worst counsel. The notion that things can't get better or nothing will or can change is, and forgive me, bullshit. Being depressed and seeing no alternatives is a huge danger sign and could serve as a warning. The paradox is that those conditions fuel egotism and highly troubled people are less prone to seek help.

Again, and I am begging, if anyone here is troubled with suicidal thoughts please make a call, pm someone, or just ask for help. Someone has been in a similar situation and is still here to talk about it.

 

[Spiff]

I wonder if gay teen suicides are really increasing this drastically, or if reporting them in the media has just become more fashionable. I'm sure there are hundreds of suicides every day, and always have been. And I'm sure a percentage of those have been gays. It's just the media hasn't been covering every single one. Until now.

 

[bike10]

A sad if not tragic week for deaths of young men who are targets of bullies. Sure the good old family value Christian community will see this as Gods will.

 

[altlover85]

The attitude that bullying will always occur is why bullying is always with us. Children need to be supervised, period. Teachers need to be recruited from the ranks of the bullied, not the other way around.

And how are you going to be able to make that happen?

As for college age suicide, fall orientation needs to include suicide prevention information, helplines, and peer counseling, etc.

I agree. I think that's a great idea.

I don't think one incident can cause suicide. In fact wouldn't you agree that suicide is caused mainly by internal dialogue?

Yes, I would agree.

Some of you believe that once we are rid of all the current old farts everything with be fine for gay youth and gays in general. I'll say it again.

I don't think anyone is saying old people bully kids. I think they are saying kids learn their hateful attitudes from adults.

I don't think any 80 year olds were involved in these incidents. Besides people seem to become more conservative as they age or as they have families. Until rights are codified in law we will have people stating that bullying is kids being kids. We need to chip away at at least some of society's heterosexism.

I think fighting heterosexism and making equality legal as well as having anti-bullying laws are the ways we can reduce the damage done to GLBT youth.

 

[levenshulme31]

I wonder if gay teen suicides are really increasing this drastically, or if reporting them in the media has just become more fashionable. I'm sure there are hundreds of suicides every day, and always have been. And I'm sure a percentage of those have been gays. It's just the media hasn't been covering every single one. Until now.

I think it is in Malcom Gladwell's book The Tipping Point where it is suggested that there may be trends towards things like suicides increasing in the wake of a highly publicised suicide. (The same goes for things like school / workplace shootings).

The media coverage of the first instance triggers other people who may have suicidal tendencies to follow suit - almost as though they are given peer-group approval for their own suicide.

While I don't doubt that there is a higher incidence of suicide amongst LGBT teens (particularly in the US where the social stigma can be so profoundly negative) it would be interesting to see how many other teen suicides there have been in the same period.

 

[erobert]

This is terrible and needs to be addressed politically as well as by colleges officials. You can't stop suicide completely but you can reduce it through social/ political change.

A lot of teens and college students are coming out in greater numbers than before and unfortunately homophobe closet cases feel threatened by this. Gay bullying is a hate crime and should be treated as a criminal offense. Whoever killed Raymond should be charged with murder. When will it stop? Stand up to homobhobia should not be tolerated anymore in this country. It is a crime and should be treated as such by law enforcement.

To all the young gay men being bullied your bullies are gay themselves.When someone has a problem with you they have a problem with themselves. If you're feeling suicidal please get help as that is a permanent solution to a temporary situation. Life gets better as you get older.

 

[star-warrior]

Awful news. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.