A Letter to my Local Paper

The preventable suicides of young people over their sexual orientation is tragic. No student should be bullied because s/he is gay or because s/he is perceived as being gay. School should be a place for learning, not a battle ground. Bullying due to sexual orientation or for any other reason must not be tolerated. I was bullied mercilessly when I was in school and it still affects me to this day. I was not homosexual, but this makes no difference. I feel for these students who day in and day out fear for their safety simply because of their sexual orientation (or perceived sexual orientation.) All students need to be educated that gay people are simply people, and all schools need to have and enforce a zero tolerance policy for bullying.