I hope Focus on the Family wears this as a badge of honor, since they’re so hellbent on the idea that anti-bullying programs which include protecting gay kids from harassment somehow violate their precioussssssssss religious freedom:
Asher Brown’s worn-out tennis shoes still sit in the living room of his Cypress-area home while his student progress report — filled with straight A’s — rests on the coffee table.
The eighth-grader killed himself last week. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students at Hamilton Middle School in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District.
Brown, his family said, was “bullied to death” — picked on for his small size, his religion and because he did not wear designer clothes and shoes. Kids also accused him of being gay, some of them performing mock gay acts on him in his physical education class, his mother and stepfather said.
The 13-year-old’s parents said they had complained about the bullying to Hamilton Middle School officials during the past 18 months, but claimed their concerns fell on deaf ears.
[...]
Brown was found dead on the floor of his stepfather’s closet at the family’s home in the 11700 block of Cypresswood about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. He used his stepfather’s 9 mm Beretta, stored on one of the closet’s shelves, to kill himself. He left no note. David Truong found the teen’s body when he arrived home from work.
On the morning of his death, the teen told his stepfather he was gay, but Truong said he was fine with the disclosure. “We didn’t condemn,” he said.
Goddammit.
That poor boy … he had his whole life ahead of him, and now he’s dead because of his stupid classmates’ bullying.
Religious Right groups like Focus on the Family want to pretend that this sort of thing doesn’t exist, but they can only stick their heads in the sand for so long.
What exactly does this have to do with focus on the family?? I don’t understand why the author claims christians ignore bullying. The author almost implies christians killed him. Christians are making a stand against bullying.
I also doubt this is the entire story. Notice the mention of step dad? Where is the biological father? I believe there is more story to tell.
Oh, and it will probably a focus on the family counselor that helps the family cope with the loss.
Very poorly written article.
Excuse me, but groups like FOTF have their collective panties in a twist at the very thought of sexual orientation being mention in regards to bullying.
Take your Christianist nonsense elsewhere. The boy was one of our own. Let us mourn him without FOTF and the Christianists sticking their big noses in.
Very sad that ANOTHER child has been driven to suicide by others who have been taught hate by their parents and churches.
Focus on the Family is against anti-bullying legislation with regards to LGBT children, Steve, because they say it “promotes homosexuality”.
That’s what this has to do with them.
Also, lawl on the attempt to divert blame to the fact that the mother is remarried.
Steve,
Let’s not pretend that this is the elephant sitting in the middle of the living room…IT IS THE ELEPHANT SITTING IN THE LIVING ROOM, YOU a*s!
I think you are ignoring the facts here in the story…his is not the only death by suicide. This makes five that I have counted this month. And its only going to get worse until we put a stop to the bullying and the negative messages put out by Focus on the Family and other religious anti-gay groups. This is EXACTLY what they want…they can’t LEGALLY kill them but let’s hit them where they are vulnerable…IN THEIR SELF-ESTEEM!
And what gulls me even more…STEVE…is that people like you DEFEND this kind of behavior like it was common place…”OH,we CHRISTIANS would NEVER do that to gay young people.” you say. Why don’t you take the blinders off your eyes and realize that this is the reality and it DOES happen before you attack Wayne on how poorly this was written,okay?
As a Christian who spends much of my life working to undo the harm that so many other christians do to children’s hearts I totally understand and agree with this article. When I was a kid FOTF had segments in my local newscast. They would talkup common sense issues that families face. You can imagine my dismay when I found out about this side of FOTF. Here is a link to a story boxturtle bulletin has done on the issue Makyui is alluding to.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/09/02/25898
So called Christians and Mormons worked very hard to deny protections for GLBT students in the schoold district in our town. They eventually lossed lawsuits and an attempt to recall school board members who took action to protect students from harrassment. These right wing hate filled Christians sure give Jesus a bad name.
Shut up, Steve, until you learn to research a story before you shoot your mouth off.
Goddammit.
This literally makes me sick to my stomach. So sad for this boy and his family. I just have nothing more to say. Thanks for keeping the focus on how the vile hate of Focus and those of similar mind keeps this kind of nightmare alive and well.
[...] Bullied to Death: Another Gay Teen Suicide the Religious Right Will Ignore. Read more [...]
[...] up at the picture, Higgins. You too, Glenn Stanton. Then look at this one. Then read about this one. A thirteen year-old, a fourteen year-old and a fifteen year-old, all [...]
Steve? You’re an IDIOT! What’s with this s**t about the ‘biological father’? What’s with the idea that the family would actually turn to an anti-gay FOTF counselor for relief from their grief? FOTF didn’t beat Matthew Shepard to death but the atmosphere Focus creates, did. Focus might just as well take credit for another gay child killed as they push their stupid ‘bully the homos’ideas & rail against people like Kevin Jennings. Focus has blood on its hands, I wonder if they will ever acknowledge it?
I hope his parents sue the a*s off of that school; I’d like to be on the jury that awards the damages. Posters should me made of these kids and carried at all protests against ‘ex-gay’ and ‘christian’ right organizations with a caption that says “MURDERED BY THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT”. I hope Rachel Maddow does a segment of this story and the issue in general.
