Seth Walsh
Seth Walsh, a California teen who spent 9 days on life support after attempting suicide over relentless bullying because he was gay, died Sept 28. He was 13 years old.
Now, Seth’s mother, Wendy Walsh, has teamed up with the ACLU to help make a difference in the lives of LGBT youth facing harassment, and is speaking out publicly to tell her son’s story.
“Schools need to take harassment and bullying seriously when parents or students tell them about it, and when they see it in the halls,” she told the ACLU.
In this emotional video produced by the ACLU, Wendy Walsh tells the story of the day Seth died, and reads from his suicide letter:
Seth’s story is not uncommon — he endured years of relentless bullying and verbal abuse at his Tehachapi, Calif. school. On Sept. 19, Seth Walsh hanged himself from a plum tree in the family’s backyard after being bullied, threatened and assaulted by at least three teenage boys in Tehachapi’s West Park earlier that afternoon.
Seth’s mother and close friends report that teachers and school administrators were aware that Seth was being harassed and, in some instances, participated in the harassment. One teacher allegedly called Seth “fruity” in front of an entire class, and students regularly called him “fag” and “queer.”
Seth was one of more than 10 teens who committed suicide between September and November of this year, all allegedly a result of harassment or bullying because of their sexual orientation, or perceived sexual orientation.
In September, GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, revealed that its 2009 survey of 7,261 middle and high school students found that at school nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students experienced harassment at school, and nearly two-thirds felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation.
By speaking out, Wendy Walsh is on a mission to change these statistics.
On Thursday, the ACLU sent a letter to Tehachapi Unified School District officials urging them to take immediate and affirmative steps to make their schools safe for LGBT youth to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
The U.S. Department of Education is also investigating the district, and federal legislation — the Student Non-Discrimination Act — is expected to come up early next year in Congress and would extend additional protections for LGBT students nationwide.
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Filed under: California
I hope every child at that school who bullied Seth, didn't have the guts to stand up for, or just sat their and watched as this poor boy was tormented feels the pain they have caused him and his family. I, with out a second thought would have stood up for this boy in a heart beat. No one deserves what was given to him. I send my love to him and his family.
my prayers go out to the family of Seth. No one should be put down due to their race , sexuality , beliefs ,or anything. We have been brought up in this world to make a change , to be who we are . &no one should take away the pride one has, no one should feel ashamed because of who they are ,its not the way the things should be. i love what the familys doing . i support you guys . rest in peace
i'm only 14 but its sad that someone close to my age would have to go through this, i have a gay friend but he refuses to tell people because he knows the out come will be teasing, he gets teased know for it just because the way he seems. the other students dont even know the truth about him and they still tease him for being gay….the call him fag and queer behind his back but to my face and they think i'll let it slide, but they hear more outta me then they ever would him. he to has thought about suicide, me and his other close friends have talked him out of it, we have to tell him a lot how much we love him and need him in our lives….its not fair.
there has to be a way to make this stop!!! i am a mother of 4 beautiful children (who are stright) but if i ever caught my children ever harming anyone for any reason i wouldnt stand for it! there has to be a way to educate our youth today that it doesnt matter what our sexual preference is what really matters is the person! as a mother i can only educate my kids and their friends but i promis i have been doing that for their whole life! why aren't other parents doing the same? my heart breaks for the heart ach the LGBT community goes threw i will keep spreading the word i hope everyone else will join me. rest in peace Seth we will take it from here
Certainly you know it isn't about being gay, or white, black, hispanic, fat, small breasted, flat butted or anything else. Children begin to redicule out of the sense of inadequacies…they must be taught from an early age that bullying is not acceptable. You can not regulate this or outlaw it. It's part of the fiber of our society; most of which was lost in the breaking down of moral integrity. Restore our moral integrity and all things fall into place. The ACLU/Union is a host to hostilities, nothing more. Look to the truth. The majority of human nature is good and decent.
God Bless Seth. He is in a awesome place right now. I know he is.