LGBT American Teenagers getting bullied and

turning to suicide.
By Whitney Foster

LGBT American Teenagers

According to the CDC a 2009 survey of more than 7,000 LGBT middle
and high school students aged 1321 years found that in the past year,
because of their sexual orientation
Eight of ten students had been verbally harassed at school;
Four of ten had been physically harassed at school;
Six of ten felt unsafe at school;
One of five had been the victim of a physical assault at school;
Exposure to violence can have negative effects on the education and
health of LGBT youth. In a national study of middle and high school

students, LGBT students (61.1%) were more likely than their non-LGBT
peers to feel unsafe or uncomfortable as a result of their sexual orientation.
LGBT students (over 25%) reported missing classes or days of school
because of feeling unsafe in their school environment. The stresses
experienced by LGBT youth also put them at greater risk for mental health
problems, substance use, and physical health problems. LGBT American
teenagers suffer years of humiliation, systemic violence, and socially
tolerated bullying by peers, forcing them to internalize the
degrading and inferior image of being different and too often
choosing to end their own lives.

Tyler Clementi was an eighteen-year-old student at Rutgers University

in Piscataway, New Jersey who took his own life by jumping off the George
Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. What could lead a teen to take
his innocent precious life? On the evening of Sunday, September 19, 2010,
according to the account given by police, Clementi asked his roommate to

give him some time alone in the room they shared. Ravi agreed, and went
down the hall into Wei's room. There, he allegedly logged onto Wei's
computer and used it to access through Skype a webcam he had set up on
his own computer back in the room he shared with Clementi. It is not known
whether what happened next was accidental or preconceived, but Ravi and
Wei are alleged to have watched Clementi in what authorities described as a
"sexual encounter" with another man.
It is claimed that Ravi then streamed the video live, and that same
night broadcast to the 150 followers of his Twitter feed details of his
voyeuristic escapade, outing Clementi in the process: "Roommate asked for
the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I
saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Two evenings later, Ravi tweeted:
"Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9.30
and 12. Yes it's happening again." The next day, having told no one about
his despair and leaving no clues to his decision other than the Facebook
comment, Clementi is thought to have made the hour's drive from Rutgers
to the bridge, leaving his car, his wallet and mobile phone on a side road
before leaping to his death. His last words before taking his life was posted
on Facebook about 10 minutes before he died, were brief and to the point:
"Jumping off the GW bridge sorry."

On May 21, 2012, Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 3 years

probation, 300 hours of community service, a $10,000 fine, and counseling
on cyber bullying and alternate lifestyles. I dont think this justifies a loss of
a life due to someones actions.
Beginning in the 20112012 school years, a Rutgers University pilot
program was instituted to permit students to choose their dorm roommates,
regardless of gender. Members of the university's LGBTQ community told the
administration that gender-neutral housing would help create a more
inclusive environment for students.
By fall 2012, Rutgers had implemented numerous new programs to
provide a more supportive environment for LGBT students, in reaction to the
suicide, including new dormitory options and a new Center for Social Justice
Education and L.G.B.T. Communities, and students reported a muchimproved campus atmosphere

The story includes two different types of Oppression. First is Violence,

Ravi used a hateful crime called cyber bullying to humiliate and cause harm
to an individual and it lead him to take his own life. Another type is called
Cultural Imperialism as used in the story, Ravi used his power as a
heterosexual to degrade a homosexual. Ravi thought he was inferior to
Clementi because Clementi was having a sexual encounter with the same
sex and knew this would embarrass Clementi. These kinds of acts happen
way too often among the LGBT Teenagers who are teenagers that are
referred as a lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender persons. Clementi was
part of systemic Violence when Ravi purposely chose to use a webcam and
record an intimate encounter between two homosexuals and posting it on
twitter.
Why is this a Social practice? Teenagers are not punished and are not
well educated on how society and people are different from one another.
Going to school always was said to be the safest place besides your home.
This is not the case, schools dont educate teenagers on what bullying can
cause on a person emotionally and physically.
Kids have been bullying each other for generations. The latest
generation, however, has been able to utilize technology to expand their
reach and the extent of their harm. This phenomenon is being called cyber
bullying, defined as: willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of
computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. There are many

