October 11, 2010 10:35 AM

Schools Battle Suicide Surge, Anti-Gay Bullying

By
Neil Katz
Topics
News ,
Kids and family ,
Mental Health ,
Sex and Relationships

Gay teens Asher Brown, 13, Seth Walsh, 13, and Justin Aaberg all committed suicide in 2010 in the face of alleged anti-gay bullying.

Gay teens Asher Brown, 13, Seth Walsh, 13, and Justin Aaberg all committed suicide in 2010 in the face of alleged anti-gay bullying. (Personal Photos)


NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Asher Brown was just 13 when he killed himself last month. So was Seth Walsh. Both were allegedly targets of anti-gay bullying.

According to gay activists, so were recent suicide victims Justin Aaberg, 15, Tyler Clementi, 18, and Billy Lucas, 15.

Now schools are trying to combat the apparent teen suicide surge among young men dealing with anti-gay abuse, but the politics of sexual identity threaten to get in the way.

Gay-rights supporters insist that anti-bullying programs must address harassment of gay youth. Religious conservatives call that an opportunistic manipulation to sway young people's views of homosexuality.

The invective is "some of the worst I've ever seen," said Dennis Carlson, superintendent of Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin School District, where Justin Aaberg killed himself in July. "We may invite the Department of Justice to come in and help us mediate this discussion between people who seem to want to go at each other."

Case in point.

"We believe the bullying policy should put the emphasis on the wrong actions of the bullies and not the characteristics of the victims," said Chuck Darrell of the conservative Minnesota Family Council.

Not so, said Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. "Policies have to name the problem in order to have an impact," she said. "Only the ones that name it see an improvement."

The ideological battle comes on the heels of new research which suggests that the mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people is severely compromised by bullying and harassment they receive in school.

The study examined the school-related experiences of 245 LGBT adults between the ages of 21 and 25. It found that LGBT young adults reported higher levels of depression and decreased life satisfaction.

"Our research makes it crystal clear that anti-LGBT bullying is a major reason that youth who don't conform to gender rules or expectations have poorer mental health later in life," study co-author Stephen T. Russell, a consultant with the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, said in a written statement.

But that logic hasn't swayed conservatives who worry that an anti-bullying law before Congress would "incorporate mandatory pro-gay propaganda." That's Mission America president Linda Harvey speaking out against the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

Perhaps the most level-headed advice comes from Minnesota teen Rebecca Dearing, who belongs to her school's gay-straight alliance.

"This shouldn't be a political issue any more, when it's affecting the lives of our students," she said. "It's a human issue that needs to be dealt with. They can be doing more and they're not."

