Rafael Morelos

Rafael Morelos, 14

Meet Rafael Morelos, aged 14.  Rafael hanged himself Jan. 29, 2012 after being constantly bullied because he was gay.

From the story:

Family and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil on Friday evening to remember 14-year-old Rafael Morelos, who hanged himself on Sunday, Jan. 29. Rafael was openly gay, and friends said he was bullied because of it.

Rafael’s mother, Malinda Morelos, said said she did not know that her son was bullied until students at another vigil earlier in the week told her.
“Almost all the kids here told me he was being bullied,” Morelos told the Wenatchee World.

Morelos said she had known for several years that her son was gay, but that he kept his feelings to himself — she said she she had no idea what he was going through.

“He told me he got shoved and punched in the face in PE in the locker room at Cashmere,” said Lexii Mullin of Wenatchee, a friend of Rafael Morelos.

“He was tired of people saying that his little brothers would follow in his footsteps and be gay too,” said Maranda Blankenship of Wenatchee.

 Classmates “would bully him and cuss him out, and just hated on him all the time,” another friend, Jessica Fisk, told KCPQ-TV. “They would follow him and try to beat him up and try to hurt him.”

...

Sources:
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/02/family-friends-hold-vigil-for-bullied-gay-teen-who-committed-suicide/
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/02/family-friends-hold-vigil-for-bullied-gay-teen-who-committed-suicide/

Phillip Parker

Phillip Parker, 14

Meet Phillip Parker.  Phillip was 14 when he committed suicide Jan 20th, 2012 due to constant bullying based on his sexual orientation.

From the story:

...

In Tennessee, where lawmakers are once again considering the “don’t say gay” bill aimed at schools, a 14-year-old Gordonsville student killed himself Friday.

Family and friends gathered to remember Phillip Parker Saturday, sharing their stories while holding hands and comforting each other.

“That’s my son,” the boy’s father, Phillip Parker, told local news station WSMV. “I love him. I miss him. He shouldn’t have had to kill himself to be brought to life.”

The parents say their son hadn’t told them about the constancy of the bullying he faced at school for being gay. But his friends told local media they witnessed repeated harassment. According to News Channel 5 reports, the note his parents found beside his body said, “Please help me mom.”
...

Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/phillip-parker-gay-tennessee-teen-suicide_n_1223688.html
http://news.advocate.com/post/16361234246/tennessee-teen-is-states-second-suicide-in-two-months

http://www.queerty.com/tennessee-14-year-old-commits-suicide-after-constant-bullying-20120123uicide-in-two-months

Jeffrey Fehr

Jeffrey Fehr, 18

Meet Jeffrey Fehr, 18.  Jeffrey hung himself on New Years day, 2012, on the front entrance to his family's home. 

From the story:

...

In the early hours of New Year's Day, Jeffrey hanged himself in the front entrance to his family's home in a tony Granite Bay neighborhood. He was 18 years old.

Since that day, his parents have searched their hearts and minds for answers. Though Jeffrey, who was gay, had recently ended a relationship and had been treated for depression, they believe something more insidious put him on the path toward suicide. They are convinced that a lifetime of taunts and bullying contributed to his decision to take his own life.

"We will second-guess ourselves forever," his father said. "But we do know that for years and years, people knocked him down for being different. It damaged him. It wore on him. He could never fully believe how wonderful he was, and how many people loved him."
 ...
 As early as the third grade, Jeffrey was the target of taunts, family members said. He had few friends and felt comfortable only when he was at home or on vacation with people he trusted.

"He would come home from school and cry," said Tyler, 21. "He would say he felt alone, that he wasn't accepted for the things he liked."
It was in the sixth grade that people first started calling him "fag," the Fehrs said.

"It broke my heart that he was abused that way," his mother said. They talked about how they could fix things.

Jeffrey's parents sent him to counseling, tried to build his confidence and encouraged him to pursue his interests, including art, theater and dance. Later, they got him treatment for depression.

His parents hoped high school would be a more welcoming place for Jeffrey. But his first two years were "pure hell," they said.

"He would literally hang his head when I dropped him off," his father recalled. "It was just awful for him."
...