detrimental outcomes associated with cyber bullying that reach into the real
world. Many targets of cyber bullying report feeling depressed, sad, angry,
and frustrated Victims who experience cyber bullying also reveal that were
afraid or embarrassed to go to school. In addition, research has revealed a
link between cyber bullying and low self-esteem, family problems, academic
problems, school violence, and delinquent behavior. Finally, cyber bullied
LGBT youth also report having suicidal thoughts, and there have been a
number of examples in the United States where youth who were victimized
ended up taking their own lives.

The LGBT teenagers are denied their right to life, liberty and personal
security when getting bullied. It is part of the constitution Article 3 of the
Universal Declartion of Human Rights. If its part of the constitution why does
it happen so often? I thought the Human rights protected us from this
behavior? There is no federal law directly addresses bullying, in some cases,
bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race,
national origin, color, sex, age, disability, or religion. When bullying and
harassment overlap, federally-funded schools (including colleges and

universities) have an obligation to resolve the harassment. When the

situation is not adequately resolved, the U.S. Department of Educations
Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justices Civil Rights
Division may be able to help. No matter what label is used (e.g., bullying,
hazing, teasing), schools are obligated by these laws to address conduct that
is:

Severe, pervasive or persistent;

Creates a hostile environment at school. That is, it is sufficiently

serious that it interferes with or limits a students ability to participate
in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a
school;

Based on a students race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or

religion;

What are the federal civil rights laws ED and DOJ enforce?

A school that fails to respond appropriately to harassment of students

based on a protected class may be violating one or more civil rights
laws enforced by the Department of Education and the Department of
Justice, including:
o

Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Do federal civil rights laws cover harassment of LGBT youth?

Title IX and Title IV do not prohibit discrimination based solely on

sexual orientation, but they protect all students, including students
who are LGBT or perceived to be LGBT, from sex-based harassment.

Harassment based on sex and sexual orientation is not mutually

exclusive. When students are harassed based on their actual or
perceived sexual orientation, they may also be subjected to forms of
sex discrimination recognized under Title IX.

Some of the solutions that can be done to save the lives of the LGBT
youth that are bullied in their everyday life are:

Schools can add Clear Policies on a state basis to include policies

on Bullying by schools adding sexual orientation and gender
identity to their bullying policies. (Office of Civil Rights, OCR,
2010) Doing this tells students to treat everyone equally,
regardless of their sexual orientation. According to the Harris
Interactive survey, Students from schools with clear policies on
LGBT-related bullying are:

Less likely to report serious harassment problems.

Report higher rates of feeling safe at school

One-third less likely to skip a class.

We also need to provide additional support. When a youth reveals

same-sex attractions and relationships, this is an opportunity for school
professionals to better inform and support sexual minority youth by linking
them with community resources and helping to overcome the tensions of
parents, families, and peers. LGBT youth may need additional support, such
as access to qualified healthcare professionals with experience working with
the LGBT youth.
We can educate the LGBT Youth with counseling on how to have higher
self-esteem and be resilient of the negative behavior towards them through
bullying. Haters cant hate someone who loves themselves, and if they do
who cares by Lynn Breedove. We can also recognize "Spirit Day" which was,
first observed on October 20, 2010, in which people wear the Color purple to
show support for bullying victims among LGBT youth. Also we can speak up
and support the LGBT Youth by standing and for them and not keeping silent
when we first meet injustice and offensive behavior.
Take the pledge at http://www.itgetsbetter.org/page/s/pledge. Take
the pledge and get involved by helping spread our message of hope to LGBT
youth: It Gets Better. THE PLEDGE: Everyone deserves to be respected for
who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and

neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at
school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and other bullied teens by letting them know that it gets better.