By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) SEPT 15 | In the wake of national news coverage regarding the suicide of 15 year old Billy Lucas in rural Greensburg, Indiana last week, as a result of bullying he was subjected to in his high school, the following statements were released by the heads of The Human Rights Campaign and Trevor's Project.
From HRC president Joe Solmonese:
"Our condolences go out to Billy Lucas’ family at this sad time. Billy's suicide was a tragedy and the bullying that preceded his death is inexcusable. A similar fate for other teens can be prevented. All students deserve to be treated with dignity and respect which is why HRC urges school districts and state legislatures everywhere to implement enumerated anti-bullying policies and laws that that protect all students."
Charles Robbins, Executive Director for the Trevor Project, released a statement regarding Billy's death which reads:
"We are saddened to once again hear of another young person who died of suicide as a result of school bullying. Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old at Greensburg High School stood out among the 630 students in the school because he was different. Other students perceived that Billy was gay and he was relentlessly tormented as a result.
While the school district does have anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies, the policies do not specifically protect youth from harassment due to real or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression. Only eleven states in the country offer fully inclusive anti-harassment and anti-bullying education policies, and Indiana is not among them.
Currently, there is no national standard to protect all of our children from bullying and harassment at school. Yet, we know that as many as 1 in 10 sexual minority youth have been physically assaulted at school, and that when youth are threatened or get into fights, or have property stolen at school, their risk of attempting suicide more than doubles. That is why The Trevor Project supports fully inclusive federal legislation, like the Safe Schools Improvement Act currently under consideration in the Senate, to offer the protections all of our children need from torment and ridicule at school, regardless of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
Only with an enforceable national standard that offers resources and support to educators and staff, no matter the size of a school district, will we be able to prevent future tragedies like Greensburg High School has experienced. The death of Billy Lucas is a tragedy, and one that might have been prevented if his school district had the support of a fully inclusive anti-harassment and anti-bullying law."
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2 comments:
"is a tragedy, and one that might have been prevented if his school district had the support of a fully inclusive anti-harassment and anti-bullying law"
Since when is it necessary to have federal support before doing the right thing? While the above statement is obviously not incorrect, the lack of concern by the district is hardly going to be any better after there is federal support. It is not a lack of money, but lack of will.
EVERYONE PLEASE email CNN to cover the horrible Child Death and Cover-Up of Billy Lucas.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/tips/newstips.html
This isn’t about BEING gay, but about being PERCEIVED as gay. The school Is Not investigating. The locals aren't holding anyone accountable. They are in denial about this child's death.
The Principal denies knowing of that which is common knowledge among students.
The mindset of the bullies, their resulting actions, AND the inactions and the denial by Principal Phil Chapple is the issue here. The Parents of the Bullies and the Educators are ultimately the ones responsible for this death. They did not condemn nor control the atmosphere of hate. This was not the first such incident within the Greensburg community.
Now the Coroner says the note Billy left doesn’t indicate that it was a suicide? Did he or didn’t he???
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 now being denied by the Parents, and the Educational and Community Leaders of GREENSBURG, INDIANA, U.S.A.
Greensburg, Indiana is “The United States Capitol City of Hate!!!”
Billy Lucas was “GREENSBURGED”!
\http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp3qlx1D_bA&feature=player_embedded
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-greensburg-student-suicide-091310,0,1101685.story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgsqssKwP4&feature=player_embedded
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