What exactly does Obama have to do with this, I ask you? We’re talking about a boy who was methodically tortured mentally and emotionally during school to the point he chose to take his life to end it all.

To: customartist

I agree with you. It’s hard to read about this story because I’ve been there. I was impressionable on my older sisters because I had no brothers to look up to. I was kind a courteous to women because I was raised that that is how a man acts toward women but, apparently, the kids I went to junior high and high school thought differently. I was called “fag”, “queer” and “punk” until college and my self-esteem was really broken. I knew I wasn’t gay but the more that kind of bullying is done to you, you start questioning whether or not it’s true. My only regret is but one thing which I did a few months ago: not telling my parents right away so that they could have taken care of it. A good and close friend of mine told me that I should NEVER let someone get to me like that, ever. I hate that Billy took his life and really wished there would have been a way to intervene and stop this. Him and all the other kids, known and unknown, that are getting tortured by these demons that have the audacity to call themselves human beings.

And I’m sure it wasn’t that big of a secret. That explains the silence.

I feel sorry for this kid. But I sure know how he felt.

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp3qlx1D_bA&feature=player_embedded

It is as clear as a crystal ball that a community wide denial and cover up of a PERCEIVED gay 15 year old child being pushed to suicide by that very same community’s people is going on in full swing. You own this Greensburg! This mindset that it is Perfectly Okay to harass a child who is perceived as gay to the point of taking his own life, originates with, is perpetuated by, is endorsed by, and is denied by the Parents, and the Educational and Community Leaders of GREENSBURG, INDIANA, U.S.A.

If the School Board will not find a sufficient level of character within themselves to ACT on this, then let the chips fall where they may. Greensburg, IN will take on a new identity: “The United States Capitol City of Hate!!!”

The mother (condolences) even at THIS point cannot find it within herself to entertain the remote possibility that Billy might have been gay. Sadly part of the problem. The mother knew that he was harrassed. What did she do about it? Where is Social Services on this issue.

The Principal denies knowing of that which is common knowledge.

There has been ABSOLUTELY ZERO coverage in the Greensburg Daily Newspaper. Letters have been written to the editor. ‘non-coverage’

SO FOLKS…

*Let’s ask CNN to cover the horrible Child Death and Cover-Up of Billy Lucas*
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/tips/newstips.html

Though I do think the bullying of girls who “develop” early and other sexual harassment of girls, so often by other straight girls, is related to what we suffer in that it is gender role-related, and I hope at some point pro-LGBT people could be part of a coalition against that too.

And perhaps part of a broader coalition against bullying of any students from traditionally abused groups (including non-white students and those who aren’t Christian, or who aren’t the “right” kind of Christian).

Folks, “gay” is just one of many tactics, and one of may so-called “motivations” for bullying. Bullies pick on *anything* that give them something to work with — differences in gender appearance, masculinity / feminitity, size, shape, color, surnames. They will try anything and everything until they find something that sticks. And yes “gay” is probably #1 on that list.

All of which is to say that yes, this is certainly of concern to the gay community. But it’s also much, much bigger than that — and we have an opportunity here to lead in the *larger* context of bullying.

For me, a small gay boy, to Lisa in 6th grade who grew to be 5’10″ and grew size-C breasts well before her peers, and was tortured for it by both the girls and the boys, to Eric who was bullied — to death — in my middle school for being brown in a very white community… I remember.