OP-LED: VIRTUAL MURDER – HOMOPHOBIA, SOCIAL MEDIA & THE DEATH OF TYLER CLEMENTI

Those were the last words the world would hear from Tyler Clementi. The terrified and tormented man-child, who ended his short and promising life by leaping to his death from the GWB on Wednesday September 22^nd.

The very next week, Wednesday September 29^th, Inwood resident, Jim Swimm, was exploring the woods of Inwood Hill Park with a friend, when he noticed what appeared to be a body in the waters around the park.

At this point, no one Uptown or anywhere else for the matter, had made the connection. Judging by the Inwood twitter feed for that day, it seems that logarithmic was the first to connect the dots.

Another tweet from erinnyc, even had a picture of the body as it lay there on the docks waiting for the medical examiner.

The rest, as they say, is history. Tyler Clementi’s story and tragic suicide have led to some serious soul searching by many Americans, gay and non-gay alike. The facts are daunting: 9 out of 10 gay kids have reported being harassed and gay kids are 4 times more likely to commit suicide. The very next day after Tyler took his own life, another boy, Asher Brown who was only 13-years-old, killed himself because of the incessant bullying. The bullying and the taunting are just the by-products of a society that still is inherently homophobic. The bottom line is, do gay Americans have the rights that all Americans enjoy or do they not?

Author Sherry Wolf puts it best, “It’s not technology’s grip on youth. Or even the inhumanity of two insipid 18-year-olds playing a savage “prank.” The crime is that LGBT people continue to be held in an official state of civil inequality that foments a soulless social pathology toward sexual minorities in this country. Official policy carries over into social attitudes. So long as schools lack sex and sexuality education along with anti-bullying campaigns, the insane rates of LGBT youth suicide and harassment will continue.”

In his groundbreaking 1903 treatise The Souls of Black Folk, African-American giant W.E.B. DuBois predicted, “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line”. Setting out to show to the reader “the strange meaning of being black here in the dawning of the Twentieth Century.” It would seem, as we put the finishing touches on this decade, the problem of the Twenty-First Century is the gay question. Can gays serve openly in the military? Do they have the right to marry? Do they even have the right to be themselves? As a straight and married Dominican-American man who was for most of my life reflexively homophobic, I didn’t believe these issues were of my concern. The death of Tyler Clementi and others have made me realize that as the great Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

I will end this missive, with the poignant words of Jim Swimm, the gay man who first spotted the body of Tyler Clementi in Inwood Hill Park, after he had attended a vigil for Tyler and the other young men who died under similar circumstances.

“Tonight, I attended a vigil to honor Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, and four other young men who took their own lives — yet changed mine. As was quoted at tonight’s vigil, from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’: “Attention must be paid.”

We can no longer allow anyone to suffer like these boys, and so many like them…including myself, did. ”Attention must be paid.”

Parents, teachers…all adults, must no longer turn a blind eye to the homophobia & fear that is killing our LGBT kids. ”Attention must be paid.”

From now on, I will pay attention and call attention to these kids. I care, I love them, and I know you do too. We must all take part in this change.

“Attention must be paid”, by us all…everyday, to end homophobia & hate.

I thank Tyler Clementi.

I thank him, as I cry for him, because he’s opened my mind and my heart with our encounter that day. I will try to reach as many as I can with his message, his quiet message whispered to me on the banks of the Harlem River, and voiced loudly in the rain to me tonight…”

“Attention Must Be Paid.”

Jim Swimm

Follow:@Led_Black

angy479 says:

October 7, 2010 at 1:28 pm

Its sad, it truly is so sad that parents are so involved in their everyday problems that they cannot take a minute and involve themselves in the lives of their children. Bullies are made at home, they are the product of their environment, as parents we must paid attention to what they are doing, how they are behaving. Why is this cruel behavior not being nipped at the bud. Why are we as Americans propagating this behavior by not allowing Gays to have the same rights as we all do? Are we not all made of skin and bones, does blood not run thought theirs veins as well, do they not feel pain and anger? they do, so their is no reason to treat them as if by choosing to live an alternate lifestyle they are no longer humans. It infuriates me to see how this society is become more and more emotionally disconnected. We are raising sociopaths and no one wants to take responsibility for it.

De La Cruzin says:

October 7, 2010 at 1:47 pm

This was a wonderful article. It is great to see this addition to the uptowncollective site to educate others on this issue. Suicide, in general, is a very sad and unfortunate tragedy that exists among those who experience a deep depression. As for the LGBTQ community, it is very unfortunate that heavy judgment is placed upon today. Yes, it has improved a great deal along the way, yet it still exists when it comes into human rights and governmental decisions. As much as we hear of all the horrific stories of slavery, segregation among different races, and human rights, those who live by this are also the same individuals who segregate and harass members of the LGBTQ community. Hypocrisy? I’d say so.

Why are many people uneducated on this topic? As Led Black stated above, many feel that these issues do not apply to them and never really had any concern for it. In actuality, these issues (mutually with prejudice issues against races and genders) are in everyone’s lives. Ever since technology improved our social atmosphere, everyone has a large social network. With a large social network, everyone is exposed to all kinds of people with various backgrounds. If there is anything positive results from this unfortunate tragedy, we can hope for awareness to be raised and people to open their minds.

I have a personal friend of mine who is a Spoken Word artist. He is very active in the community as well as spreading the awareness of issues related the article. Here is a youtube video performing a poem I know very well:

Kevin says:

October 8, 2010 at 12:00 am

Thank you so much for this,, I have to tell you I believe that the voices and support of our straight brothers and sisters, a voice like YOURS will be the true catalyst for change. the topic should draw attention to the fact that suicide is one of the many symptoms of oppression and inequality. whenever anyone votes against equality, they are voting for people like Tyler to feel they way he felt. period

Jim Swimm says:

October 8, 2010 at 7:57 am

Kevin, you are SO right. The true catalyst for change in the situation is going to come from our Straight allies in the fight for equality and ending homophobia. It’s my own, personal focus; informing people and raising awareness. I know too many wonderful Straight people who are compassionate, caring, and concerned…but don’t really consider this fight to be theirs. These young people, and their tragic ends, are screaming out to them that it is indeed.

Izzy says:

October 8, 2010 at 6:25 am

Really liked your comment, De La Cruzin, and I agree this is a great article. Please keep featuring articles such as this which address the concerns/issues facing the community & society at large. I’m sure we can all benefit from it…