Tag Archives: suicide
Remember this Human Tiger? He DOES NOT Have Nine Lives.
Tattoos - Heavily modified, pierced and tattooed, some knew him as the oddity who went by the name of his Native American, Stalking Cat, while others knew him as the brother and friend that Dennis Avner was. After undergoing extensive cosmetic procedures to look like a tiger from the animal totems in Huron traditions, Dennis felt his spirit was called to the wild and made it is goal to modify his body in honor of the tiger. On November 5th 2012, Dennis Avner was confirmed dead at 54. His body is being held in Tonopah and his cause of death is speculated to be suicide. Dennis helped pave the way for many body modification enthusiasts and was said to be a kind and gentle man underneath all that prowness. May he rest in peace.
This man wanted to honor the tiger and made it his life mission, then he took his life. To me, this seems rather ironic and implies that maybe he wasn’t too fond of his decision to literally make himself look and act like a tiger. Or maybe he was trying to be someone else completely and he assumed the tiger persona would help him escape, but instead it just postponed his depression. Sad.
[VIDEO] Bully: The Heartbreaking Trailer
It is devastating that there are so many GREAT kids in this world that are bullied due to school politics and social stigma. My wish, is that one day, kids will realize that being rude, judgmental and not understanding is a horrible quality and should be done away with. Each person is this world is special to someone or various people, and they deserve a chance to be treated with dignity, respect, and open-mindedness. This trailer gives insight into how these children feel and what their peers are doing to them. It is incredibly heart-breaking, but necessary to watch.
(Also, if you feel like this should have a PG-13 rating as opposed to R, please go HERE and sign the petition! This video needs to reach those within the age demographic that bullying is an issue, NOT a more mature audience… Go sign the petition now! Don’t let the bullies win!)
This year, over 16 million American kids will be bullied, making it the most common form of violence young people in the U.S. experience. Directed by Sundance- and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, BULLY is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary—at its heart are those with the most at stake and whose stories each represent a different facet of this bullying crisis.
Following five kids and families over the course of a school year, the film confronts bullying’s most tragic outcomes, including the stories of two families who’ve lost children to suicide and a mother who waits to learn the fate of her 14 –year-old daughter, incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With rare access to the Sioux City Community School District, the film also gives an intimate glimpse into school busses, classrooms, cafeterias and even principles offices, offering insight into the often-cruel world of children, as teachers, administrators and parents struggle to find answers.
While the stories examine the dire consequences of bullying, they also give testimony to the courage and strength of the victims of bullying and seek to inspire real changes in the way we deal with bullying as parents, teachers, children, and in society as a whole. Through the power of these stories, BULLY aims to be a catalyst for change and to turn the tide on an epidemic of violence that has touched every community in the United States—and far beyond.
Related articles
- If you are upset about the Bully rating, watch This Film is Not Yet Rated (boingboing.net)
- Bullying Information Center | Education.com (education.com)
- This “Bully” Documentary Trailer Will Break Your Heart (buzzfeed.com)
- How to be Creative Within a Society Run by Bullies? (creativityland.ca)
- Watch The Heartbreaking And Hopeful Trailer For ‘Bully’ (EXCLUSIVE) (huffingtonpost.com)
- First Trailer for Bullying Documentary BULLY (collider.com)
Daniel Von Bargen’s 911 Call After Suicide Attempt
Daniel Von Bargen is laying in an Ohio hospital after attempting to commit suicide Monday morning in an attempt to avoid having more body parts amputated, due to his diabetes. Although he is coherent int he audio tape, he is still in critical condition and was most likely shocked during this phone call.
Bargen is well-known for such roles as Mr. Kruger in “Seinfeld” as well as Chief Grady in “Super Troopers“. Apparently he had already had one leg amputated and was going in for a procedure to have at least a few toes removed as well.
According to Montgomery Police sergeant Greg Vondenbenken, Von Bargen was ‘seriously injured’ and was taken to Bethesda North hospital, Cincinnati, where his condition is critical but improving.
He is well-respected in the entertainment community, and people are showing extreme support for the 61-year-old and his condition. Let’s hope for the best for someone that has provided us with entertainment for many years and a few different generations.
