Monday, January 17, 2011

Bullied gay teen in Minnesota commits suicide

By Eric Ethington

MILTONA, Minn. — We’ve lost another beautiful life to bullying. Lance Lundsten, 18, an openly gay student at Jefferson High School, took his life over the weekend. Friends say that Lance suffered extreme bullying and harassment for years.

Around 10 p.m. Saturday, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to an emergency call at the Lundsten’s residence in Miltona, Minnesota.

When officers arrived, they discovered Lance needing emergency medical care. Lance was transported to the Douglas County Hospital where he later died.

The Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KSAX-TV that they believed Lundsten’s death was a suicide. The Sheriff would not confirm the nature of the medical emergency.

According to KSAX, Lundsten had revealed on Facebook that he was openly gay, and some students at his high school said he was bullied for his sexual orientation.

Lance’s friends have created a new facebook group after the news of his death, called the “Jefferson Anti-Bully Coalition.”

Even if his school didn’t help Lance survive the bullying, the heroic group of friends are pushing to do their part. The page reads “Here to stand up for everyone who needs defending. The school’s staff isn’t protecting us, it’s up to the students to help each other.”

Friends have also set up a memorial page for Lance on Facebook.

No word yet from Jefferson High School.

source

No comments:

Post a Comment