Raymond Chase (seen above), was a nineteen year old sophomore that attended Johnson and Wales college in Rhode Island.
On September 29, 2010, Raymond committed suicide by hanging himself in his dorm room. He was openly gay and while the cause of his suicide is not yet known, he is the fifth gay youth to commit suicide in the past four weeks.
September 9, 2010, Billy Lucas (seen-r), a high school student from Greensburg, Indiana, was taunted for being gay and as a result, Lucas hung himself in a barn at home where he kept his most beloved pet -- his horse.
A memorial page for Lucas was created on Face book as a way of giving people the chance to say goodbye, but the tragic death of this young man wasn't enough as people still left homophobic and hateful comments on the wall.
To all gay youth out there with suicidal tendencies, if you're reading this right now please STOP!
Know that you are loved and wanted and by hurting yourselves, you give the bad people all the power. Don't give them any more power than they need, because we don't need to make them stronger.
Shame on school officials and staff members, that allowed this to happen underneath their noses.
For those staff members with homophobic hearts, it may seem like water under the bridge and one less gay person to worry about, but what happens in the dark always comes to the light. Don't for a minute think that no one is watching your hateful actions because someone is watching you.
To those in need call: 866-488-7386. This number is the nation's leading organization for creating awareness about LGBT youth crisis and suicide prevention. They provide online support and maintain a 24 hour help line.
In remembrance of other LGBT youth who committed suicide these past weeks: Tyler Clementi of Rutgers University, teenagers Asher Brown and Seth Walsh.
RIP
2010 LA
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The 2008 presidential election ignited my passion to start a blog, and as a result 4 more blogs were birthed. Yes I'm opinionated and somewhat controversial, but always with the best intentions. Blogging is my way of forming conversation around relevant topics.
