‘Dr. Phil’ examines Clementi suicide: Tells gay teens ‘I’m so sorry’ adults tolerate bullying [video]
”I want to say to all of y’all, on behalf of all the adults who seem to be running this society: I am so sorry. I am so sorry that this is going on in this society. I’m so sorry that ‘gay’ is a slur. What are we thinking? What the hell are we thinking? And this is something, if it’s going to change, we all have to get involved. If I don’t do this show — Nick, if I don’t hear from you. Claudia, Sarah, if you guys don’t get to talk, then I’m that innocent bystander. I have a platform, I have to talk about this.”
Phil McGraw, on his “Dr. Phil” talk show, speaking with a group of gay, lesbian, bi and transgender teenagers. The students all say they have been bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. McGraw’s special show comes on the heels of a week-long flurry of news pieces focused on gay kids who committed suicide recently. (Dr. Phil Show)
”Tyler found me through Facebook. I ran a couple support groups and he e-mailed me…. He did indicate that he was not ready and probably that he would never come out.”
Blake, 27, who says he was a friend of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers freshman who killed himself by jumping from the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly exposed his gay sex life to the public. Another friend from high school, Nina, says that no one in school knew he was gay and, ”He never saw himself coming out.” (Dr. Phil Show)
”In the end, we can’t look for some salvation through laws; we can’t prosecute this problem away. Obviously, we need very clear policies, because when kids are told what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior, they’re more likely to behave appropriately. Whether it’s behavior in the virtual world or in the real world, it’s the same rule: You don’t treat people in hateful ways.”
Kevin Jennings, the Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education and and founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, speaking with Phil McGraw about bullying. (Dr. Phi. Show)
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