Saturday, April 25, 2009
Twice this month, an 11 year-old boy has hanged himself. The first happened April 6th, in Massachusetts, when Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was found dead. April 21st, an Atlanta boy named Jeheem Herrera also hung himself. Besides being only 5th graders, what these 11-year-old boys shared in common was daily anti-gay bullying and harassment at school. And from all accounts both mothers tried (even weekly) to get the schools to do something about it. These sorts of stories break my heart… for so many reasons. First my heart goes out to these poor mothers who have lost their precious children at such a young age. To decide at 11 years old that your life isn’t worth living is mind-bogglingly depressing. Fifth grade!! I can’t even wrap my head around it.
It makes me so angry that school administrators and teachers turned a blind eye to this activity, even when it was repeatedly pointed out to them, and when it’s against the law! If criminal charges aren’t filed (which sadly sounds likely) people should lose their jobs over this. But what really saddens me is that parents are raising monsters. At 11 years old, to already have such hatred and malice for people who aren’t the same as you that you would terrorize someone to the point that their only solution to escape it is to kill themselves? It’s devastating. I’d like to think the parents of the children at these schools would feel enormous shame, but I know better. This is learned behavior. If you raise a conscienceless child you must not have one yourself. Why does it take the death of a child, two children (actually five this year from what I’ve read) to get people to take notice? Why is it always in this country, that we don’t address problems until something horrific happens because of it? These poor kids, at 11 years old don’t even know what it IS to be gay. They are just who they are… how God made them. And to be bullied and harassed for who you are, and encouraged to kill yourself for it… by other 11 year olds… and have adults whose care the children are supposed to be under not do anything about it? That’s messed up. I sure hope those poor little boys are in a better place, away from the evil, horrible children that drove them to their deaths.
