Have you heard the story about the NINE YEAR OLD BOY who committed suicide after allegedly being bullied at school for coming out as gay?
This is a real story out of Denver. And after just writing that one sentence above, I am absolutely flabbergasted at the following:
WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL.
Jamel Myles was the son of Leia Pierce, who has been telling media outlets that her son told her he was gay this summer shortly before school was to start. She said, “And he looked so scared when he told me. He was like, ‘Mom I’m gay. And I thought he was playing, so I looked back because I was driving, and he was all curled up, so scared. And I said, ‘I still love you.’”
So, that’s sweet and all, but HOW DOES A NINE YEAR OLD EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
Apparently, Jamel started school on August 20th, and happily announced his sexuality to his classmates, who allegedly told him to kill himself.
I’m sorry, but some massive details are seriously missing from this story. I don’t believe that other NINE YEAR OLDS convinced their classmate to commit suicide. I just don’t. That’s not normal nine year old behavior.
But Jamel’s mom insists, “My son told my oldest daughter the kids at school told him to kill himself. I’m just sad he didn’t come to me.”
Although reports do indicate that Jamel committed suicide, and his death is being investigated as such, there are no indications (yet) of HOW he did this. But his mom plans to start an awareness campaign about bullying.
“He said, ‘Mom, I want to be a famous YouTube star so I could buy you a new house,’” Pierce told the Denver Post on Monday. “He was the kindest soul.”
She plans to honor Jamel’s memory by spreading awareness about the effects of bullying.
“We should have accountability for bullying,” she told KDVR. “I think the parent should be held [responsible], because obviously, the parents are either teaching them to be like that, or they’re treating them like that.”
“My child died because of bullying. My baby killed himself,” Pierce told the Denver Post. “He didn’t deserve this. He wanted to make everybody happy even when he wasn’t. I want him back so bad.”
More questions.
1. Where is Jamel’s father? Not a single story I’ve found about this family references one.
2. Why does a 9 year old have aspirations of becoming a YouTube star?
3. If Jamel’s mother believes in parental accountability so strongly, maybe she should be thinking about WHY THE HELL her 9 year old son had enough awareness about homosexuality and suicide to engage/participate in either?
I know my questions make it sound like I’m unsympathetic, which isn’t the case. I cannot imagine losing a 9 year old child and this is absolutely heartbreaking. But because I care about this not happening AGAIN, I am asking the questions. What kind of a culture are we fostering that we now have 9 year olds openly talking about their sexuality and having enough awareness of suicide that they can actually take their own lives? And what can we do to put a stop to that?
It’s easy to say, “Kids need both parents!” and “Bullying needs to stop!” and “Social media sucks!” – and we know these are all contributing factors to the cultural rot we’re facing. But can any of it be fixed/reversed/changed/helped?
Or are we just completely doomed?