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Add a Comment See all 58 Comments
by Savvy123110 May 2, 2011 10:32 AM EDT
It absolutely sickens me to see something like this. If a human being is gay, lesbian, bi, transexual or WHAT THE HELL THEY WANT TO BE, leave them alone. "Do not judge, lest ye be judged." People who claim to be 'Christians' need to keep that in mind. God specifically said to love your neighbor as you would yourself. Being gay doesn't mean they're going straight to hell. If that's true, then you people who eat pork, or shellfish are going to hell. It says in the Bible it's a sin, correct? Don't judge someone by who they like to be in a relationship with. People are ignorant, and I'm terribly sorry for these boys death. My prayers are with their families.
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by Maymot97 December 29, 2010 11:26 AM EST
It saddens me to see all those children kill themseleves. I'm bisexual but I haven't officially come out yet and I'm hurt by all the people in school who say negative things about LGBT without any regard to how someone else might think about it. In fact most of the people who say those things don't like me one bit and they only talk about around me. Someone needs to make it known that it's not alright to do those things. It's hard going to a Christian private school where everybody ,except the only other LGBT youth in tenth grade, is against it. Homosexuality isn't a choice. It's something you have no control over. It's in your DNA. So why should someone tell you that your 'wrong' and 'disgusting' if you have no control over it? The bullying needs to stop. NOW.
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by presenttense December 8, 2010 6:43 PM EST
This is a major issue which cannot be ignored any longer. These highly publicized suicides tear at my heart. I recall being one of these suicidal teens back in the mid-nineties. I am basically a sixth grade drop-out, not because I didn't like learning, but because I was afraid of the anti-gay torment. Eventually I was convicted of truancy charges, I can only hope there are better alternatives for bullied youths now. Thankfully I'm on a good path now and am holding a 4.0 GPA in college, albeit a bit later in life.
Anti-bullying legislation needs to be passed and now. This is the only way to begin to track this issue in a comprehensive way. Not only does this legislation need to be passed at the federal level, but it needs to be enforced. To often school personnel are either afraid of getting wrapped up in controversy, or fear disciplinary action, so nothing is done regarding bullying instances. Also there should be mandatory curriculum for students and educators regarding homosexuality. Homosexuality is a completely normal part of the human sexuality according to the scientific community. We don't still teach students that the Earth is flat, because humans once thought it was. Therefore, homosexuality should be part of the curriculum everywhere. The curriculum need not be pornographic, perverted or persuasive, only educational. School districts need to stop cowering to the religious right wing, and start teaching the truth, and lives will be saved and bettered in the process.
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by dogalmighty666 November 23, 2010 10:09 PM EST
Why is Mission: America's opinion even being considered at all? They're cultist nutters with nothing intelligent to say.
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by fylingace131 October 17, 2010 10:31 AM EDT
Jessie_mom: I refrained from calling names, but it doesn't surprise me that you have reduced this discussion to name calling, simple minded, emotion driven sound bits and catch phrases. To equate homosexuality to eye color and freckles, WOW! Freckles and eye color are not "orientations". They have no impact on a persons behavior! Homosexuality cause a person to be attracted to someone of the same sex. It influences one actions and desires. As for humans being animals, do animals commit suicide? In civilized cultures, when humans act like animals, they often find themselves in a cage (prison). As for opposition to change, the APA is made up of psychologist, so when they oppose something, theres usually a Psychiatric bases for it. Big issues like civil rights, slavery, voting rights etc. faced opposition mainly due to the fact that they constituted MAJOR national interest like the economy and governance. The issue of homosexuality,in no way garners that level of national concern. It's a non-issue being heighten to the level of civil and voters rights by the media. In other words, senorita you're sleeping too close to the television. What we, as Americans need to be asking ourselves is, why are our children killing themselves at such an alarming rate? Regardless of WHY they were depressed! 13,15,18 year old people should value their lives beyond who they're attracted to, or how many times a bully teases them. Whats going on in the homes, classrooms, and sociality in general, that we're allowing our children to be driven to doing, what should be, the unthinkable?
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by fylingace131 October 14, 2010 4:52 PM EDT
It's obvious that Jessie is gay, and Jessie mom spent some time researching the issue in an effort to understand her sons condition. It's also obvious that homosexuality in animals as an anomaly, just as it is in humans. The only difference is that humans have the ability to rationalize their behavior, and in some cases present a sound argument for their bizarre actions and longings. In the animal kingdom, this odd behavior is rewarded with the termination of that gene pool (science). Those animals that, do to faulty wiring, have the instinct to mate with animals of the same sex, will fail to reproduce, and that gene with die with them. That same is true for humans. Th difference being that, as humans, we can use our intellect to understand the implications of this behavior. See the inherent error and try to cure the disorder as we would any other disorder that threatens our very extinction, as with AIDS or cancer. You, Jessie's mom need to act accordingly, if you hope to have grandchildren.
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by jbravo43215 October 14, 2010 11:40 PM EDT
It's obvious that you've spent no time researching the "issue". From your post, can I assume that you believe all humans are here solely for the purpose of procreation? If so, should those who can't have children or choose not to have children also be considered to have a disorder? As a gay man, I can assure you that I have a healthy and happy life in a monogamous relationship and have no idea to what "disorder" you are referring.
by Jessie_mom October 15, 2010 2:47 PM EDT
Jessie is my name, I am a mom. I am not gay. I do not have a gay child that I am aware of yet, my children are still not grown or through their identity stages of life. I might be the mom of a gay person. That outcome will show itself when that time comes, in the natural biological way.

you have not done your research. Homosexual activities, and relationships, however small in the amount, has been present in science, for over 1500 species. Those species have not "died out" And since homosexuality has been present in Humans since the beginning of mankind, I surely have not seen how I am in danger at all of not "having grandkids" for life is not in "danger" of dieing out. That sort of non fact, non science based fear reaction is dreadful. There is 8 to 15 percent of any species that has homosexual behavior and relationships within it. I am positive that the other 85+ percent can "keep" us going lol.
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by unreligious October 12, 2010 10:12 AM EDT
The title of this article is totally erroneous. The only surge is that news organizations are finally paying attention to a problem that has been going on for decades. For way to long this was ignored because most people took the attitude that Gay people were not important and deserved all the scorn heaped on them. Even now you can see posts on here and else where, where people try to down play the issue and say we can not teach that being Gay is acceptable. Even the people who call for tolerance of Gay people have it wrong. Gay people do not ned to be tolerated they need to be celebrated, for themselves and the contributions they make to society.
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by Jessie_mom October 12, 2010 11:49 AM EDT
Just as we needed to learn to do with all civil justice and social justice changes!
by ncrev October 12, 2010 8:19 AM EDT
The kids being bullied are being targeted because they are - or are perceived to be - gay. We have to name that because that's why kids are harassing them.

