Gay Teen Kills Self in Washington State

A 16-year-old high schooler reportedly killed himself this week in what appears to be another in a string of suicides by GLBT youth harassed and bullied by schoolmates.

Information is scant at this point, but several media stories reported that the victim was a 16-year-old male who attended Graham-Kapowsin High School in Graham, Wash., a suburb of Tacoma. The teen reportedly killed himself after being the subject of a text message that was described as "derogatory" in an Oct. 22 story at MyNorthwest.com. The text reportedly had been circulating among the students at the high school. The posting also said that the boy had been involved in a fight recently.

Graham-Kapowsin High School is part of the Bethel School District, according to news reports. The district says that it had received no word from the student or his parents about the bullying he reportedly faced.

An Oct. 21 report at the website for news channel KING said that the young man shot himself at home on Oct. 19.

An Oct. 22 Associated Press story said that the teen's friends identified bullying as a major factor in the teen's suicide.

Another teen with ties to Washington state, 17-year-old Terrel Williams, also reportedly killed himself. Queerty.com reported on Oct. 21 that Williams was beaten by five teens and subsequently hanged himself. The article said that his mother, Cheryl, discovered his body.

A number of facts in the case were erroneously reported, leading to confusion. Queerty speculated that the report of Williams' suicide might be a hoax. Initial reports claimed that Williams had attended a high school in Washington, but this was corrected by Williams' purported boyfriend, Daric Rawr, reported to be 16. Rawr contacted Queerty to insist that Williams' suicide was "not a hoax," and to correct several aspects of the story, saying that Williams' family did not live in Washington, but rather had a vacation home there. Rawr also said that he could not offer many more details on Williams' death because he wished to respect the Williams family's privacy.

Queerty posted what was allegedly part of Williams' suicide note. It read, "I'm sorry to my immediate loved ones, but I feel suicide is the only way out. I felt coming out, and being happy with Daric, was the best thing I could've ever done. But I didn't think it would lead to my death at an early age. Today, was the record worst day of my life, some kids at school stole some of my stuff that I got from people I really cared about, and that really pushed me over the top, next to being shoved into a wall, and my ribs being broken."

The account also included text that Cheryl had reportedly sent out using Twitter. That statement read, "My son meant the world, and high school bullies pushed him over the edge. I hope and pray, that no other child ever has to go through what he did. Bullying isn't worth it. Why can't people just be nice?"

Cheryl Williams also reportedly contacted TruthWinsOut.org to offer corrections to the story. "Dear Friends, and the people who are going to read this," read the message, "My name is Cheryl Williams, i am 45 years old with two children, Torres, and Terrel who recently committed suicide due to bullying.

"While away on vacation Terrel was assaulted, and rudely attacked by some other teenagers (Not mentioning names, until my family has decided to openly talk about the possible charges)," the message continued.

The message said that contrary to initial reports, Williams was not a student at Clover Park High School in Washington, but rather he had been home schooled. (Rawr told Queerty that Williams had not been a student at Clover Park, but that the attack Williams suffered had taken place in the vicinity of that school.)

Cheryl Williams also clarified that, "Terrel did NOT die in Washington State, whatsoever. Their are only two people in this living world, at this moment whom know where he died," going on to add, "Yes he hanged himself in his bedroom, but it wasn't the bedroom anywhere near the city of Lakewood. I as his mother can assure you that."

A third teen suicide also occurred this week. Openly gay Oakland University student Corey Jackson hanged himself Oct. 19 in a wooded area of the university campus, located in Michigan. The reason for his suicide was unclear, but authorities said there was no evidence that Jackson suffered anti-gay bullying.

The recent string of teen suicides has reawakened a national debate about safe schools and vulnerable GLBT youth, who are much more likely than heterosexual teens to commit suicide.