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Jamey was 14 and a Freshman in high school in Buffalo, NY.
He came out as bisexual last May, and endured enormous bullying. But in the face of that, he made his own "It Gets Better" video.
Online, anonymous commenters cyber-bullied Jamey, writing horrible things about how he should die for being queer.
He wrote this on Sept 8:
“No one in my school cares about preventing suicide, while you’re the ones calling me [gay slur] and tearing me down,” he wrote on Sept. 8. He said the next day: “I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. ... What do I have to do so people will listen to me?”
Jamey killed himself on Monday Sept 19, 2011.
Here's his "It Gets Better" video:
Dan Savage, the amazing activist who started the "It Gets Better" Project, wrote about this, saying:
The point of the "It Gets Better" project is to give kids like Jamey Rodemeyer hope for their futures. But sometimes hope isn't enough. Sometimes the damage done by hate and by haters is simply too great. Sometimes the future seems too remote. And those are the times our hearts break.
It needs to get better NOW.
The bullying must stop, both in person and on-line.
We all need to mobilize today, to make things better in our schools, in our towns, in our states... and together, we can change our country and our world for the better, so that kids like Jamey - every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and gender-non-conforming kid - and for that matter, every kid who is "different" - will know in their bones that it IS GETTING BETTER!
It's up to us.
And if you need to talk to someone, please call the Trevor Project crisis hotline, 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386). Things can and will get better, but you have to stay here to experience all the joy and love that life has in store for you.
We can make it better, together.
Namaste,
Lee
3 comments:
This is truly a sad story and should never have happened. I wish other parents would raise their children to be more acceptant of everyone, regardless of culture, or sexual oreintation.
I'm heartbroken. I just don't understand the hate. This poor, sweet boy.
I agree. We need to find a way for it to get better faster.
Such a devastating story. I'm overwhelmed by the sadness of yet another beautiful life extinguished by hate. Then the sadness immediately turns to anger and blame and I'm useless filled with hate. And the emotions subside with a little time, and I focus on compassion for what Jamey's family and friends are now going through. And then beyond that, all I can do is what small steps around me I can take to make things better.
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