Related articles
Mother Of 3 Posted Suicide Note On FaceBook Before Shooting Herself, New Photos Posted Days Before She Died
Cynthia Lee, the 23-year-old mother from Michigan, took her life shortly after posting a suicide note on her FaceBook. She left three children behind because she said she couldn’t ”handle this s*** anymore” and that her pain was “too strong to handle any longer”.
Gruesome: In the pictures posted online by Cynthia Lee, she is seen in chains, next to a joker with the walls covered in blood
She states in her message ’Mom here I come’, because her mother had died in 2007 at the age of 35.
Investigators discovered the young mother dead from a shotgun wound inside her grandfather’s home after using his computer to post her suicide note online.
Although her page is no longer available to view, there were some excerpts taken, and posted below:
Related articles
- Why me? Girl jumps in front of bus clutching suicide note (bazaardaily.com)
- A Blog Post Suicide Note (miketrap.com)
- Ark. woman stabbed granddaughter, killed self (newsok.com)
- Bullied Girl Steps In Front Of Bus In Apparent Suicide [Bullying] (jezebel.com)
[VIDEO] Gay Rights: How Far Have We Come, How Far Will We Go?
Being gay is something that is difficult to come to terms with, especially for young children who are easily influenced by the people around them. As I was growing up, I remember thinking to myself in bed that I was a lesbian and trying to convince myself to let those words escape me: I am gay. The first time I was able to say that out loud, I cried and remembered thinking to myself ‘Okay, this is going to be okay…I’ll just deal with it in college.’ This become harder everyday by the way because I was a high school girl who wanted to go out and date and have fun.
(Sidenote: This is why many gay people are such big partiers so much later in life, in my opinion. All os us who were unable to have a normal high school experience, come out, discover many gay friends and act like we’re back in high school all over again but this time with friends, parties, and good times when we don’t have to pretend we’re something we’re not.)
The high school I went to was the high school my father and his brothers attended. The town I came from was small and everyone knew most everyone that resided there. I couldn’t possibly imagine telling the people I considered my friends that I was a lesbian; I had heard the things that they said that convinced me of how they would react. The term ‘gay’ has often been used to imply ‘stupid’ or ‘uncool’ and I even used that terminology. Many people who say this do not have a disdain for homosexuals, but it is formatted into our generations vocabulary, and that alone, intimidates gay youth to express themselves freely without the fear of being judged.
Another influence in my life was a guy at my school who dressed like a girl, or rather, more feminine from time to time. I, too, made jokes about this man and to this day am ashamed that I wanted so badly to fit in and hide beneath the persona that I created for myself, that I belittled someone for being different.
Gay youth all over the country are dealing with this everyday. Those that are unable to hide behind anything because of who they are naturally have it ten times harder. But this shouldn’t be the case. No one should have to hide who they are in the hopes of straying people away from bullying them. Friends are a huge part of growing up and developing character, and when we’re unable to be honest with them, we feel more alone than ever.
Yes, gay rights in this country have come tremendously far and I am so happy to be living in this day and age and witnessing such compassion, kindness and understanding. Unfortunately though, there are still many people who are suffering and feel they are trapped in either situation, and rightfully so. Bullying needs to come to an end and feminism in males and masculinity in females needs to stop being condemned. These kids are learning too young that who they are is wrong. The problem with that is they are perfectly fine, in fact, great and courageous people that deserve to live a life of happiness and experience. Don’t take that away from anyone; It’s not yours to take.
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Related articles
- Why Gay Parents May Be the Best Parents (alwaysquestionauthority.wordpress.com)
- An interview with Lesbian Life Guide Kathy Belge (lesbiandating.net)
- High school teacher faces unemployment over anti-gay Facebook comments (thegrio.com)
- Students Nationwide Address Anti-Gay Bullying as GLSEN’s Ally Week Kicks Off (prweb.com)
- New Study Proves Lesbians To Be Better Parents (practikel.com)
- The Gay Rights Movement (itsjustjustin.com)
Born As Twin Brothers: Now They’re Brother And Sister
Lately, there seems to be a lot of stories coming about that share a child’s journey to match their body with how they feel. Although, transgendered children seems shocking as is, this story is definitely intriguing.
