Another heartbreaking story of a gay suicide - R.I.P Jamie Hubley
ottawacitizen.com“Remember me as a Unicorn”
Listen
Without You by Jessie J. “I wanna see the good in this but it just goes with no sense”.
Jamie Hubley, you have no idea how many people you’ve effected. It’s terrifying that you felt this was the only way. If only someone would have helped. Enjoy heaven knowing you’ve touched so many lives. I didn’t know you, but I wish I could have saved.
Jamie Hubley you will forever be missed</3
catchmeblondy.tumblr.comI never knew him. I wish I did. I wish that if I had met him or stumbled across this blog I could have made a difference. Now it’s too late. I wish someone had the chance to talk to him. Someone had the chance to save him. Remember that you are unique to the world. Stay strong, babies♥ Don’t stop fighting. There are so many people that are willing to help you recover. I’m here for you.
The Importance of Spirit Day!
Today, October 20th, has been named “Spirit Day” in support of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and as a way to speak out against bullying. It is a day where students, teachers, community organizations, corporations and even celebrities wear purple to show solidarity towards this cause. The movement began organically when Brittany McMillan from Canada posted a blog entry last year in response to the then recent LGBT youth suicides and asked her followers to help start a day of support for these victims of bullying. A year later, this movement has gone global.
The media is finally giving this cause airtime. Celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Dan Savage and others, have spoken out against bullying. Yet, despite the recent attempt of awareness, the issue remains very real in most communities. Of course, change typically does not occur overnight, however, when it comes to saving the lives of innocent children, maybe it’s time we ramp up the action!
Jamey Rodemeyer from Buffalo, New York, was bullied while in middle school up to his freshman year in high school. The bullying that he endured was not only in person where he was called “fag” during school, but also online, where anonymous post appeared on his blog saying things such as “JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND UGLY. HE MUST DIE!” Nonetheless, Jamey was very brave trying to stay strong and even tried to show support for other teens dealing with bullying. He posted a YouTube message as part of the It Gets Better Project letting people know that you just need to love yourself and with time things will get better. But, things did not get better for Jamey. On September 18th, at the early age of 14, Jamey was no longer able to take the torment and took his own life by hanging himself on the family swing set. He was a big fan of Lady Gaga and was laid to rest wearing a shirt that read “Born This Way!”
And then, there is Jamie Hubley that today, on Spirit Day, was laid to rest in Ottawa, Canada. He had been bullied since the seventh grade when he preferred figure skating over hockey. Jaime was the only openly gay student at his high school. He did not feel supported, especially while trying to start a “Rainbow Club” at school. His posters were torn down and he was called vicious names in the school hallways and online. “People said ‘it gets better,’” Jaime wrote on his blog, but “[i]t’s fucking bullshit.” He also wrote on his blog, “[s]ometimes I wish the breeze would just take me with it.” And last Friday, Jamie stopped fighting back against the cruelty of bullying and took away his life. Jamie’s father, an Ottawa City Councilor, hopes that as a result of this tragedy others “will become more active in stopping this cruelty towards children.”
It makes you wonder how a person can be so cruel towards another human being simply because they are not like him or her. The issue of bullying is alive and kicking and it takes action from everyone to make our schools, our jobs, our communities and our country an accepting place. The two stories that I just shared with you took place in the last 32 days. Not a year ago, but in the past month. Take the time to teach your students, your nieces, your nephews, your sisters, your brothers, your sons and your daughters, that every single person merits dignity and respect regardless of his or her sexual orientation, religion, race, disability or any other factor that may make that person unique. Speak up when you hear another person spewing intolerance. We cannot allow this narrow-mindedness to continue to exist in our communities, because then we are just letting that ignorance enter the next generation and lead to more bullying.
If you feel that you know a child or a parent of a child that is facing bullying or at risk of suicide, please help them out! You or they can contact the Trevor Project at www.trevorproject.com or call them at 888-4-U-TREVOR.
Canadian Councillor Allan Hubley Releases Statement on Bullying-Related Suicide of His Son Jamie
Recently, when Jamie tried to start a Rainbow Club at his high school to promote acceptance of others, the posters were torn down and he was called vicious names in the hallways and online. We had meetings with officials at the school and were working with them to bring an end to it but Jamie felt it would never stop.
