Jamie Hubley's Father: My Son Asked a Question No One Should Face

[William769]

Jamie Hubley's father, who is a city councilor in Ottawa, has issued a somber statement about the loss of his son to depression and suicide.

Allan Hubley said his son, who was on medication and seeking counseling, had "struggled with the idea that people can judge you harshly even when you are trying to help others. Jamie asked a question no child should have to ask — why do people say mean things to me?"

Although Allan Hubley said there were other factors that likely contributed to his son's death, he was bullied.

"When Jamie tried to start a Rainbow Club at his high school to promote acceptance of others, the posters were torn down and he was called vicious names in the hallways and online," Allan Hubley remembers. "We had meetings with officials at the school and were working with them to bring an end to it but Jamie felt it would never stop."

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/10/18/Jamie_Hubley_Father_My_Son_Asked_a_Question_No_One_Should_Face/

[tblue]

1. Oh no....!

How sad. How very sad.

What is wrong with people? Schools need to have zero tolerance for bullies.

That's the case at my kid's school. Some middle school boys made an insulting crack about a teacher being lesbian, and the school jumped all over them and they were suspended, forced to apologize, and mandated to go through sensitivity training. Amen to that. This is a private school and so we pay for all that through the nose, but it's worth it to me. I am fortunate to be able to afford to send my kid to a school like that. I wish all schools would handle bullying this way. They could be if we would fund them and prioritize like we should.

This school even produced the play about Matthew Shepherd -- in the middle school! I'm so grateful.

[William769]

2. I wished all people thought like you.

Unfortunately they don't. Some would rather blame society as a whole for the bullying problem than the individual doing it. I say you start with the individuals & when they see the error of their way through punishment, society will get the picture.