Although born identical twin boys, Wyatt Maines had never felt the same as brother Jonas. While Jonas played with Spiderman and pirates, Wyatt preferred Barbie and tutus.
From a young age, Wyatt did not identify with the gender he was born into and with the help of incredibly supportive parents, Kelly and Wayne, began to live life as a girl. Wyatt became Nicole in the fourth grade and now takes hormones to stop male puberty.
Nicole, now aged 14, told the Boston Globe: ‘I have always known I was a girl. I think what I’m aiming for is to undergo surgery to get a physical female body that matches up to my image of myself.’
Sadly, like most children who act differently than how they are expected to be, The Maines family (ironically from Maine) have had their share of hardships. Nicole (Wyatt), and her family have had to deal with legal battles, discrimination and bullying.
Wyatt made it very obvious that he was not a boy and would act out in anger about people not listening to how he felt. Soon after, the twins’ mother, Mrs. Maines, began looking into transgendered issues with children. Not surprisingly, there was little information before she came across the Children’s Hospital Gender Management Services Clinic in Boston, opened in 2007 by endocrinologist Norman Spack and urologist David Diamond.
Mr Maines, a 53-year-old safety director at the University of Maine, told the Boston Globe: ‘I didn’t understand it all, but I saw the weight lift off Kelly’s shoulders and a smile in Nicole’s eyes.
‘That was it for me. There were tons of challenges for us after that, but I knew my daughter was going to be OK, medically.’
What an amazing father. There are far too many parents in this world that would prefer to portray the image of a perfect family and sacrifice the happiness that they shared with their children, then allow them to be happy being who they truly are. Mr. Maines is a hero in my mind because he allowed his daughter the opportunity to stop suffering sooner than later. Being transgendered is an interesting feeling of being in the wrong body, that I cannot relate to, but can imagine is horrifying. With this being said, the longer this goes on, the more damage that is done to the person, and Mr. and Mrs. Maines did not allow this to happen.
The GeMS Clinic is the first of its kind in the U.S to focus on children and teenagers with gender identity issues. They have a multifaceted team including specialists in gynecology, urology, social work and psychiatry.
Using hormone therapies, the clinic halts puberty in transgender children, blocking the development of characteristics like breasts or facial hair, which can make the final steps to the other gender more painful and expensive.
‘I believed in Nicole. She always knew who she was.’
In the fourth grade, Wyatt grew longer hair and started wearing more girly clothes and by fifth grade had her name legally changed to Nicole.
Mrs Maines, 50, who works in law enforcement, told the Boston Globe: I believed in Nicole. She always knew who she was.’
There were very few problems with classmates or their parents until one boy called Nicole a ‘faggot’ and objected to her using the female bathroom.
The boy’s grandfather complained to the school board backed by the Christian Civic League of Maine.
The superintendent of schools then decided Nicole should use a staff bathroom causing the Maines to bring a discrimination case against the school.
Jonas also ended up getting into fights to defend his sister. After several incidents of prejudice and bullying the Maines moved to a more diverse community in the state with more liberal schools.
The Maines family spoke out to help fight the deep stigma against transgender youth.
Suicide attempts are a high risk with transgendered youth and it is believed that 50% have attempted suicide at least once before their 20th birthday. This is outrageous! Just because we believe something, does not mean it is true. If someone feels like a girl or a woman, who are we to say that it is not possible. Many parents tell their children that you can grow up to be whatever you want. Well, Wyatt wanted to be a girl, believed he WAS a girl, and his parents let him do just that. Wyatt is now Nicole and happy. Having a happy child is not only better for that person and their families, but also for the rest of society who will have less emotionally unstable people trying to make it in this harsh world.
Jonas told the Globe: ‘I love having a sister. We have a very strong relationship.’
Nicole added: ‘I would say my brother got lucky with me. Because we grew up with only boy neighbours, I developed a liking to shoot-’em-up and military video games. I could have come out a lot girlier.’
