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your life will be ruined if you come out gay in the area i live around, and your parents will probably disown you as well.
fwiw, i live in a 90 percent white middle class conservative neighborhood in minnesota.
multiply that times 10 in georgia or ole miss and i could see the suicide epedimic amongst gays.
when you come out, you are done for the most part in america, except in certain areas.
i myself am not too enthused with the whole gay thing as i had a horrible experience when a gay man said i was cute. after that i could never look him in the face again and speak to him. i know the awkwardness, i know what the opponent is thinking.
at the same time a lot of the people in my area just think its a genetic defect, which just makes matters worse.
This is truly heartbreaking God bless his family members and friends. But I don't understand why gay teens who commit suicide are seen as more special or important than heterosexual teens who commit suicide? Suicide is a devastating way to go, whether you are gay or straight. Maybe I am missing something here?
I think anyone who commits suicide is very emotionally disturbed and they are warning signs a parent or responsible adult could have picked up on it.
Unfortunately, most gay teens are conditioned to believe they are inherently wrong and evil. Even if confronted, they won't confide their problems in anyone. Even more unfortunate, if they do confide their struggle coming to terms with their homosexuality, they are often confronted with scorn, hatred, and even being disowned by the people who are suppose to love them unconditionally.
PS...please branson stop signing your posts.......we ALL have our names in BIG LETTERS in the upper left hand corner of our posts OR did you never notice!
Good point....people must realize this teen endured this nearly every day....at least every school day of his life.
And it's painfully obvious some posters NEVER read the note. I did mention in my OP that to participate in this thread I EXPECTED adult posters to read the entire suicide note.
And I myself, did distort one small aspect of the note.........to purposely see if certain posters even read the note........so far not one did....IMHO....otherwise they'd have mentioned that one small point that I purposely stretched a bit in my grand plan........I'm smart and sneaky too. .
I will reveal the twist as the thread progresses and I make my point.
Honestly, I get where you're coming from, and I tried to do my best to read that note, but I just won't read anything laced with that much profanity. I'll read it if it's cleaned up and there is no reason to not do so. One can get a point across without using the F word every other word. Sorry.
Clearly you have no idea what you're talking about.
I was skinny, hell still am skinny. I was always popular in school. I was in varsity track and cross country. I was elected EVERY year since 4th grade to student council (even in college I was in student government).
However, I felt ashamed that I was bisexual because of what society was telling about such "behaviors".
I would think to myself why can't it just "go away".
I never was bullied. Not once. Always well liked. In fact, one guy back in high school was having a rough day. I asked what was up, he told me that I would not understand since my life was perfect. From the outside it was (great parents, awesome sports record, awesome school political record, amazing gpa).
Yet, I didn't want to tell people how I truly felt since I knew it was taboo.
Imagine being the guy in school that did tell. It would not be the same. I would not win elections since I was a "freak". The coaches would be wary of me undressing with other boys since I would be considered "deviant". I would not be a pillar of the community (I went to several conferences on how to improve schools in San Bernadino City...while in high school). Instead, I would face ostracism and contempt. This is the reality of what many homosexuals in high school go through.
It has nothing to do with fortitude. If you have people in GOVERNMENT telling you that you are a deviant, that's a heavy burden when you're a kid. Imagine if because you were scrawny you WERE bullied. Now imagine the government saying that scrawny people should not get married since they are deviants. Adults now are taking the side of those bullying you. You have nowhere to turn.
Its not at all the same. You not only are going up against one singular bully, but societal views (what your parents think, your principal, your community, your country). You simply don't have that extra dynamic that messes up with your daily life outside of school if you are bullied for wearing glasses.
If I were bullied in high school, I would have stood up for myself. However, seeing how ADULTS are treating this death, I would be fighting a LONG HARD LONELY battle. Not the same if I had some support.
These kids don't have support. They literally feel that they are scum because the MAJORITY of people (including adults) tell them that.
I guess my point is that no, it's not the same as being picked on for being skinny.
Thankyou for your story, honesty and wonderful post.
