The suicides of five LGBTQ youth within the past three weeks—including Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who was secretly filmed in a sexual encouter with another man, and 13-year-old Seth Walsh, a middle school student in California who hanged himself—have struck a national chord. Published reports have raised the question of whether the suicide victims faced instances of bullying. Yesterday, the UVA community approached this concern at the local level.
A forum led by graduate student Rachel Farr met in the Newcomb Ballroom to discuss issues of bullying based on sexual orientation. The group decided to hold a vigil for the suicide victims, tentatively scheduled for October 20. Farr told NBC29, “We’re seeing these young people end their lives, which is a total tragedy. Any life lost is one too many.”
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