13-year-old boy died by suicide after homophobic bullying at school

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/01/13-year-old-boy-died-suicide-homophobic-bullying-school/

This was in France, but it is what the republicans and the right want here in the US for gay or trans kids.   I admire the bravery of this child to try to stand up to the abuse as long as he could.   I hate that adults cannot seem to understand how these bullying attacks and insults eat deep into children.   The leadership in Florida seems to want to make this a common thing, drive the gay kids underground, make the too scared to be openly gay.   But while some gay kids can pass others can’t.  Some kids just cannot act in a way society says is straight, and they never should have to do so.  They should be allowed to be who they are.   Hugs

“He was constantly harassed for the way he dressed, his mannerisms, his presence. He didn’t hide himself and that bothered some people.”

 

By Alex Bollinger Thursday, January 12, 2023

LucasPhoto: Family photo

A 13-year-old boy in France named Lucas died by suicide last Saturday, January 7 after facing anti-LGBTQ+ bullying at school. People close to his family say that the school did little to stop the bullying.

The student at the Louis Armand de Golbey middle school in the Vosges department was out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, the French magazine Têtu reports.

“He was constantly harassed for the way he dressed, his mannerisms, his presence,” said Stéphanie, a family friend. “He didn’t hide himself and that bothered some people.”

She said Lucas was “always pleasant, caring, spontaneous, full of dreams and a life.”

Psychological help has been made available for students and teachers at the middle school who need it.

“There’s really a lot of emotion from adults who didn’t see anything, didn’t see that Lucas wasn’t doing well recently,” said Valérie Dautresme in a radio interview. She’s the academic services director for the National Education system in the Vosges department.

Dautresme said that Lucas and his mother reported homophobic insults since the start of the school year in September at a parent-teacher meeting.

“For us at this point, the situation had been resolved,” she claimed. “Lucas said that things were working themselves out and that he was no longer being insulted at school.”

Stéphanie contradicted Dautresme’s claim that the matter had been “resolved” and said that Lucas complained “again and again and again. His mother asked for help several times. The school, where he spent three-quarters of his time, didn’t react.”

She said that the family is going to file a formal complaint. The family’s lawyer, Catherine Faivre, said, “There is a whole chain of people with responsibilities who can be investigated and spoken with if, in effect, the elements of an infraction can be constituted.”

Louis Armand de Golbey middle school has been taking part in a national program to fight bullying in schools under the direction of National Education and Youth of France Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer. Staff members were to be trained in how to spot bullying and in a protocol on what to do if someone faces bullying.

A fundraiser was opened online to help the family that raised 7554 € ($8200). Lucas’s funeral is planned for Saturday, January 14. A vigil is being planned but the date has not yet been announced.

Editor’s note: This article mentions suicide. If you need to talk to someone now, call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. It’s staffed by trans people, for trans people. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.