We will not say that the bullying was the only reason for James’s decision to take his own life but it was definitely a factor. As his family and friends or even if you never met him but want to help, we must do whatever we can to wipe out bullying for any reason in our society and especially in our schools. Young people are very vulnerable and have enough pressures in life to have to deal with aside from the stress of being bullied. My family’s wish is that no more families have to suffer the unbearable pain of losing a child. No child should have to deal with depression or feel hated because of their beliefs – that is not the Canadian way of treating others.
It’s not really the human way of treating others, either. This has to stop.
LGBTQ politics in Canada
My frustration of today lies with the media today in fact. The reason this comes to the boiling point that it makes it to my blog today is the fact that several articles have come out today & plenty of social media attention to the Conservatives making a video for youth suffering suicidal thoughts or temptations due to their sexual orientation.
They’ve been applauded for their staffers coordinating the Conservative MPs, seemingly off the cuff after caucus and/or between other meetings that MPs were having that day.They are being commended for their response to the suicide of Jamie Hubley & others in recent weeks. They are being commended for their making of this video this week
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/10/20/pol-mps-it-gets-better.html
The fact is: the Conservatives have declined to participate in such videos made by the NDP and the Liberals.
The Liberals made this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPXNg3L7gE4
And the Liberals were on the “it get’s better” campaign last year and LGBTQ campaigns before that for 2 decades now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdOslF4Qqtw
The NDP’s, now late, Jack Layton had this to say on the campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTs6FERWxw&feature=related
Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry (Vancouver-Centre) has been pushing this issue, issues for transgenders particularly, and issues for gay rights since 1993! She made that the sticking issue to Jean Chrétien of whether she would even run for him or not. The Liberals, throughout the 90s, incrementally pushed this forward until 2004 where it finally was passed that gay marriage was legal in Canada.
Up until 2005 there were rallies on the hill for former reform MPs and current Conservative MPs where they would stand up and rally 100s of people against gay rights in Canada. This is not ancient history. This is a mere 6 years ago!
They all say now that they agree with it entirely. Though, it is as if they turned their entire life’s learning on its head and now have reluctantly accepted the flow of history and modernity. It is truly sickening that many have done this for political reasons and not personal or public reasons of ethics or equality.
To see people who half a decade ago voted against same sex marriage (SSM) now stand up and say that they are here to help LGBTQ people is completely gut-wrenching. Your supporters consider them a ‘leftist’ group rather than a group of people. They voted against giving two people the right to marry.
The fact that we applaud the opponents of something for turning to the other side with fake conviction is repulsive. Just because it is “surprising” that they made such an effort, when in past they would decline to comment or decline to recognize violence against gays as being an issue of gay rights rather than just a crime of average assault, does NOT make it applause-worthy.
Where is the Harper “It gets better” video? It doesn’t exist. Should we expect as much? We always have. Why should we be proud of him when he follows the politically popular and modern thing to do? We shouldn’t. We should have expected it long ago.
Media - stop covering it like it’s news or something for our country to be proud of! Oooh, our governing party no longer thinks one of the many groups of people in society are second-rate anymore… Okay then, what’s next? Will they tackle poverty? Of course not….
No applause from me. No commendation. Conservatives… you’re far too late and too disingenuous for me to muster anything to offer you.
RIP JAMIE HUBLEY.
Jamie Hubley commited suicide Friday because of frequent gay slurs, and other things that were said to him. He was bullied to the point of actual suicide. Some sick fucking people went out of their way to make him feel unwelcome and as if he was a freak. Why do people continue to do this? WHY? it makes me so fucking mad to the point where i want to bring physical harm to the people who did this to him. Having been bullied in grade school because of my weight (yes, i was the chubby kid), i know what it feels like to be in this situation, where you feel as though you don’t belong. Jamie also was a victim of self harm, yet another issue i know greatly about. It’s not fun.
People we need to stop this nonsense. There’s no point in bullying anyone. If you have nothing nice to say to someone, than don’t say it at all.
Rest in peace Jamie. Wish i could have gotten to you before this happened.
here’s his tumblr link : http://catchmeblondy.tumblr.com/
