In the month of September, five gay teens committed suicide due to the bullying of peers.
In 2009, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) surveyed over 7,000 middle and high school students and nine out of the 10 LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) students said that they were harassed at school.
The first teen to commit suicide was 15-year-old Billy Lucas from Indiana. Just a day before he committed suicide, students pulled a chair from underneath him and told him that he should just hang himself. The next day he did just that. The other four deaths followed the same pattern; the teens would get bullied and harassed to the point where they felt that they just couldn’t take it anymore.
Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan posted on her Facebook that October 20th would be Spirit Day. The day encouraged people to wear purple to not only remember the five teenagers that died but also raise awareness for anti-bullying. The color purple was chosen because on the LGBT Flag the color purple stands for spirit. The announcement garnered attention from GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) who then sought out to make sure that the announcement was heard worldwide. The Spirit Day Facebook page had close to 1 million people who joined the group.
A study conducted by the Josephson Institute of Ethnics surveyed 43,321 high school students with 50 percent of those students saying that they had bullied someone in the last year. Forty-seven percent of students said they were bullied in some form. With suicide due to bullying on the rise, it’s apparent that the laws on bullying need to be enforced. Bullying can happen to anyone, regardless of sexuality or race. If you or someone you know is being bullied, don’t be afraid to tell someone – it could potentially save a life.
If you feel like you need support or know someone that does you can contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-Suicide (784-2433). If you are LGBT you can contact the LGBT National Help Center at 1-800-246-Pride (7743) for support.