Tyler Clementi Lives On
Posted by RJ on Monday, September 19, 2011
This week on September 22nd we recall the passing of Tyler Clementi, the victim of bullying in its worst form. He was denied his privacy and pushed over the edge of reason by other Rutgers students who chose to take away his dignity and freedom to sexually interact with another man. Because he was brand new to college life and apparently out of the closet to some extent for the first time, the actions against him brought him to jump off the George Washington Bridge. This should never happen to anyone, and Tyler's actions brought the bullying and cyber-bullying issues into the national news spotlight. It also motivated writer, Dan Savage, to start a remarkably successful feature on You Tube called "It Gets Better." It is a compliation of hundreds and hundreds of encouraging messages from other gay people to those on the verge of coming out and those who face bullying on a daily basis. It also contains messages from very famous and recognizable heterosexual people who spread the same message. No matter how long you have been out of the closet, go to this You Tube site and start listening to the messages at random. You will need tissues! The news reports that because of this incident, NJ Governor Chris Christie has enacted the most no-nonsense and ero tolerance anti-bullying law in the nation. Ironically, as I write this, schools in NJ are not sure exactly how to implement the law because that part of the process has not reached them. Let's take a few moments to remember Tyler Clementi this week-- and each time we see or read that bullying is not tolerated in the NJ school system.
Stay Connected!
There's No Place Like Home