It never got better for Tyler Clementi.
After a private moment with another man was allegedly broadcast on the Internet by Clementi’s roommate, the Rutgers University freshman — an accomplished violinist who was described by those who knew him as sweet and shy — jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge. He was 18.
This tragedy, though shocking, is not wholly unusual. In fact, Clementi’s death was just one of a string of recent suicides among teenagers who were taunted and harassed because they were, or were thought to be, gay. Since the summer, there have been several highly publicized incidents: Asher Brown, 13, of Texas, shot himself; Justin Aaberg, 15, of Minnesota, hanged himself, as did Cody Barker, 17, of Wisconsin, Raymond Chase, 19, of New York, Billy Lucas, 15, of Indiana, and Seth Walsh, 13, of California. For them, it never got better.
And for two teenagers in New York this weekend, it got worse.
In a vicious act of hate, police said nine young men, a gang of 16- to 23-year-olds that call themselves the Latin King Goonies, tortured two teenage boys and a 30-year-old man for hours. The Goonies allegedly lured the three into a Bronx apartment, beat them, burned them, tied them up and sodomized them with a plunger and a baseball bat — all because they believed the three to be gay, police said.
While none of these atrocities happened in this state or at this university, they very well could have. Clementi, a quiet freshman just getting acclimated to Rutgers’ campus, cut his life short before his first Thanksgiving break. Barker, a 19-year-old openly gay sophomore who was studying culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, committed suicide in his dorm room. And students at this university — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and straight alike — have said they see homophobia rear its ugly head all over: in classrooms, dorm lounges, among friends, on Facebook and in student organizations. Students that do not conform to the norm have reported being harassed and taunted. Even those who may fit in have expressed confusion and unease over acts of intolerance and bullying they see their peers committing.
Discrimination, torment and abuse — both emotional and physical — have become unfortunate realities of some students’ daily lives. These acts of intolerance will not remedy themselves. They will not simply get better.
Students, administrators, faculty and staff must work to ensure that all members of this university community feel safe and accepted. Provost and acting university President Nariman Farvardin sent out an e-mail last week asking everyone to respect one another’s differences. Although the note was a much appreciated nod to the recent wave of suicides and reprehensible acts of intolerance that have occurred throughout the country, it is not enough.
At this university, the existing culture must be challenged in order to be changed. All students should make a concerted effort to be mindful of others and how their actions may affect their peers. Students witnessing bullying — in person or online —should take action. Professors should consider including subjects that address issues of sexuality and gender identity, akin to how many professors consider questions of race and ethnicity when crafting their curricula. Initiatives such as the One Project, which includes a UNIV100 course that creates a safe space for freshmen among other projects, shows students that it’s OK to be and to talk about who they are. The university should strive to emulate this culture not only in other classrooms throughout the campus, but also beyond.
And although this university has a human relations code that prohibits acts of discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation or disability status, these protections do not often extend beyond the grounds. On the national level, existing federal laws protect students from discrimination based on race, nationality, color, sex, religion or disability status. There is no federal legislation that explicitly protects students from being subject to discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. The Student Non-Discrimination Act, a bill pending in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, would change this. In keeping in line with its commitment to diversity, this university, which employs a Washington lobbyist, should support the act.
It doesn’t always get better with time. It gets better when people stand up and decide to make it better. So when you hear your friend insult someone — speak up. And when you see a stranger physically harass anyone — stand up. Who knows? Your actions might just make it better.