Through their annual “Day of Truth” campaign and TrueTolerance.org web site, Focus on the Family and Exodus actively and continuously obstruct antibullying programs in schools across the country. Instead of opposing violence, both organizations organize rabid self-righteous fools to bully *parents* when they complain about their kids being harassed — and then these Christian Right mobs (“Steve” included) act like offended victims when bullied parents and students sue.
This is NOT about mere “atmosphere” — Focus and Exodus actively condone antigay violence. Violence and harassment are the only tools that these organizations have to force people into their for-profit ex-gay brainwashing programs.
But, Michael, is there any way to let FOTF know that WE know what they are up to (besides writing a letter to Colorado Springs)?
Ok time for serious criminal investigation.
In each death the bullies need to be identified.
The parents, or primary caretakers of the bullies need to be deposed. Their checkbooks and credit cards accounts gone through looking for any connection(payment) to FOTF or other radical hate groups.
Their churches need to be monitored for their involvement and hate speech form the pulpit.
A bully’s parent contributing to FOTF is hard evidence of approval of the bullying.
More any one?
There has to be hard evidence to connect these murderers to the hate speech which informs them their bullying is acceptable.
Rick, I don’t think that would work. Chances are the bullies’ parents are not FOTF supporters. Bullies pick on any excuse they can find to humiliate a kid & calling a kid ‘gay’ (whether it’s true or not)is just one of the favorites, if fatso or four-eyes don’t apply. The parents of the bullies need to be sued but then so do the teachers & administrators who ‘see nothing’. As long as Focus calls it’s hatred ‘love for the sinner’ they will never accept responsibility for what they have done.
Devin, perhaps, but it takes only ONE connection to the hate group to open the flood gates of investigation and criminal prosecution, we can not move forward on “Probably not” assumptions.
For example I drive in New York City. I park directly in front of the place I am visiting 95% of the time. Because I expect to find it.
Friends who set out driving but first say , we probably wont find parking, do not find parking easily if at all.
We have to have the mind set that we will find concrete evidence connecting the hate speech to the violence and deaths of our children.
Rick, I wonder if the Southern Poverty Law Center would designate Focus as a ‘hate group’ based on their preference for bullying rather than have gay kids included in the anti-bullying laws?
[...] Asher Brown, 13, an eighth-grader killed himself last week. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students at Hamilton Middle School in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston Texas. Brown, his family said, was “bullied to death” — picked on for his small size, his religion and because he did not wear designer clothes and shoes. Kids also accused him of being gay, some of them performing mock gay acts on him in his physical education class, his mother and stepfather said. [...]
Steve-its FOTF and other “christian” taliban groups that encourage these incidents and get any legislative or school action to stop this blocked..that would help prevent this stuff-your head up your a*s or something?
[...] Truth Wins Out – Bullied to Death: Another Gay Teen Suicide the … [...]
[...] up at the picture, Higgins. You too, Glenn Stanton. Then look at this one. Then read about this one. A thirteen year-old, a fourteen year-old and a fifteen year-old, [...]
I truly hope these kids are haunted but the realization of the lives they destroyed with their pathetic bullying. I also hope they suffer for the rest of their lives with regret and shame of the death they caused.
In addition to LGBTQ youth, the neurodiverse (children with autism, ADHD or learning disabilities) are routinely bullied in k-12 classrooms.
The mother of a child with autism, who was bullied so severely he withdrew from school, has started a new effort.
http://endthebullying.wordpress.com/
End the Bullying uses its blog, a Facebook page, and Twitter to build a grassroots base of a grassroots base of people who are willing to provide support and insight for children who experience bullying and for their parents. Our hope is to provide resources via the Internet and, when needed, locally, for children and families who are experiencing bullying, especially when the authorities are not handling the situation as they should.
In news stories about bullying, especially when it has led to suicide, parents note that they repeatedly tried to contact school administrators or other authorities, only to be ignored. Many families whose stories do not make the news also attest to this cycle of nonresponsiveness. End the Bullying focuses on identifying people across the United States who can serve as contacts and facilitators for parents and children whose complaints are not being heard.
[...] Also last month, at least six gay youth committed suicide, by way of bridge jumping, hanging, and gunshot wound. (Finally – through suicide — the Religious Right can claim success for helping gay youth [...]
Hey all Ive noticed that a Bunch of people are wanting for this tragic situation to end with all young children and teens. My boyfriends sister has started up a cause to help raise money for asher brown?s family they are doing a suicide awareness walk and are taking donations and support from people like you to help make and change the number of children that commit suicide each year. we are fighting back and need your help to do so! please join her cause and stop the bullying and sucides that may follow!Help her Make a difference by spreading the word and makeing donations remember 1 person who tells ten friends makes ten more people aware that this is a major issue and that we do need to make something happen!
http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&eventID=1088&teamID=20081 this is the link to make donations to help raise money for asher browns family along with the prevention of teen sucide! without your imput we cannot spread the word that this is a problem and something needs to be done about it! please make a donation and give your support to this cause!
[...] ?Asher Brown, 13, an eighth-grader killed himself last week. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students at Hamilton Middle School in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston Texas. Brown, his family said, was “bullied to death” — picked on for his small size, his religion and because he did not wear designer clothes and shoes. Kids also accused him of being gay, some of them performing mock gay acts on him in his physical education class, his mother and stepfather said. [...]
Why can’t people leave the innocent ones alone?