Death by Bullying-article from Teaching Tolerance

After hearing about an incident at one of my schools today, I found this email in my inbox. I felt that I needed to share it all with you. ~Paula

Death by Bullying



April 13, 2009 — Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover hanged himself last week, after enduring months of threats, harassment and anti-gay slurs. He would have turned 12 this Friday.

by Tim Lockette

Mom says Springfield boy, 11, who committed suicide was repeatedly bullied at school
Carl Walker-Hoover played football and basketball, and was active in the Boy Scouts. But none of that protected him from the bullying he faced when he started sixth grade at New Leadership Charter School.

Since early September, his mother says, Carl reported that other kids at school were harassing him. They told him he acted like a girl. They made fun of the way he dressed. They said he was gay, and they made it clear that gay people were not welcome in their midst. Carl did not identify as gay, but that just didn't seem to matter to his tormentors.

Last week Carl's mother found her son hanging by an extension cord, dead. Sirdeaner Walker says her son couldn't stand another day of bullying in school.

Why did this tragedy not make national headlines? Is it because anti-gay bullying is so common? (According to one report, 33 percent of children report being harassed because they are perceived by their peers to be gay.) Is it because we believe children should fend for themselves? (One third of teachers admit they have seen anti-gay bullying and have not intervened.) Is it because this kind of tragedy happens so often? (This is at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school-aged child linked to bullying this year.)

Friday would have been Carl Walker-Hoover's 12th birthday. April 17 is also the date of the 13th annual Day of Silence, a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). It is a day of action when concerned students, from middle school to college, take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying and harassment experienced by LGBT students and their allies. Teaching Tolerance is joining GLSEN in urging students across America participate in the Day of Silence in honor of Carl Walker-Hoover.

Professional Development Questions for Teachers

When was the last time you saw anti-gay harassment in your classroom? Did you intervene? If not, why not?

Does your school's policy on harassment include harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation? Does it include gender identity or gender presentation? What effect can policy — or the lack of it — have on the classroom experiences of students?

Does your school have a Gay-Straight Alliance or other support group for GLBT students and their allies?

If a student in your school experienced anti-gay harassment, who — if anyone — would that child approach for help? How would a student go about speaking to this person?

Who are the advocates, in your community, for acceptance for GLBT and gender non-conforming community members?

Resources

Day of SilenceOn Friday, hundreds of thousands of students will call attention to anti-gay harassment in schools. Join them.

The ABCs of Sexual OrientationA simple guide to the things teachers can do to create a welcoming environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students.

Four Steps Schools Can Take to End Bullying and HarassmentFour things school leaders can do to make sure they're doing their part to stop anti-gay bullying.

StraightlacedA new film highlights the ways homophobia and gender stereotyping lock us all into roles we don't really want to fill.