Saturday, January 28, 2012

2 Tennessee gay teens/1 NY Girl Committed Suicide from Bullying

If you think that bullying gay teens isn't a problem, read this article from this week's Nashville newspaper - AND one from USA TODAY about a NY Teen.  Here's what I have to say about it: ATTENTION RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES- You are responsible for the deaths of these 2 Middle Tennessee teenagers. - This news appeared in the Nashville Tennessean newspaper on 1/25/12, and sickens me.  
  IT'S TIME for the CHURCHES to step up to the plate and STOP the INTOLERANCE, and Get a message to ALL TEENS to Stop the Bullying!!!  DO YOUR JOB, CHURCHES. Stop enabling this crap to happen and start ending it!!!
 - Rob

2 Tennessee gay teens Committed Suicide from Bullying
Two Middle Tennessee gay teens have killed themselves in recent weeks, and friends and family members say both were the objects of persistent bullying in school because of their sexuality.
Which is the best reason Tennessee lawmakers need to examine their hearts and put a screeching halt to the “don’t say gay” bill, which would contribute to a toxic atmosphere in schools. By telling teachers that they cannot discuss homosexuality, the legislature would be endorsing free-for-all bullying of gays.
The bill breeds hostility in the highest halls of power in Tennessee. There’s no excuse for it.
Funeral services were held Monday for Phillip Parker Jr., 14, an eighth-grader at Gordonsville High School. He hanged himself in the upstairs bathroom of his home Friday night. Family members said they complained to school officials about the constant bullying he experienced because he was gay.
In December, Cheatham County High School senior Jacob Rogers, 18, killed himself. He, too, was gay. He, too, complained about being bullied because of it to school officials. He had other troubles as well.
Could any elected official look in the eyes of one of those two teens’ relatives and defend a vote in favor of this horrific “don’t say gay” bill? If teachers and guidance counselors are forbidden from using the word “gay,” how can they respond to bullies?
This has put Tennessee in the national headlines once again, and not in a good way. Schools should be turning to the legislature for leadership, not hatred. Such a law sanctions the ridiculous idea that being a gay teen is somehow deviant.
  
USA TODAY: Column: Bullying in USA: Are we defenseless?

Tragically, last month Staten Island took a giant step closer to becoming like the rest of the nation. On Dec. 27, a 15-year-old high school sophomore named Amanda Cummings walked onto the main boulevard in her neighborhood and, according to witnesses, threw herself into the path of an onrushing bus. She died from her injuries six days later. Police say that at the time of the accident, she was carrying a suicide note in her pocket.
A common scenario
Amanda's back story is all too familiar: She had been bullied relentlessly at her school, mostly by other girls. She had suffered a failed romance that brought her into conflict with a female classmate. She had reportedly sunken into a fog of drugs and alcohol. And most sickeningly, even as she lay dying in the hospital, the bullying continued on her Facebook page.

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Who I am

I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob

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