GREG IN HOLLYWOOD

celebs! hugging! greg!

LATEST

GREG YOUR WAY

Take the feed! Subscribe

Get GIH news via Twitter

Follow Greg: Twitter Facebook

Greg on Flickr:

Ellen DeGeneres speaks out about Rutgers student and other gay teens who have killed themselves


http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2010/09/29/tyler-clementi_370x278.jpgThere has been so much horrible news this week about gay teens killing themselves because of the cruelty of their peers.

One of them was 18-year-old Tyler Clementi (pictured, left) a freshman at Rutgers University who jumped off of the George Washington Bridge after his roommate, Dharun Ravi, broadcast video of Clementi having a sex encounter on the internet.

Ellen DeGeneres is speaking out about this and other recent tragedies and God bless her for doing so at this time. It means a lot.

“I am devastated over the death of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi,” Ellen says in the video above. “He was outed as being gay on the Internet and he killed himself. … One life lost in this senseless way is tragic.”

Noting the three other deaths that have been reported with gay teens this month, Ellen added, “Something must be done. … This needs to be a wake up call to everyone that teenage bullying and teasing is an epidemic in this country, and the death rate is climbing. We have an obligation to change this.”

Actor Brett Claywell, who played Kyle Lewis on ABC’s One Life to Live until his gay storyline was dropped, was also shook by the news and wrote on Facebook: “Sad and unnecessary. I wish I knew answers, but for now, all I know is prayers. With every breath, be kind to one another.”

Brett included this LINK to a pretty good CNN story detailing the horrible Rutgers tragedy.

FILE UNDER: Uncategorized

Comments

(All comments are reviewed before being published, and I review submissions several times per day.)

6 Remarks

  1. Tyler, I’m so sorry you felt you had to do what you did. I’m crushed that you didn’t have someone to talk with. You are missed and you are loved more that you every knew.

    Our hearts are heavy and filled with sadness. You will always be in our hearts.

  2. I’m so sad and angry I don’t even know what to say. I pray that you are in a better place Tyler.

  3. Oh how sad
    poor thing he had to this :(

  4. Everytime a young gay dude is harmed, it is upsetting. Tyler was harmed in a terrible way, he was made to feel ashamed of who he was. I am so sad that he ended his life because of cruel, frehsman prank. Hate crime? Dont think so. Hateful crime? You Bet. Them two kids should do hard time.

    Never forget Matthew Shapard–his death was a hate crime.

  5. I think the saddest part of all is that there are so many people who feel nothing when they hear this news and other stories like Tyler’s.
    You do not have to condon homosexuality to understand that this was a fellow human being that for whatever reason was in such pain that he took his own life. And to ad to that children as young as 13 also killing themselves.
    No matter what belief’s one holds it is tragic that these people have died because of the cruelty of others. It is a time to look inside ourselves to see what we have done to promote this behavior or what we have done to prevent it. Which can you find within?

  6. It is so heartbreaking and frustrating to hear about all this! It’s horrible to hear about these suicides… They could have easily been avoided had the people in their school had more compassion and understanding for their feelings. I don’t understand why others have to bully someone for liking the same gender as their own. Why should it make a difference? We are all human. We all have feelings. We all fall in love the same. Gender shouldn’t matter and be this big an issue! It is like bullying someone because they like cookies. What is the point in that? I understand that everyone has their own opinion on whether gays and lesbians should or should not be how they are, but to ruin and even end someone’s life just because of one’s opinion…that’s terrible. My heart goes out to the families of those who took their lives because they felt like they weren’t normal for liking someone of their own gender. People just cannot see things clearly yet, and like Ellen said, “things will change.” If anyone is reading this, please don’t give up. I am a straight person and I believe whole-heartedly that things can and will change. Hang in there everyone. Know that you ARE loved and don’t give up.

Leave a Reply