Related articles
- Twin Brothers, Wyatt Nicole And Jonas, Are Now Brother And Sister After One Undergoes Transgender Transformation (bossip.com)
- A fascinating story about a transgendered twin (timesunion.com)
- Transgender rights bill headed for crucial votes in Mass. Legislature (boston.com)
- She Simply Knew (neatorama.com)
- Pair Of Twins With Different Fathers (practikel.com)
[VIDEO] Jonah Mowry: Was he really being bullied?
Jonah Mowry was 13 going on 14-years-old when he made the original video that shocked many. Over 3 million people have seen his video, originally posted on YouTube, and had felt sorry for the young man who seemed to have no friends, and severe depression. Here is that video:
After this video got recognition from virtually everywhere online, Mowry has made another video. Unfortunately, this one shows a very different side of Jonah that has made a lot of people question whether the original video was a fake. Here is that video:
The video is a repost because Jonah had deleted it off his own account, most likely due to the criticism he has received. But honestly, the boy is in eight-grade and I know when I was that young I pretended to be a lot of things to fit in, I was immature, and contradicting myself was not uncommon. You be the judge here, but either way, he has gone viral and can expect attention, good or bad.
Related articles
- Heartbreaking Anti-Bullying Videos – The Jonah Mowry ‘Whats Goin On’ Video is Heart-Wrenching (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
- WATCH: Bullied Gay Teen Jonah Mowry Is A Firework (queerty.com)
- Bullied Teen Jonah Mowry Is Doing Well And Happy!!!! (perezhilton.com)
- Stars reach out to bullied teen who shares fears in video (ctv.ca)
- Bullied Teen Shares Story of Pain and Perseverance in Online Video [Video] (gawker.com)
[VIDEO] Senator Gretchen Whitmer Responds to Pro-Bullying Legislation in Michigan
A bill has been passed in Michigan by the Senate’s Republicans that essentially legalizes bullying. The bill was passed in a vote of 26-11, receiving no democratic votes. Ultimately it gives teachers, fellow students, school employees, volunteers and parents, the right to decided that bullying was okay if there was a religious or moral reason.
This seems ridiculous because essentially being gay is “immoral” and “non-religious” in many persons opinions, and will therefore allow any gay kid to continue being bullied because of their immoral acts.
Sadly, the bill is names for a Michigan teen who was bullied so badly he felt inclined to commit suicide. The students name was Matt Epling, and Gretchen does a great job at pointing out that this teen wouldn’t have even been saved by the bill that is named after him.
The Michigan Messenger reports:
In a floor speech Minority Leader in the Senate Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) slammed the Republicans over the amended language.
“Here today you claim to be protecting kids and you’re actually putting them in more danger,” Whitmer said. “But bullying is not OK. We should be protecting public policy that protects kids — all kids, from bullies — all bullies. But instead you have set us back further by creating a blueprint for bullying.”
“Shockingly, Senate Bill 137 will do more harm than good. Senate Republicans left our students behind in favor of partisan politics and passed a bill that actually allows more bullying. Students and parents expect lawmakers to lead the charge against bullying, but instead Republicans made ideology more important than school safety,” said Emily Dievendorf, policy director of Equality Michigan. “Research clearly shows that only states with enumerated bills see a reduction in bullying. We need a bill that mentions the most affected populations and requires statewide reporting of bullying and harassment. SB 137 simply does nothing to reduce bullying in our schools.”
“To the families of the ten reported suicides that were directly linked to bullying and the countless others that have gone unreported, this bill adds insult to injury,” said Senator Glenn Anderson (D-Westland). “I have been working for years to pass legislation to provide a safe school environment for all of our students. This bill goes in the exact opposite direction and in fact provides a license to bully.”
The legislation passed 26 – 11. It now moves to the Republican-controlled House.
“I am ashamed that this could be Michigan’s bill on anti-bullying, when in fact it is a ‘bullying is OK in MI’ law,” said Kevin Epling, an East Lansing parent whose son committed suicide as a result of bullying. His comment was posted on his Facebook page.
In an interview he had more to say.
