ROCHESTER, Minn. — An openly gay teen in Rochester, Minn., took his own life on Sunday, and according to the boy’s father, anti-gay bullying played a “a big part” in his son’s suicide.
Shortly before midnight on Sunday, Jay “Corey” Jones, a 17-year-old student at Century High School, jumped off a pedestrian bridge near his school in Rochester and died, reported the Rochester Post-Bulletin.
Last year, Corey told his father, Jay Strader, he was gay. Strader said he immediately noticed a positive change in Corey.
“I just saw a difference in him, I saw a smile, I saw a little more energy than actually being down and out and depressed-looking,” Strader said. “To me he felt a sign of relief, like, ‘Yeah I got over the hard part, right,’ you know.”
But coming out exposed Corey to other pressures, Strader told Minnesota Public Radio, primarily from bullies at school.
Strader said the teasing Corey encountered at school was a constant struggle for his son, and he was diagnosed with depression.
“He said all of his life they always picked on him,” Strader said. “He’d still try to keep his head up at school, but then he’d come home and be really sad about it.”
Corey was a member of Century High School’s gay-straight alliance, and the cover photo his Facebook page read, “Gay & Proud.”
The school’s Superintendent Michael Muñoz issued a statement acknowledging there have been issues related to bullying in the district, but did not directly address Cory’s situation.
Filed under: Minnesota
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lord…
so sad
OMG, heartbreaking.
:( <3
omg…… how tragic….
AWWWWWW SO SAD.
Heart sank. :( this has GOT to stop.
Poor kid…I would’ve loved you!
BULLYING Like the Kind ROMNEY thinks is a CHildish Prank…BOO on Haters and BOO on ROMNEY aka GayBasher
of all the teens killing there selfs & still no one is helping on the Bullying Factor thats the sad thing.. Just Sad Memories & my heart goes to his family
This is just horrible.
So sad.
OMFG!! I dont know what our nation is doing about these suicides..apparently not much…but they need to kick it up a notch!
Was Romney there to push him? OBAMA2012!
:’( My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family! Extremely heartbreaking!
May this ANgel Rest in paradise .. Such sadness ppl dnt understand that bullying and gay bashing will not make the world a better place nor st8 , it will make it more Hateful N there will still b homoseXuals , we don’t harm or mean harm why hurt us LET’S JUST LiVE HuMblE towards 1 another
Not again.
SAD SAD SAD SO VERY SAD
Why r people so damn ignorant. Being gay is not a choice. Stop being so f*ckin dumb n open ur mind. This is 2012 not 1878. If gays r required 2 pay taxes, pay bills n follow the same constitution as the rest of the world, then give us the same rites. We should be free 2 be wit whom we wanna be wit without the ridicule of the ignoranance of people who claim were sinners cause of our sexual preference.
I can’t wait till I see some positive news coming from LGBTQ.. The world needs change. I hope it happens soon.
It so sad to hear about kids who kill themselves over single mind people. This need to stop we are losing to many kids over this. And not only that but the family and friends who have tingle deal with that lost. Please stop it. It’s not worth losing anyone else.
It is past time to take action against this bigotry… These tragedies must end NOW!!! BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY! -Faggot X
Its because piece of shit people who fuckn make kids like myself feel worthless…. how many more kids gonna kill themselves ?? Gay youth?? Its Society &u people who say God is sending us to hell … & telling us how wrong being gay is. How dare you? Maybe u dont care our youth is taking there own life but I fuckn do!!!! So stop hating on us your the sick ones!! Get help!!
Damn.
WOW! When will this end. where is your so called god (most absent parent for this planet.) my heart goes out to his parents.
Its so sad these kids feel they have no other option then to end what could be amazing lives these kids could’ve been the ones to cure aids or cancer, and bc nobody wants to really stand up for all lqbtq ppl sadly these tradgedies will continue untill we stand united and make a serious difference….to the family my prayers are with you and I pray your loved one finds peace in the arms of the angels<3
How terribly sad. I look forward to the day when homophobia is viewed with as much distaste as racism is. The next generation will look back on this one and will be wondering why all this was even an issue.
