For me the Mathew Shepard story opened my eyes to something I had never imagined really happened. Although I have never forgotten about this boy and his story it wasn’t until this past week that I began to realize that I have to do what I can to help in any way I can. Please take a look and never forget these boys. I am sure there are many more stories like this these are the ones I grabbed.
* Matthew Wayne Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 199
was a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. He was attacked on the night of October 6–7, and died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, on October 12 from severe head injuries.
During the trial, witnesses stated that Shepard was targeted because he was homosexual. Shepard’s murder brought national and international attention to the issue of hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels.
* Seth Walsh, the Bakersfield, CA 13-year-old who hanged himself from a tree in his back yard after years of being bullied, died Tuesday afternoon after nine days on life support. Police investigators interviewed some of the young people who taunted Seth the day he hanged himself. “Several of the kids that we talked to broke down into tears,” Police Chief Jeff Kermode said. “They had never expected an outcome such as this.”
* Asher Brown, 13, an eighth-grader killed himself last week. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students at Hamilton Middle School in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston Texas. Brown, his family said, was “bullied to death” — picked on for his small size, his religion and because he did not wear designer clothes and shoes. Kids also accused him of being gay, some of them performing mock gay acts on him in his physical education class, his mother and stepfather said.
* Billy (William) Lucas, 15, a student at Greensburg Community High School in Greensburg, IN, was found dead in a barn at his grandmother’s home Thursday evening — he had hanged himself. Friends say that he had been tormented for years. “He was threatened to get beat up every day,” friend and classmate Nick Hughes said. “Sometimes in classes, kids would act like they were going to punch him and stuff and push him. Some people at school called him names,” Hughes said, saying most of those names questioned Lucas’ sexual orientation.
* A Rutgers University freshman posted a goodbye message on his Facebook page before jumping to his death after his roommate secretly filmed him during a “sexual encounter” in his dorm room and posted it live on the Internet.Items belonging to 18-year-old Rutgers student Tyler Clementi were found by the George Washington Bridge last week, according to authorities. Clementi’s freshman ID card and driver’s license were in the wallet. Clementi’s post on his Facebook page, dated Sept. 22 at 8:42 p.m. read, “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”
* School bullies broke the arm of eleven year-old Tyler Wilson because he joined the cheering team. But he’s pushing through it, and he’s going to cheer and not give into the thugs. A longer report and full interview with Tyler and his mom from Good Morning America are here.
* Justin Aaberg, 15 from Anoka, Minn took his own life. In the weeks since she found her son dead in his room on July 9, Tammy Aaberg has heard from many of her son’s friends at Anoka High School. They told her Justin Aaberg had been bullied and had recently broken up with his boyfriend. Justin was also bullied for being gay.
Continue to talk about this, talk about it until you feel like you have beat it to death and then talk some more. Teach tolerance, teach the children they don’t have to agree with someone’s lifestyle but they do not have the right to judge or bully someone because if it!
Please help me fight to end bullying. Also feel free to share your stories I am moved by all of them!
Xoxo
k