Sources:
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/15/4188596/granite-bay-teen-who-committed.html
http://www.queerty.com/nearly-1000-gather-to-mourn-ca-teen-who-committed-suicide-after-years-of-taunts-20120117
 http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/01/17/Teen_Killed_Himself_on_New_Years_Day

EricJames Borges

EricJames Borges, 19

Meet EricJames Borges, 19, of California.  Eric committed suicide Jan 12th, 2012 after a traumatic coming out experience.  He had made an "It Gets Better Video" and was a volunteer with the Trevor Project.

From the story:

...
Friends say EricJames Borges, 19, killed himself Wednesday after having endured a traumatic coming-out experience.

Borges had worked for the Trevor Project, which described him as “a dedicated, trained volunteer” in its mission of preventing suicide among LGBT youth. And he’d taped an It Gets Better video that tells the story of how he “was raised in an extremist Christian household” and was kicked out of his parents’ home.

“My mother knew I was gay and performed an exorcism on me in an attempt to cure me,” he said in his video. His family told him he was “disgusting” and “damned to hell.”
...

Here is his It Gets Better Video:




From SDGLN :

Bullied gay teen's suicide note: Insight on EricJames Borges' tragic death at age 19

“To my friends you gave me life and love, never think this was your fault ... To Lady Gaga, you have been a fearless relentless proud LGBT advocate ...” - Excerpt from a suicide note by EricJames Borges

Unlike during his life, 19-year-old EricJames Borges was in control at the end; he uploaded the music and chose the people; he designed his own funeral service and it was poignant. This past Saturday, Borges was celebrated at one of three memorials held in Visalia, and the one I attended was held by the small California Central Valley town’s grieving LGBT community, those describing themselves as his new family.

His religious-extremist parents had been invited but did not attend.

Mere months before, EricJames came out, recorded an “It Gets Better” video, made a short film and gave anti-bullying suicide prevention workshops to other teens; yet he could not sustain his own pain and committed suicide just two weeks ago.

Sources:
http://sdgln.com/news/2012/01/26/bullied-gay-teen-suicide-note-insight-ericjames-borges-death-19#.TylFcPtnoVc.facebook
http://news.advocate.com/post/15753265844/ericjames-borges-19-leaves-behind-message-of-love
http://instinctmagazine.com/blogs/blog/trevor-project-intern-takes-his-own-life?directory=100011
http://www.queerty.com/ca-teen-filmmaker-commits-suicide-after-making-it-gets-better-video-20120112

Jacob Rogers

Jacob Rogers, 18

Meet Jacob Rogers.  Jacob of Ashland City, Tennessee, committed suicide on Dec 7th, 2011 due to constant bullying related to his sexual orientation. 

From the story:

...
Friends say that kids bullied Jacob Rogers at Cheatham County Central High School for the past four years, but in the past few months it had become so bad he dropped out of school.

And Wednesday, he ended his life.

"He started coming home his senior year saying 'I don't want to go back. Everyone is so mean. They call me a f****, they call me gay, a queer,'" friend Kaelynn Mooningham said.

Kaelynn said her friend Jacob felt ignored.

"Jacob told me no one was helping him. He constantly was going to guidance," she said.
...
Kaelynn says Jacob lived with his grandmother who primarily took care of him.

She found a couple notes that Jacob left for her. In those notes Jacob left passwords to his email and his phone so investigators could determine why he chose to kill himself.
...

Sources:
http://www.wsmv.com/story/16213348/friends-say-classmate-killed-self-after-bullying
http://www.queerty.com/before-killing-himself-jacob-rogers-left-passwords-so-everyone-could-read-the-anti-gay-bullying-he-faced-20111208
www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/12/08/Internet_Local_Communities_Remember_Bullying_Victim_Jacob_Rogers

TPoH Update

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog.  My apologies.  I guess I keep hoping that I won't need to. 

I have been dragging my proverbial feet for a bit - it's pretty depressing making entries here, and I have a few to add.  

I have to get in the right frame of mind.

Of course, if I actually wait for that, then I'll never make another entry :(

So, I will add some of the entries I have been putting off, and updating some existing ones with new information. 

One 'update' that really kind of hits me hard is for Dominic Crouch.  His father, Roger Crouch, apparently never came to terms with his son's suicide and committed suicide himself.

I really hope for a day when this shit finally stops, but I suspect we have a long way to go still.