by Socialist Party of New Jersey -

On September 29, 18 year old Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge three days after his roommate and a friend used a webcam to live-stream an image of Clementi kissing another man. While it is unlikely that his roommate intended to push Clementi towards suicide, the real issue is the ongoing bullying and harassment of young gay men and women that continues in our culture.

Celebrities and gay advocates in the media have seized on the suicide as a way to call the nation to action. However, the harassment of gay people is nothing new. In fact, Clementi’s death was the fifth in a string of young gay suicides in the past month.

Many gay advocates are calling for harsher anti-bullying laws, and harsher sentences for invasion of privacy. Yet, harsher punishments feel a lot like a treatment of the symptom of intolerance, rather than its cause. To dismiss the case entirely as the actions of a few hateful individuals is to miss a valuable opportunity to reflect and have a dialogue on the type of society we live in.

We must work to change a culture of heterosexism that breeds ignorance and hatred, which naturally leads to violence towards members of the queer community. As socialists, we believe in working to eliminate prejudice and bigotry in all its forms. Now more than ever, we must call for schools across the nation to adopt policies to create awareness, tolerance, and civility.

The Socialist Party recognizes the human and civil rights of all, without regard to sexual orientation.

1. We call for the end of all anti-gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBTQ) restrictions in law and the work place, the repeal of all sodomy laws, and the legalization of same-sex marriage.

2. We call on all schools to adopt policies and procedures to address and prevent student violence and to ban discrimination against GLBTQ people throughout the educational system.

3. We call for a federal ban on all forms of job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

4. We are committed to confronting the heterosexism that provides the fertile ground for homophobic violence, and support all efforts toward fostering understanding and cooperation among persons and groups of differing sexual orientations.

We invite you to join us.

Socialist Party of New Jersey

This video provides a detailed time line of the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi: