"It gets better" *sad*

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Steve

Steve



http://unicornbooty.com/2011/09/14-...maker-commits-suicide-after-endless-bullying/

Basically young Jamey Rodemeyer had been a victim of bullying since he came out as being gay. He made a video advising others life does get better as you get older. Unfortunately the bullying increased and he, sadly, took his own life. If you watch his video it's heart breaking. How can people be so cruel? I can't imagine when I was in junior high or high school being so filled with hatred I would encourage someone to kill themselves. I hope there's a special place in hell for those jerks.
 
Bones

Bones

i don't understand how bullying due to sexual orientation is NOT a hate crime. isn't that the definition of hate crime? I am not a lawyer or a policeman, but this is heartbreaking, that any human being can condone this behavior, that its OK to attack someone over their position in sex, creed, color, orientation!?
 
Denbrought

Denbrought

Bones said:
i don't understand how bullying due to sexual orientation is NOT a hate crime. isn't that the definition of hate crime? I am not a lawyer or a policeman, but this is heartbreaking, that any human being can condone this behavior, that its OK to attack someone over their position in sex, creed, color, orientation!?
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Yes, that's a hate crime. At least in Spain... The U.S. does look like a swiss cheese piece in regard to these laws, though, due to state autonomy.
 
phil

phil

This is just heartbreaking.

Every time I hear about something like this, or have to hear about how some people still despise gay people I can't help but wonder if there actually is any hope for the future.

It's 2011. We went to the fucking moon 40 god damn years ago. The Cold War ended almost 20 years ago and we're no longer really under the threat of nuclear war. I feel like even with 9/11 being 10 years ago we're making the tiniest progress (though still admittedly a long way to go) into the notion that radicals don't define an entire culture. But we just can't seem to get over two guys in love with one another.
 
Kovac

Kovac

It brings to mind my experiences of high school.

The world can seem like a very small dark place when the bullying is relentless and coming at you from all angles.
 
C

Chibibar

Bones said:
i don't understand how bullying due to sexual orientation is NOT a hate crime. isn't that the definition of hate crime? I am not a lawyer or a policeman, but this is heartbreaking, that any human being can condone this behavior, that its OK to attack someone over their position in sex, creed, color, orientation!?
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It is not consider "hate crime" cause the people of the U.S. wants to continue to hate gays and lesbians. Why? so they can still keep them out of the law books like civil union/marriages and have equal rights under the law.

If the U.S. recognizes it as hate crime, then all the laws AGAINST gays and lesbians have to be strike off the books (cause essentially it is hate crime)
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Jesus. Post from one of the bullies to him:

"I wouldn't care if you died. No one would. So just do it : ) It would make everyone WAY more happier!"
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What the fuck. And I bet the little asshole is proud of himself rather than ashamed.
 
Bones

Bones

I have seen us as a race do great things, and terrible things, I want to believe that hatred of the LGBT group is the exception and not the rule. My best friend and the person I go to to vent is a part of that group, and if I found out she was being harassed by people because of who she is, despite NOT needing my help, I would be on them like white on rice on a paper plate with a glass of milk in a snowstorm!
 
Mathias

Mathias

Chibibar said:
It is not consider "hate crime" cause the people of the U.S. wants to continue to hate gays and lesbians. Why? so they can still keep them out of the law books like civil union/marriages and have equal rights under the law.

If the U.S. recognizes it as hate crime, then all the laws AGAINST gays and lesbians have to be strike off the books (cause essentially it is hate crime)
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Was going to say the same thing. One of the main reasons why it's not hate crime is that it logically leads the way for LGBT rights. Heaven forbid. Fucking bigots.
 
M

makare

As I understand it the label of Hate Crime merely adds extra bite to things that are already classified as crimes. Bullying is such an amorphous thing that it is hard to pin down and given a criminal label to begin with. All bullying is fundamentally a hate based crime. Is this really that much different than that mother who harassed the girl until she committed suicide? What exactly is the benefit to saying this bullying instance is worse because the kid was gay? It is just as horrible and nonsensical. And think of all the bullies who use the epithet of gay merely to hurt people. They fling it at those who are not gay just to upset them. If those victims killed themselves is it a hate crime? Would you have to prove that the people did it because they thought the person was gay? Bullying now is all treated equally, in that it is not really treated at all.

I mean they might stick it under harassment but even with the addition of Hate Crime what's that going to get you? Probation most likely. I don't want anyone to think I am dismissing this I am not but bullying needs to be classified as it's own actual crime before you can make the crime worse with the Hate Crime label.

The idea that it isn't a hate crime because the courts don't want to protect LGBT ignores the fact that Hate Crime is added to murder and assault when it is shown the target was only targeted because he/she fits that class. The court does acknowledge it and it is in the law books.
 
Bones

Bones

the boys death was sad, but what really shocked me were the grown adults agreeing there was nothing wrong with harassing someone until they kill themselves. its not that it was due to him being gay, i would feel the same way if he was Jewish/Muslim/black/asian/etc.
 
M

makare

Those are all protected but what if it wasn't. What if they were teasing because he was poor or clumsy or just "different". Bullying is wrong no matter what. I am afraid to say that one instance is worse than another just because it is a protected class.
 
Bones

Bones

you are reading more into this then I thought, I figured the etc would cover anything I couldn't think of. apparently it doesn't. I spent my teenage years being beaten unconscious, shoved in lockers, thrown in dumpsters, and generally being put though living hell because I was "weird", and "strange", and "different". It is why I feel so strongly about adults condoning it. its never alright to bully anyone for any reason. From the aggressive tone of your posts, I assume you were too makare.
 
M

makare

I wasn't trying to imply that you would be ok with it personally my point is still that Hate Crime doesn't cover everything that is really a hate crime. It is only concerned with protected classes and that I think, completely misses the point.
 
M

makare

Also I can't imagine the kid had much of a lifestyle any different from any other kid. Stupid bullies.

Also that video totally teared me up. Gah.:(
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

There are very specific reasons I was quiet about my sexuality in High School. I went to school in an extremely Catholic and very small town (80% of the town attended masses on Sunday). Gay hate words "F" and "D" were used daily as derrogatorive as possible. Beatings happened daily to just everyday kids. There was not one single openly gay person in my entire HS of about 600. "Pray the Gay Away" would very likely have happened in my area. So what'd I do? Hook up with a 22yr old at age 17 and moved 2 cities away. 14-17 I pretty much lived on a daily basis of hiding things from my parents and fighting INSANE urges at school during gym, showers, school bus trips and sports trips. It was not a good couple of years for me, torture would be a very accurate term and that's WITHOUT constant attacks from other people.

I can VERY easily see how suicide can be an option for a person in that situation. I'm glad to see they're going to get charged with the crime. I hope they're convicted to the full extent.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
Shegokigo, if it makes you feel any better, I fully support your lifestyle. In fact, I support it so much, I am willing to watch any videos of said lifestyle in the name of supporting it.
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

All video I've participated in have been with me at the camera, of which I own all copies of, they're very supportable though, so thanks for the backup fade. ;)
 
M

makare

I am glad they are getting the harassment charges out. I wish they wouldn't even use the word bullying. Call it what it is.
 
blotsfan

blotsfan

I don't know the full extent of what the bullying was, but if it was just name calling and "cyber bullying" I think the blame should go on the kid who actually killed himself. Even if the bullies told him to kill himself, they weren't the ones who ended his life.
 
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