CONDEMMING HARMFUL GENDER STEREOTYPES

Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman committed suicide after his roommate used a webcam to broadcast a sexual encounter involving Clementi with another male student. It is claimed that Dharun Ravi streamed the video live, and broadcast to the 150 followers of his Twitter feed details of his voyeuristic escapade, outing Clementi in the process: "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Tyler had no idea he was being streamed live. Dharun Ravi, and Molly Wei, a friend, have been charged with invasion of privacy for spying on Clementi, and could serve five years in prison. Tyler obviously could not handle having people know his sexual orientation.

On September 19, Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old student at Jacobsen Middle School in Tehachapi, Calif. hung himself from a tree in his backyard, after a bullying incident. Two 11-year-old Glenwood Middle School students, outside of Toledo, Ohio have been charged with assault after breaking the arm of an 11 year old male cheerleader who they thought was gay.Tyler Wilson was picked on by classmates. He told a local ABC news channel that students would wait for him after school, teasing him and taunting him. Across the nation bullying has resulted in tragedy, with youth who were picked on because of their perceived sexual orientation driven to suicide.

Picking on youth because of their perceived sexual orientation, or beating kids up because they break gender stereotypes should be condemned not only by school administrators and teachers, but by religious institutions and entire communities. These attacks illustrate why we should ask our congressional representatives to vote in favor of the Safe Schools Improvement Act 2010 (H.R. 2262) , to make sure that students like Tyler Wilson and Seth Walsh don't have to fear for their physical safety just by attending school.