It Gets Better...

[zyl84]

I know this isn't the right forum to broadcast something like this, but I know that it is probably one of the best. The suicide rate of LGBT Youth is climbing at an alarming rate. To my knowledge, it extends from preteens through teenage years. I encourage all of you, become a role model for these endangered souls. There is a movement going on, It Gets Better... get in on it. Celebrities are creating moving and meaning letters/videos. Spread them, give any young LGBT hope. Share your experience and promise them that it does get better.

An open letter from Dave Navarro to LGBT Youth: http://perezhilton.com/2010-09-29-open_letter_from_dave_navarro_to_gay_youth

Darren Hayes (openly gay musician): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhhTir-UQTQ

Lala & Ciara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWvKL9Qx18

This came to my attention when the Dean of Students notified the faculty at my campus of a tragedy... ( http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/rutgers_student_commits_suicid.html ) that hit very close to home. After some research, I've found other alarming stories that inspired me personally. An 11 yr old boy chose to join cheerleading and was attacked and beaten that his arm was broken. In the past 3 weeks alone, I found 3 incidents of preteens/teenagers who have taken their own lives due to the inability to cope with the issues of self discovery, in addition to the Rutgers student.

There is a national organization that runs a hot-line for LGBT youth... www.thetrevorproject.org . Spread it...

Scott Herman on the Trevor Project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMjDE8RgoxI&feature=player_embedded

I don't mean to pontificate, but I felt just so moved... I have been in contact with my Dean to try to make a small change in my campus.

 

[lovelumps]

Thanks, zyl, for the information and for working to make change on your campus. I've posted links to the The Trevor Project on my facebook page, and also posted a link to the article about Tyler Clementi. It's so tragic. Our high school lost 4 students last year to suicide.

 

[Jayman01]

I know this isn't the right forum to broadcast something like this, but I know that it is probably one of the best. The suicide rate of LGBT Youth is climbing at an alarming rate. To my knowledge, it extends from preteens through teenage years. I encourage all of you, become a role model for these endangered souls. There is a movement going on, It Gets Better... get in on it. Celebrities are creating moving and meaning letters/videos. Spread them, give any young LGBT hope. Share your experience and promise them that it does get better.

An open letter from Dave Navarro to LGBT Youth: http://perezhilton.com/2010-09-29-open_letter_from_dave_navarro_to_gay_youth

Darren Hayes (openly gay musician): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhhTir-UQTQ

Lala & Ciara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWvKL9Qx18

This came to my attention when the Dean of Students notified the faculty at my campus of a tragedy... ( http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/rutgers_student_commits_suicid.html ) that hit very close to home. After some research, I've found other alarming stories that inspired me personally. An 11 yr old boy chose to join cheerleading and was attacked and beaten that his arm was broken. In the past 3 weeks alone, I found 3 incidents of preteens/teenagers who have taken their own lives due to the inability to cope with the issues of self discovery, in addition to the Rutgers student.

There is a national organization that runs a hot-line for LGBT youth... www.thetrevorproject.org . Spread it...

Scott Herman on the Trevor Project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMjDE8RgoxI&feature=player_embedded

I don't mean to pontificate, but I felt just so moved... I have been in contact with my Dean to try to make a small change in my campus.

Thanks Zyle for sharing this. I saw was fortunate enough to see the 11 year old cheerleader story on the evening news last evening. This information will go a long way toward helping other be who they are and hopefully save a lives. Bless your heart and thank you for sharing this.

 

[tampa24]

Thank you Zyl for bringing this to our attention. What an awful tragedy. That poor young man felt like he was totally alone and humiliated in front of a whole school where he had not yet made friends. His life is over at the very beginning of adulthood. What a loss for all of us.

I was especially impressed with the message from Darren Hayes. He really spoke to all the major issues that haunt our gay brothers and sisters who are struggling with such difficult issues from 10-20 years old in particular. The idea that if you persevere and make it into adulthood that all of that struggle will be worth it. That you can find happiness as an adult.

I have always felt that a very very high percentage of unexplained teen suicides was due to sexual identity issues that tortured their souls. I feel so badly for the parents in particular. Especially the ones who have no clue what the cause of the severe depression was. And those who will wonder for the rest of their lives what happened to their child, as they deal with never ending guilt. Even though we have a fairly good idea of the secrets their children were carrying.

I hope that both students are prosecuted and the young man especially.

 

[zyl84]

thank you laura, jay and tampa... it really warms my heart that there are those among us who care.

http://perezhilton.com/tv/An_Important_Message_From_Ellen_Degeneres/?ptvid=a8026b53c9544

go to youtube... put in it gets better. listen to the voices and messages of our community standing up for our youth that belong to our community.

if you care, make a video. lend your voice to this amazing cause. i will be adding mine. it gets better.

 

[rickster96056]

Having been in High School in the early 70's in a small town, I think I can relate to what the kids are dealing with. I have my share of stories about physical and verbal abuse to the point of beinging kicked out of school for non-attendence. In those days you were not "out", you kept to yourself and said nothing. Somehow the other students had a way of just knowing. I was not flambouant in any way. The times being what they were, you didn't go to the school counselor and tell them what was happening. One, they didn't want to hear about it, and two it would have only made matters worse. Then there's dealing with your parents. There's no way to tell them you're skipping school becuase you're being tormented for being labeled as gay. I feel for these kids. To this day I'm not able to think about my High School years without my eyes tearing up. Not only was I deprived of an education, I also had what should have been some of the best memories of my life taken from me. I'm sure there are many more of you out there from my generation with similar stories. My point is, that no matter how cruel kids can be, you can still make it to adulthood. There were many times I felt I would have been better off dead. In fact I experienced two failed suicide attempts, and those happened in my early 20's. I'm guessing none of this sounds very encouraging, but I made it and so can anyone else. It truely does get better!

 

[tampa24]

I found out something very interesting in reading the St. Pete Times editorial page from yesterday. We had been told through the media that Tyler Clementi reached out for support on a gay website chatroom when he found out his roommate had broadcast his liaisons with another guy on the internet. As far as we know Tyler went to an unidentified website to find support from other gay members as to his situation. It appears that other mebers who chatted with him did indeed give him support. The media reported that he was concerned that the roommate would not be punished at all and that he would just make enemies by pressing his case further to authorities at the university. I don't know how much of that is true. As I say I got that from secondhand news reports. Not from any internet investigation.

The editorial identified the gay website chatroom as being JustUsBoys. As many of you may know, JustUsBoys is a site owned by BluMedia. So it's in the Broke Straight Boys family of sites, as it were. I'm sure that authorities and psychologists have been poring over transcripts of the chat sessions in question to piece together a time frame. They are also no doubt trying to figure out the poor young man's state of mind. Not only to figure out how to file more charges against the people who drove him to such a desperate act....but also to figure out how they might be able to counsel and prevent young gay people in similar situations from deciding on such a horrific course of action in the future.