PS...I forgot to mention I also have freckles....oh when will the torture end.
I'm just trying to add some levity.
My point is I had many reasons to get bullied but ONLY the gay thing bothered me. Because I was somewhat popular and athletic and fun to be around and smart......most guys respected me since I held my own in sports etc....
But not all and that minority was mean spirited.....and obsessed with making me miserable. Like many homophobic posters here are obsessed with gay threads and gays....just so they can hate on them. Frankly I feel sorry for them as they are shallow and full of loathing.....otherwise they'd post like responsible adults.
The following suicide note was written by Steven, a 16-year-old high school student who happens to be gay. After he wrote this note he attempted suicide by taking an overdose of medication.
He survived.
He was hospitalized, treated, and not long after his suicide attempt, moved with his family to another state. . . ."
1) This is a story about a failed suicide attempt. I think that ALL suicide is a tragic loss that could have been avoided. Many survivors of suicide attempts go on to live fulfilling lives and are very happy to be alive. Living and getting the help that they need are the keys. I hope that the boy in the article is receiving help and that he will eventually be happy.
2) Suicide is the third leading cause of accidental death among youth--under twenty-five. It is tragic and is often linked to bullying.
"One suicide occurs every 15 minutes [in the US]; almost 100 suicides a day.
More than a million people attempt to take their own lives each year." <U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Sept. 14, 2010>
3) Promote anti-bullying policies in schools. These policies help reduce ALL types of bullying and make it a punishable offense to witness or even suspect bullying and NOT report it. If we teach the children, eventually society will be more compassionate. Some schools do a good job of teaching and enforcing these policies.
4) I agree with promoting awareness, education, and prevention: suicide rates ARE a MAJOR cause for concern. Teaching acceptance and compassion will help our world become a kinder place. Statically speaking, several factors increase the risk for suicide attempts: being poor, socially isolated, young (15-19), thin, drug abusing, white, gay, male, having emotional issues (depression), having psychological disorders, having access to guns, living in Alaska, the current season being winter--especially Christmas season.
These are NOT CAUSES. They are ONLY conditions that are shown to have a correlation to higher suicide rates. Knowing these allows us to be mindful of specific populations, which might need more interventions.
You found the twist...I purposely said he died to see who actually read his note. I am glad he survived; but it could easily have turned out differently.
I read the suicide note and it is very sad. Judging from the content of the note, it is obvious that he was heavily medicated at the time he authored it. Personally, I believe that this child's issues went FAR beyond being bullied for his sexuality. There are much darker forces at work with this one. A long term stay at a state hospital would be a good residence for him. It will make NO DIFFERENCE where the family moves to. This child's issues are internal.
Since we have threads on this board both dehumanizing gay people and trivializing gay teen suicide by posters with an obvious anti-gay agenda; I thought it only appropriate to bring the human element into the equation.
Let's face facts some level of homophobia is indeed ingrained into our culture.
This is evidenced by the United States Government's public policies such as D.A.D.T and D.O.M.A. By enforcing these policies the government is sending a message that gays are second class citizens with second class rights.....inferior to other citizens; although we are graciously allowed to pay equal taxes among our peers.
The general population and especially our youth pick up on this message and bullying, violence and demeaning behaviour against gays is the result.....in turn driving up the gay bullying and gay teen suicide rates.
Add to the mix SOME religious and conservative groups spreading lies and misinformation about the LGBT community and now you have an equation for "disaster".
This is evidenced by the very recent murder of a 4 year old boy perceived to be gay.......by a religious and homophobic zealot.
PLEASE read this suicide note in it's entirety.....it opens a window upon the world that a young man had to live in on a daily basis. He was spit on....threatened both verbally and physically.....had f****t painted repeatedly on his locker......received death threats....etcetera.
His tormentors LEARNED this behaviour from their peers....their parents.....our society....our government....some religious institutions and conservative groups, etcetera. Actually these groups are sometimes condoning the negative treatment of gays....frankly even encouraging it.