I knew I was gay when I was 8 or 9 years old. It didn't have to do with sex, per se, but atractions. Just as some of my peers had crushes on the opposite sex, I had crushes on the same sex. It's not a choice, not a perversion, just life.

Anyone who pretends that our culture is not feeding this rash of suicides is deluded. We still have national politicians calling gay people abnormal, and as evidenced in these comments, there are clearly still parents teaching their children that being gay is one of the worst things one could be. That kind of "teaching" does not go unnoted. Just look at the gang in the Bronx that targeted three gay people for brutal torture...bet they started by bullying kids in school.
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by Jessie_mom October 12, 2010 11:50 AM EDT
The extremist Religious Groups are the ones teaching these children how to hate. Go to http://mnfamilycouncil.blogspot.com/ on today, the anniversary of Matthew Shepards death and tell them how you feel!
by english_teacher October 12, 2010 8:06 AM EDT
Previous posters: kids don't have to be sexually active to have an orientation. That's like saying I was thinking about sex in second grade when I started major crushing on the little blond boy who showed me how to make a paper airplane. I didn't know what those feelings were, but they were real ones. I suppose one could say that by that age, I was showing heterosexual tendencies. I wasn't sexually active until 19.

I am always surprised when people think this issue is a new one; Homosexuality and bisexuality are older than human civilization. The ancient Greeks, for example, were notorious for their varying sexual practices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_LGBT_history

I can't imagine making a lifestyle choice that would knowingly subject oneself to abuse and bullying. For those who believe homosexuality is not biological, spend some time getting to know someone who isn't neatly heterosexual. It is astonishing that 57% were reported on my local news last night to believe homosexuality is a choice; to me, this was as if they'd reported 57% believed the earth is flat, women are unqualified to vote or one race is superior.
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by Jessie_mom October 12, 2010 5:53 PM EDT
The percentage of people that believe the world is flat is higher than you think. The problem is, the ones that take the bible literally. If you are going to take it literally, you must take it all that way yes? Guess not, ok to hate gays but ok to say oh I guess "God" got it wrong when he said the world was flat in the bible.....
by fylingace131 October 13, 2010 6:25 PM EDT
I'm responding to this only because it would be sad if some young person were to read your statement and be persuaded by your "logic". I find it strange that people would promote homosexuality as anything but abnormal behavior, just because THEY suffer from the condition. If you, as a male child in the second grade, felt that you had a "crush" on a Male in you class, it's obvious that you were (and possibly continue to) suffer from a gender disorder. I am not a Darwinist in the purist sense, but it seems clear that the homosexual urge, runs foul of the human imperative of self preservation. How western sociality continuously overlooks this issue, never ceases to amaze me. Add to that, the high occurrence of HIV and AIDS among homosexuals, due in large part to the FACT that the anus isn't designed for sex. I condemn both violence and bullying of the weak and vulnerable. None the less, I think we do yourselves, and the individuals suffering from gender issues, a disservices by asking people to accept this behavior as normal. True "normal" is relation, and a sociality can choose to "normalize" all manner of behavior, it might be best to frame homosexuality as a disorder. In regards to "choice", when one submits to caprice, then one can be said to have made a choice. I live in NYC, if you can look at the Gay Pride Parade as anything but a display of egregious behavior, then you need to reevaluate your sense of morality.
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by 1paulx October 11, 2010 5:52 PM EDT
These individuals that took their own lives did not have the required skill set to survive. Their sexual orientation had nothing to do with it! Lots of straight kids commit suicide every year as well. Conversely plenty more endure all the same rigors and live to tell the tale. So anyone saying that it was because they were gay and being bullied is just drawing parallels where none exist, consequently ending up at false conclusions. A very common human failing. This type of logic failure is what leads to problems to begin with. I do so enjoy the vicious cycle of the comedy of errors that is life. Thanks for all the entertainment.
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by Jessie_mom October 11, 2010 7:05 PM EDT
a gay child was bullied, because he was gay. he had slurs, and beatings from children that taunted him or her because they are gay, and then takes their life. that is a leap to drawing parallels? Your lifestyle and thought pattern is the kind that teaches these children to bully. I find that choice of lifestyle very unhealthy, I think you need to look deeply into your choice and practices of life.
by jerrymarc1 October 11, 2010 7:42 PM EDT
fpaulx - you are sick and discussion on teen suicide is hardly entertainment.
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