One third of teenagers who commit suicide are gay. More recently, the suicide of a Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi, was due to homosexual bullying. Bullying can include verbal or physical assaults and can get so severe that these teens find there is no way out of it but killing themselves. It is scientifically proven that homosexual teens experience more victimization than their heterosexual peers. Teens can start to bully others for many reasons. Some teens may feel insecure themselves so they look to bully others to feel better. Other teens may act on ignorance or fear and take it out on their homosexual peers because they do not understand why they are the way they are.
We all live in a judgmental society. As the future leaders, teens need to take action against this type of bullying. They should become more educated on the consequences of excessive bullying. Support from family and friends can go a long way. Together teens can fight against these bullies by creating organizations and support groups. Though there are groups like this out there today, it is still not enough because there are teens like Tyler Clementi committing suicide. If teens can help put an end to this violent movement then the lives of many will be spared, but in reality this is easier said than done. More kids are willing to stay silent when they see homosexual teens get bullied. By doing nothing, they are enforcing the situation. It is important that teens stand up for their peers, no matter what sexuality they may be.
-Kimberley Gonzaga
I agree with the fact that bullying and assaults do cause teen suicide. It may have to do with the fact that the gay community is looked down upon. Causing them to lack self confidence. The gay community in general is attacked upon for being different, not the norm. As a perfect example, Tyler Clementi , he took his life due to embarrassment and his lack of understanding in who he was. The society we live in is judgmental and do not wish to accept any differences. We all have to follow the mainstream and anyone that doesn’t is a outcast. People should speak up for themselves and be proud of who they are. We should not be afraid of being different in any shape or size. Especially sexuality, we all are people and we disserve to be accepted and shown equal rights. No one is completely alike we all have different styles and all look different, accepting our differences will be the first step to ending teen suicide.
ReplyDelete-Carlos Garcia
People can be very ignorant sometimes. They tend to judge other people before getting to know them for the person they are. Homosexual teens get bullied everyday for their sexual orientation. There is no definite reason of why teens bully other teens on whether they are gay or straight. It should not matter. Most people believe that the reason is that they are narrow-minded and self-conscious, or those people may be homosexual themselves so they are trying to hide it from others. These teens are at a high risk of suicide because they are made fun of everyday and they do not know how to act differently so people will stop picking on them. The problem is that they should not be trying to act differently, they should just be themselves. People need to learn to accept and appreciate other people’s differences. They need to understand that the reason why everyone is different is because every person has something different to offer.
ReplyDelete-Malik Frique
I agree with the statement that homosexual teens tend to commit suicide more often that those who are heterosexual because they are likely to be bullied because they are not like everyone else. When a certain individual is insecure about themselves they tend to bully others. When they turn to bullying, they usually bully someone who is different from them, whether it be size, sexual orientation, or even race. Those kids who remain silent when they see bullying, can be hurting the person bullied even more that the actual bully because they are not putting an end to it. By not helping that person out, the person being bullied will continue getting bullied and commit suicide. I agree, that we as the next generation of adults should take a stand on all types of bullying. Bullying can begin causing major psychological problems in certain individuals such as depression, which can eventually lead to suicidal thoughts, then suicide.
ReplyDelete-George Hishmeh