All one needs to do is read threads in this forum and the "truth" will be staring you in the face. The same obsessed posters rant daily with their anti-gay agenda and I for one am extremely sick of tolerating these twisted and sick people.
IF you don't bother to read the young man's suicide note than please don't waste my time and yours responding to this thread!
WARNING........EXPLICIT LANGUAGE......
The teen was distraught and venting his anger and hopelessness.
Hopefully this will bring the humanity back into our debates and people will realize that this kid was not just a statistic but a young man who could not endure the terror society dealt him.
Unfortunately we will now never know what he may have contributed to our country because he never reached maturity and is now dead.
As another poster replied already, this could have been written by any number of picked on children. I was picked on in elementry and middle school. Why? I am a "half breed". Kids would call me that, along with other names. I was never brown enough to be considered Mexican and never white enough to be considered Caucasian. I had to endure things being thrown at me on the school bus, being forced to fight my way home, and other not so nice things. Things got better as I "grew into my body" and gained weight and height in high school. The thing is I never once considered suicide as a resolution to my problems back then. I fought through the tough times and made a better life for myself(even as a young man). Sad that this person chose this, it really is........
Blacks may have more sympathy now, but at one point in time they were very oppressed. Think back to the 1960's. They also were denied rights, told they were inferior, and treated poorly. They did not kill themselves. Now I'm not making "light" of homosexual suicide, but merely pointing out that society is not the "sole" cause of what these individuals are doing. Discrimination, oppression, institutionalized racism--these were all these things that blacks at one had faced and they did not kill themselves because of it. This is why it's hard for me to understand the correlation between homosexuals feeling discriminated against, and hated, and as a result doing something as drastic as suicide. It just isn't a normal reaction to adversity. No matter how it is framed, the fact is, millions of people have been oppressed in this country, or mistreated, they did not resort to suicide.
I've always felt that those who go through with suicide are typically mentally troubled. Therefore could it be concluded that the homosexuals that DID commit suicide(not the ones that thought about it) just simply were teenagers effected by severe depression and the the act of suicide was not necessarily the "fault" of society's discrimination but moreso the fact that they were troubled or weren't able to deal?
I think most of us can attest to the fact that homosexuals have it tough. But to fault society for suicide--I don't know if I can agree with that. Millions of teenagers, think about suicide, are depressed, are bullied--I don't think that this is just something homosexuals go through. Go to the mental health forum and you'll several people struggling with severe depression, that have suicidal thoughts. Could it not be that some people believe life is hard and therefore think about ending it? And that it is not exclusive to homosexuality? I get the feeling that some of you are saying that suicidal thoughts and suicide are something that most homosexuals go through at one point in time and that it always boils down to society oppressing them, however I'd have to say I've noticed A LOT of teenagers in general have suicidal thoughts and deal with depression, and that there have always been groups in history that have been oppressed--they did not kill themselves. Therefore doesn't it seem more plausible that the homosexuals killing themselves are mentally troubled and that it isn't completely society's mistreatment leading to such a drastic decision?
I was alive then....however blacks were not demonized by churches, society and our government....so your argument fails abysmally.
Also blacks can easily find each other and organize. Because of society it's a different story for gays....I just cannot understand how posters don't see that. OR is it you don't want to see it!
Some of you tell us to stay in the closet and shut up...so who do we talk to....how do we meet...how do we organize....how do we help each other.
It's just been in the last decade or so that LGBT folks have begun to organize...form support groups and try to help. Surely if you are as old as me you don't DARE compare with blacks...how gays were to cope back in that generation....there was NOTHING but the very beginnings of organization with Harvey Milk...who was killed by a heterosexual.....before he could help his peers!
When I grew up in the 60's and 70's I thought I was the only gay dude except for Paul Lynde and Tiny Tim!
Last edited by PITTSTON2SARASOTA; 07-11-2011 at 10:33 PM..
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Statically speaking, several factors increase the risk for suicide attempts: being poor, socially isolated, young (15-19), thin, drug abusing, white, gay, male, having emotional issues (depression), having psychological disorders, having access to guns, living in Alaska, the current season being winter--especially Christmas season. 
