On Monday, September 19th, Jamey Rodemeyer decided he had had enough. He took his own life outside his parent’s home in Buffalo, N.Y. after posting “Don’t forget me when I come crying to heaven’s door”, a lyric from the Lady Gaga song “The Queen” on his Facebook page, and mentioning her on his Twitter page with the sentiment, “bye mother monster, thank you for all you have done, paws up forever.”
Jamey’s mother Tracy Rodemeyer said that Jamey was constantly name-called and even harassed on Formspring, a website on which people create anonymous usernames and ask each other questions, or in this case, make awful comments.
Jamey also used Tumblr to vent his frustrations. He repeatedly wrote posts on his Facebook and Tumblr pages about the bullying he experienced, and wrote, according to The Today Show, “No one in my school cares about preventing suicide, while you’re the ones calling me [gay slur] and tearing me down” during the recent National Suicide Prevention Week (Sep. 4-10).
The very next day, Jamey wrote “I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so people will listen to me?”
Despite his various cries for help online, the bullying continued. His friends and family thought that the situation might be improving, as Jamey’s attitude seemed to become more positive, but according to the National Suicide Prevention Line, one of the many warning signs of suicide is a dramatic change in mood.
Jamey contributed his own personal video to the It Gets Better Project last spring. He thanked Lady Gaga for supporting the gay community and helping him overcome some of the bullying he suffered. “Just love yourself and you’re set,” he said in the video.
Lady Gaga has since come forth in outrage and sadness, urging people to join the fight against bullying and even stating that she planned to meet with President Obama to establish anti-bullying legislation. She started a Twitter trending topic in Jamey’s honor, #MakeALawForJamey, which currently turns up thousands of results on the site in real time.
While not a new phenomenon, suicide as a result of bullying has risen to the forefront over the past year, in light of the untimely deaths of Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Raymond Chase and more.
With the popularity of websites such as Facebook, Tumblr and Formspring, bullying no longer lies inside school walls alone. It can slip undetected onto the computers of young people just beginning to form their sense of self, and not be discovered until it is much too late.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states that suicide is one of the top three leading causes of death for young people ages 15 to 24. GLBT youth are 31% more likely to attempt suicide, cites a recent report by the American Medical Association.
How can this string of suicides be cut short? What can be done about bullying in schools? One thing is clear — bullying is an issue that can no longer be ignored.