Gay Minnesota teen reportedly commits suicide, friends blame bullying

My deepest sympathies to his family and friends. I hope they know that there are many in Minnesota who are fighting and will continue to fight for safe schools in our state. RIP.

Bullying of any kind is the same as adult stalking, harrassment, mental and physical abuse and there are laws protecting adults from being stalked, harrassed, and from abuse of any kind. Why shouldn’t school bullies be held to the same kind of standards and should be punished equally. If bullies are not stopped in schools they leave to become adult bullies or even worse. School officials need to take a stand and say enough is enough. A right delayed is a right denied ~ MLK

Sorry for the comma splice in the last post.

Great suffering should not beget greater suffering.
To Frank, understand that I support your anger, and yet I ask you to not use this violent language promoting murder. I have seen enough violent language promoting murder. Although it sometimes seems to me that certain people should be murdered, I remember that murder is wrong — and pretending that it’s ok because of your anger (or mine) is just so much self-indulgent baloney.
Violent language also promotes murder turned inward — suicide.
Violence kills, and makes life so much harder than it should have to be.
Thank you to all the youth and others who are putting good energy out there to reduce suffering right now, and make your school, and our shared lives, so much better. Your actions are more powerful than those of hate and of violence — and please remember that all the good you do may be taken for granted, but it is always why life is worth living.

Thanks for pointing Frank’s comment out, Laura. We don’t allow comments advocating violence, so I deleted it.

Comment deleted, comma splice and all, Frank. If you’d like to keep commenting, please be civil and refrain from advocating for violence. Here are our comment policies.

Laurie – great post. It’s a great comparison and I hope our lawmakers see it that way as well.

In the year 2011, with the national notoriety of a string of child suicides, there is really no excuse for any Public School System in the United States to not have Written Policies of Protections for LGBT students in their Policy Handbooks, other than Plain Negligence or Intentional Animus. Both are despicable.

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[...] the chapter on suicide? Sadly news just came across my desk earlier this morning about yet another gay youth who allegedly committed suicide after experiencing bullying at school. So what does CDC say about [...]

[...] and finally, unfortunately, such court rulings aren’t yet stopping creeps and thugs from bullying gay teens to suicide. Shit’s got to stop. On that note, if you’re not familiar with it, there’s a web [...]

[...] Heartbreaking: Eighteen-year old Lance Lundsten died on Saturday as a result of a suicide attempt, according to KSAX-TV. Lundsten’s friends say he was gay and that he was bullied at Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Minn. Within hours, his death has prompted the formation of an anti-bullying group in the school district. Sen. Al Franken, who is the author of anti-bullying legislation in the U.S. Senate, extended his condolences to Lundsten’s family and friends on Monday evening. [...]

All schools need to take a closer look at their anti-bullying policies and include LGBT teens/students so that sexual orientation is not an unprotected group. All forms of bullying as well as gay teen bullying have resulted in problems and issues that we can help address. For a good story, check out this kid who helped get additional protection for LGBT students in his school’s anti-bullying policies: http://www.askthejudge.info/arizona-school-district-includes-gay-students-as-a-protected-class/6910/

its time for us to stand up and stand together. We can not allow people with singular special interest agendas, such as the MFC to Bully the public into their molds and choice of living.

I stand up for the rights for those people to stand bigoted and rooted in their choice and lifestyles that they have made the choice of. I stand up for the right for them to even indoctrinate their children and teach their choice of lifestyle to their children. But they can not force me into their lifestyle. they can not force their religion on me.

The blood of these children are on the hands that publicly denounce and publicly bully the lives of Gay people.

I personally don’t support the “right” of parents to brainwash their children into sectarian dogmas that encourage attitudes of discrimination, intolerance and hatred. But culturally we’re not at the point where this barbarism can be dealt with through various legislative tools.

In the meantime, if we were truly serious about turning the tide once and for all against the religious bigots and protecting the lives and well-being of GLBT people in general, we’d do things like the following:

1) Mandate much higher religious literacy through curricular changes in the public schools. Sheer ignorance is what drives large numbers of Americans believe that the Bible is somehow a physics/biology/geology/bioethics/economic policy handbook. (Perhaps you heard of the newly elected teabagger who believes that global warming is wrong since the Bible somehow or other says that’s impossible.) The Bible is nothing short of a ventriloquist’s dummy in the hands of fundamentalists and evangelicals mouthing pre-conceived political agendas. Greater knowledge and critical interpretation tools might help with this.

2) All religious institutions must lose their privileged status in the US. Many are exempt from reporting requirements of all types–Christian day cares in some states, for instance. Others like the Catholic church can engage in borderline or outright political activities and retain their tax exemptions. The Christian Science Church is protected by many favorable laws that allow its members to withhold medical treatment from children in favor of prayer. Many die this way. Any religious education institution that discriminates against GLBT people or religious minorities (including atheists), must lose their tax exemptions, federal student loan assistance, etc.

3) We need legislation that will eliminate tax funding to school districts that don’t institute strong anti-bullying legislation. Also, we should be systematically seeking opportunities for lawsuits against all schools that prohibit gay-straight alliance groups. K-12 religious schools that prohibit gay-straight alliance groups should lose their tax exemptions.

4) The U of MN could mandate courses in human sexuality and religious criticism. Student groups there could be supported to have a major campus conference on sexuality and GLBT equality. Student groups that offer critical viewpoints on faith should be given strong support.

What we’re currently doing (or not doing) is not working.

How do we counter the violence-cultivating rhetoric of the Minnesota Family Council and the right-wing radio preachers and churches?

If the Ku Klux Klan made a strong showing in the Twin Cities, you can bet there’d be a strong counter-mobilization. Why, when we have the parallel threat from MFC, the equivalent of the KKK relative to GLBT people, don’t we have a similar level of resistance? What about protests in front of MFC or the homes of its leaders?

With all of these proposals, what are we waiting for? Do we want to turn the tide against the hate-mongers in our community or don’t we?

[...] The Minnesota Independent is reporting that Lance Lundsten’s death this weekened was not suicide, as we previously reported. An update on the story which first ran the news of Lundsten’s death reads, [...]

[...] “Gay Minnesota teen commits suicide, friends blame bullying” and related posts (minnesotaindependent.com) [...]

So sad. godspeed, Lance

i know how it feels to be bullied.i am bullied everyday of my life..nobody is helping me i have tryed to kill my self and its sad seeing everybody else do it just as well cuz of bulling..IT NEEDS TO END NOW.its not right.its wrong..everybody is the same in a special way..idk y people have to be big jerks and bully people and still do it after somebody kills them self.we lost 4 people in my skool cuz of it and we might loose 2 more and all the principle and teachers say: kids will be kids..well uk wat u need to do something about it now..to many teens r dieing cuz of it :( :’(

[...] cause of death. KSAX reports that Lance Lundsten died on Jan. 17 from a “mixed drug ingestion.” Fellow students have speculated that he was bullied at Jefferson High School over his sexual orientation and have organized the Jefferson Anti-Bully [...]

I LIVE IN ALEXANDRIA, and find it to be a very clicky, closed minded oppressive town.

I have been subjected to gang stalking damage to private property, harassing, intimidating
behavior towards me………….all of these are felonies. HOWEVER the local law enforcement is also closed minded, and they don’t want to deal with anything against a single adult person, especially if u are a woman.

This town stinks!!!!!!! It is politically controlled by a few, and some people are hands off if they do something to someone else if they have the RIGHT name.

I named names of my stalkers, and I was told by a sheriff’s deputy from douglas county.

Those are some pretty big names around here………….

There is a THICK BLUE LINE with law enforcement, and who is supposedly who and who is supposedly not in Alexandria.

Alexandria, is the most bias, political, closed minded town I have ever been associated with in my life.

And if U don’t think there are gangs going around oppressing, and attacking people of color, PERCEIVED sexual orientation, single women. You would be wrong.

The base age of these perpretators are in their mid 40′s and attack, and force people out of the alex area. It is an HIERARCHY people!!!

Law enforcement, and the so called higher ups know this…………while building the infrastructure, raising taxes, and making sure ALEX APPEARS to be Mayberry.

There is a deep, dark evil presence in Alexandria, and it is called HATE.

i deal with bullying at my school by the kids who think “there all that” they make fun of me by the way i look nd im like wtf cuz they dont look good thereselves. i dont let nobody get to me anymore, if they talk about me they must love me because they always bringin my name in they mouth. to me, being gay isnt wrong, like i always wanted a gay friend to be there for them and support them. they seem cool to hang with so i dont see why people think its wrong

[...] the chapter on suicide? Sadly news just came across my desk earlier this morning about yet another gay youth who allegedly committed suicide after experiencing bullying at school. So what does CDC say about [...]