“For years the line has been ‘no protected classes,’ and the first thing they throw in — very secretly — was a very protected class, and limited them from repercussions of their own actions. This line has no purpose within this piece of legislation except to incite ‘religious bigotry’ within our schools. Schools are trying to build more tolerant students and future leaders, not automatons blindly following misguided adult leaders who seek a return to a 1950′s America,” Epling said. “This will only cause unrest in schools and give schools one more thing to deal with rather than trying to solve a problem. Also it is not a very well thought out ploy, as in some areas of the state the tables might be turned on the ‘anointed ones’ they seek to keep from being punished. This is just very wrong and the way it was done was wrong as well. It was bullying at its best.”
This is pathetic and a sad day in which we have not moved forward with anti-hate, but rather taken a huge step backwards. We are suppose to be teaching our children that everyone is to be loved and respected, not the other way around. This bill gives righteous young people the freedom to bully a classmate if they see their differences (gay, atheism, etc.) as a reason to insult and degrade another. Yet, if one righteous young person insults another rightwous young person, this bill will make that a crime. Wouldn’t you think that righteous individuals wouldn’t be inclined to bully anyway? Aren’t they expected to respect, love and not judge their peers for that is what God would want?
Truly heartbreaking.
Related articles
- As Michigan GOP Passes Bill Allowing Kids to Bully, Democratic Senator Gretchen Whitmer Rips Into Them: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
- Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Senator, Slams New Bullying Legislation (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
- In MI, It’s Okay To Bully LGBT Kids As Long As God Approves (queerty.com)
- Boo! Michigan Passes Bill Which ALLOWS Bullying!!! (perezhilton.com)
Father Gives 11-Year-Old Daughter Gun and Knife And Tells Her To Kill Herself
This man who is unfortunately a father, has been arrested for giving his 11-year-old daughter a gun and a knife and instructing her to kill herself. Alejandro Galavan III, 29, was “frustrated” with his daughter when he tempted her to commit suicide.
The man, from Wilmington, Houston, has had a history of abusing his little girl and finally got fed up to the point of providing her with weapons. The girl said her father had beat her, punched her often, and then handed over the gun, which she thought was loaded. Fortunately, the gun was not loaded, but the emotional scars this incident was have left will be tremendous.
On Friday Galavan was arrested and charged with injuring a child, and is scheduled to have his case heard on November 1.
He admitted to hitting his child and to handed her the weapons.
The daughter received medical attention after the alleged beating and is now residing with her mother, according to Child Protective Services.
Related articles
- Father Shoots Daughter, Kills Self In New Rochelle (huffingtonpost.com)
- Dad held his two children hostage (nydailynews.com)
- Losing Our Kids to Guns (socyberty.com)
Disabled Boy, 11, Kills Himself After Being Punched By Bully For His iPhone
This is one of the most sickening cases I’ve heard in quite some time. Bullying has become an epidemic that parents need to be aware of and do something about. If you’re not teaching your children to be nice to other kids and show them respect, despite their differences, you have failed miserably. And if you haven’t done so because you feel in some way that these people deserve what’s being done, then I believe your rights as a parent should be revoked. And in all honesty, I don’t believe you deserve the privilege of breathing the same air, as well, anyone.
Mitchell Wilson, 11, from Pickering in Ontario, Canada suffocated himself to death after being bullied and having his iPhone taken away from him by the bully months prior. The fact that this brave child was able to deal with the pain and suffering of having Muscular Dystrophy for years and then succumbed to bullying is absolutely ridiculous. Someone should have stepped in and helped this poor kid and, in my opinion, beat the shit out of the little fucker who treated Mitchell this way.
The young boy was attacked by another boy a year older because he had an iPhone, which he borrowed from his father, Craig Wilson, last November. His father had said that he was never the same after the attack.
‘Subsequent to the beating that he took, he just lost that spark you see in a kid’s eye,’ Mr Wilson told CTV Canada AM.
‘He had huge anxiety attacks about going outside and going for his walks and going to school by himself.’
Related articles
- Bullying – no matter what the circumstances – is not acceptable. R.I.P. Mitchell Wilson. (str8media.wordpress.com)
- Bullied boy told grandmother he’d kill himself if he had to go back to school (theprovince.com)
- Kids not safe from bullying, expert says (thestar.com)
- Interview: Who’s a bully? (cbc.ca)