The parents of a 12-year-old Tennessee boy who died by suicide say he was relentlessly bullied at school for being gay prior to his death.
Debbey and Steve Fritchley, the parents of Eli Fritchley, a seventh grader at Cascades Middle School in Shelbyville, Tennessee, say they believe their son took his life a week before last Sunday because he was tormented at school for his gender nonconformity.
Eli, a trombone player in the school’s marching band, painted his nails, loved the color pink, and wore the same SpongeBob sweatshirt nearly every day.
“I think probably because he was in the same clothes every single day that they used that as a weapon,” his mother told the Nashville-based ABC affiliate WKRN, saying her son loved doing the laundry and cleaning his clothes every day.
But Eli’s treatment at the hands of his classmates went far beyond teasing to outright condemnation.
“He was told because he didn’t necessarily have a religion and that he said he was gay that he was going to go to Hell. They told him that quite often,” Debbey Fritchley said.
“It was really abusive. I don’t think it was ever physical. I think it was just words, but words hurt. They really hurt,” Steve Fritchley added.
“He didn’t care, or at least we thought he didn’t care, and that’s what’s really difficult for us because we thought he didn’t care,” Debbey said, noting that her son remained friendly and compassionate despite the bullying.
“This has just blindsided us,” she continued. “This is something we would have never, ever expected.”
The Fritchleys, who have five other sons, are calling on the school system to take steps to address bullying so that other children will not be victimized.
“I honestly think education, education, education for everyone where bullying is concerned because it is a problem, not just in Bedford County. It’s a problem everywhere,” Debbey said.
The Fritchleys were regulars at Penalties Sports Bar & Grill in Shelbyville. The owners of the restaurant, Rob and Shondelle Lewis, who thought of the Fritchleys as family, said they’re devastated by Eli’s suicide.
To help, the Lewises have created a GoFundMe page to raise money for a foundation that the Fritchley family will be starting to educate people about bullying and suicide awareness.
“This fund is being set up in memory of Eli and 100% will go to a foundation being created that will go towards helping other kids and families that might be in the same situation as the Fritchley’s (sic) so that this terrible tragedy doesn’t have to happen again,” Shondelle wrote in the GoFundMe page’s description.
“As parents and grandparents, it is our responsibility to teach our children to love, not hate; to be kind, not mean; to understand that we are all different in our own ways and that is OK. Hug your children and your grandchildren, tell them this world doesn’t have to be so full of evil because in the end, evil never wins,” she continued.
Bedford County Schools released a statement mourning Eli’s death.
“We are absolutely shocked and devastated by this news,” Dr. Tammy Garrett, the superintendent of schools in Bedford County, said in the statement. “Anytime someone takes his or her life, especially a child, it is nearly unbearable. Our hearts go out to his parents and family as they deal with this terrible loss.”
Garrett added that the school system and community will be looking into further efforts to support social and emotional learning in the schools, including support programs for middle and high school students who are experiencing bullying or harassment.
“Raising caring, kind, resilient children is all of our jobs, and parents are not alone,” Garrett said. “At Bedford County Schools we strive to provide positive learning environments with positive affirmations for all children, every day. What’s best for our students is what is best for BCS.”
A Drag Story Hour event in Alaska was delayed following a bomb threat, but local community members were able to spin straw into gold and, with the help of local businesses, raised over $13,000 to support the LGBTQ group that organized the event.
The Seward Pride Alliance of Seward, Alaska, had planned a Drag Story Hour event for Saturday, June 8, at the Seward Community Library and Museum as part of its Pride Month festivities. While waiting for the event to start, families with children worked on arts and crafts at the library.
But library officials received a call from an unknown person threatening to bomb the story hour, necessitating the evacuation of the library, reports the Homer News.
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario awarded an Indigenous transgender woman $35,000 in legal damages after a waxing salon denied her service.
In addition to the damages, an undisclosed amount in interest will be paid, caculated from the start of the case on March 17, 2018. More interest may be incurred if the owner of the salon fails to pay within 30 days.
The decision comes after a six-year legal battle between the woman, A.B., and Mad Wax Salon in Windsor, Ontario. A.B. called the salon to book an appointment for a leg wax but was refused because the only available staff member, a Muslim woman, refused to wax people assigned male at birth, citing religious beliefs.
A federal judge issued a ruling blocking the Biden administration's guidance for schools, under which LGBTQ students discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity can file complaints of sex discrimination.
U.S. District Court Judge Danny Reeves opened his 93-page opinion with the declaration, "There are two sexes: male and female."
The Biden administration's Title IX guidance expands the definition of "sex" beyond just a person's biological anatomy.
The guidance is meant to protect LGBTQ students from incidents of unequal treatment, harassment, or sex stereotyping, which are usually based, in part, on a person's assigned sex at birth and how they present, in terms of gender norms, to the outside world.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.