FieryIce
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What in the world is going on?
Johnson and Wales student Raymond Chase, 19, took his own life this past Wednesday, according to The Advocate.
Chase, a sophomore reported as openly gay, apparently hanged himself in his dorm room. The circumstances surrounding his death are not yet known.
Many consider this -- the fifth suicide by a young gay person in the past few weeks -- as a national call to action. According to the Miami Herald, Campus Pride (which recently released a study on attitudes towards LGBT students on campus) issued a statement in reaction to the deaths:
...the recent pattern of LGBT youth suicides is cause for grave concern. Campus Pride demands national action be taken to address youth bullying, harassment and the need for safety and inclusion for LGBT youth at colleges and universities across the country. We must not let these tragic deaths go unnoticed. Together we must act decisively to curb anti-LGBT bias incidents, harassment and acts of violence.
Prior to Chase, a New Jersey student, Tyler Clementi, had jumped from a bridge after his roommate allegedly taped him having sex with a man.
Dharun Ravi of Plainsboro, New Jersey, and Molly W Wei of Princeton have been charged with invasion of privacy after they allegedly streamed the footage on the internet.
On September 23rd, 13-year-old Asher Brown, from Houston, Texas, shot himself in the head. His grieving parents said he had been persistently harassed by other students who thought he was gay.
Fifteen-year-old Billy Lucas, of Indiana, hanged himself on September 9th. Classmates said he had been bullied for years over his sexual orientation.
Another 13-year-old, Seth Walsh from Minnesota, died in hospital on Wednesday, eight days after attempting to hang himself from a tree. He is said to have endured taunts and abuse for being gay from other students.
I was particularly shocked by Clementi's case, what his roommates did was completely disgusting, horrifying and it should be considered a hate crime.
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YK
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Originally posted by FieryIce
I was particularly shocked by Clementi's case, what his roommates did was completely disgusting, horrifying and it should be considered a hate crime.
Indeed. Although I've heard that they *are* considering charging the offender(s) with a hate crime, which is certainly good news. Maybe it was just intended as a "college prank", but that's no excuse; actions have consequences, and this particular action led to someone's death. Just flat out sickening the way so-called "normal" people seem to feel some primal need to mock/abuse/humiliate anyone who's "different" for any reason. If being "normal" is about abusing those you deem "inferior", then I wholly embrace that I'm *not* normal! (I'm not gay, but I have Asperger's Syndrome, so I know how it feels to get that same level of hatred for my differences; I can certainly sympathize.) |
Kit
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FieryIce
Luigi
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Hate Crime: a criminal offense committed against a person or property that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age or religion.
It's an invasion of privacy, motivated by bias, thus, a hate crime.
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Kit
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Peardian
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 Originally posted by Kit
I don't see how it's motivated just because he's gay. The way I see it, he's gay and he was involved in a prank. I bet if a straight person was recorded instead of a homosexual, there would be nothing mentioned of it. Which is what I hate about LGBT. 
But that's the point. They wouldn't have done it if he wasn't gay. And sure, it wouldn't have been a big deal if it was a heterosexual encounter, but then again they wouldn't bully a guy for being straight. This was part of the bullying.
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Kit
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Peardian
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| Posted on 10-09-10 12:28:10 AM (last edited by Peardian at 10-08-10 09:29 PM) |
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Yes, it was a hidden camera prank. But the reason they did it is just as important as what they did. Yes, other people have been pranked in the same way before, but not as a way to humiliate the victim solely because of their sexuality. This wasn't "hurr durr look he's having sex", it was "hurr durr look he's gay".
Not all pranks are light-hearted and just for fun.
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YK
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Originally posted by Peardian
Not all pranks are light-hearted and just for fun.
Exactly. There is no way this "prank" could be construed as anything but entirely malicious. Gays are entirely aware of the unfair stigma attached to them, so many would just as soon hide it (at least until they feel they can trust people with that information); that there is a well-known hate group devoted entirely to attacking homosexuals for no readily apparent reason does not help matters. "Outing" someone -- exposing them to all this mindless hatred -- as a "joke" is just flat out cruel, and not the least bit funny.
And frankly, I think people who drive others to suicide are just as bad as, if not *worse than*, your standard murderers. Messing with someone's head (and often manipulating their own self-doubts, weaknesses, and secrets) in order to get them to do your dirty work *for* you... that takes an utterly depraved sort of person. And worse still, because *they* didn't perform the final act, the legal system often can't do a thing to them, and as a result they tend to remain free to pull the same garbage again and again.
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Kles
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You should also read this: http://kateharding.info/2010/10/06/on-good-kids-and-total-fucking-assholes/
Gonna have to side with the "hate crime" people here. He knew his roommate was gay, and he was disgusted by it. If he were just having sex with a woman, it's pretty clear he would have been far more cool with that, and almost certainly would not have broadcast a video of it over the internet. It totally falls under the definition of a hate crime that FieryIce posted. |