How sad
As much wickedness that exists in the world, the bullies and idiots would rather harrass Gay people. Meanwhile children are being raped. No one is bullying pedophiles! Something is really wrong with the people of this planet. May this brother rest in peace and fid comfort, joy and happiness beyond.
Max Brown, well said!
The teens of today have more to contend with when coming out-especially from their peers and so call Bullys. If you are not effeminate or noticeably gay-why should you come out? To get Bullied, Cat calls, left standing alone-Believe me there are more like you who will not come out for the love of Money. I came out because, like Baynard Rustin who was GAY, and the Organizer for MLK March on Washington and planner for the entire non-violent Civil Rights Crusade, I was a Participant in the GAY RIGHTS Movement of the 1960s as well as the Civil Rights Movement: The Stonewall Uprising whose riots started the Gay Revolution. Suddenly, I realized that I was a part of a historical movement with a story that had to be told : (http:/amazon.com/1460948645) Still, I am not finished! Do I feel suicidal? My next book.
RIP :(
Here we go again :(
And this is an adorable picture too =( R.I.P Sweetheart
ah minnesota home of michelle the bigot and her closeted husband
So very, very sad! Absolutely Heartbreaking!
What is wrong with people today? This world is going to hell in a hand basket. Judgmental ignorance is alive and well.
Rest in peace little man.
He was just a baby.. so sad
Tragic!
Sending’ THOUGHTS and PRAYERS!!
not again… this is completely out of hand :/
Philip not all Minnesotans are like the Bachmanns. A blanket statement like that is wrong…..point the finger where it belongs. I agree that they are an embarrassment to our state as they are more vocal & prove their idiocy whenever they open their mouths. Judgemental people like them are the reason some of the children don’t want to go on living in a world that they view as cruel and abusive.
uh…. what i can’t believe that, (tears) why ppls hate us LGBTQ LOVE?? I am scared this world coming more happen. this look like coming WW3! I am going pray daily! RIP gay teen. make me cry right now. *walk away*
I wish I had known u id hv shown you you were loved R.I.P angel
my hometown :< and people still say this isn’t a problem
also we’re a pretty progressive state. bachmann is not a true representative in the meaning of the word.
While it is true not all bullies are today’s version of so-called conservatives, it is equally true that all bullies are of that particular ilk. They are cowards with weak minds, who deliberately work to hurt others just to make their own pathetic lives seem better.
In the end, all bullies will face God’s Judgment, including those who justify their cruelty claiming God’s Authority.
So sad again a senseless lose of a life because of hate taught to children… and in heartland America where everyone goes to church on Sunday……RIP with the Angels
such a DAMN shame!
I was tortured in school growing up, being pushed down flights of stairs after returning to school from a broken neck with very nasty F-Words being shouted at me, and much worse…more parents like mine need to stand UP! WE FOUGHT A SCHOOL DISTRICT AND WON a lawsuit, now that your reading just google my name with the word gay next to it…its actually kind of sad….I feel so bad for his family I cant imagine what my family would of done if I would have succeeded in suicide..I believe with knowledge comes power…Parents need to start standing up for their children more
WTF we r who we r i think its time to bully the fuckin bully,,,bully this bully that now another person dead cuz he was diffrent n happy ,,,im so close to putting a bat to every bullys head n yes then ill be the bullyz Queen bully bitch its time for a stand JuggelO TBitch out!
This is crazy got to stop…but im in my thritys its still hapoens to me.. Ppl are so heartleas
a shame that people have to get bullied because they choose to stand up and be themselves in this day and age, the schools needs to take more action against bulling and take it seriously, not having the victims take their own lives to escape it. it hurts to read something such as this.
Bullying is realy a traumatizing, no jokes.
Romney needs to stop minimizing his gay bashing hate crime of his youth, own up to the damage he did & pray for forgiveness!
So sad! When will it end?????
so sad
very sad…