The Appeal-Democrat Reports:
Ankar Singh endured taunts, slurs and physical threats from classmates for years before he came out of the closet.
And once he openly told people he was gay, the name-calling and bullying grew even worse.
Now president of the River Valley High School's Gay-Straight Alliance Club, the sophomore joined nine of his peers Thursday to call for an end to bullying and to draw attention to 10 recent teen suicides that resulted from intolerance.
As daylight faded, the teens and their club adviser held flickering candles in their hands and shared a moment of silence.
The boys and men who committed suicide ranged from 11 to 18 years old, and they all took their lives after enduring relentless taunts or instances of extreme harassment.
But despite those tragic and unnecessary deaths, bullying continues, said freshman Amy Sadler, one of the club's straight allies.
"They keep doing it because they know they can hurt people," she said. "Bullying will always be here, but we can help people not feel threatened."
No comments:
Post a Comment