Why We Will Continue To Fight And Be Very Vocal For Equality
This is absolutely heartbreaking.
Another young life lost!
11 year old Jaheem Herrera of Stone Mountain, Georgia, took his own life last week because his fellow classmates at Dunaire Elementary School harassed and bullied Herrera for thinking he was gay.
He was just 11 years old!!!
Jaheem's 10-year-old sister discovered her brother hanging from a fabric belt in his bedroom, no longer alive.
Herrera's stepfather said homophobic bullies at school would taunt and name-call his stepson, a 5th grader, repeatedly calling him "gay and a snitch." The boy was even brave enough to tell teachers and faculty at his school about the harassment, but the bullying continued.
Jaheem's tragic loss comes just weeks after the suicide of a Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, who also suffered bullying because classmates thought he was gay, attracted national attention.
He was 11 as well. His mother found him hanging from an extension cord in the family’s home.
For more information on what you can do if you or someone you know is being bullied at school, CLICK HERE!
More Troubling News From Slumdog Kids
So incredibly sad.
This is awful.
what 11 year old knows they are gay?
This is so upsetting.
this is the saddest thing ever.
Kids just start bullying younger and younger..
I hope they both R.I.P
horrible, absolutely horrible. people disgust me.
So Sad
HeartBreaking!
So tragic……….
R.I.P little one. x
So tragic……….what a shame
This is not tolerable! Absolutely horrible, may he rest in peace
So sad. That's not right; I hope those bullies feel aweful about themselves!! Prayers go out to this family.
For whatever the reason, bullying seems to be a massive problem that schools do not or are unable to tackle properly. My heart goes out to these heartbroken parents. Bullying is a disgrace for youngsters in schools the world over.
SO sad
KARMA will get those bullies BIG TIME!!!!! and they will come to a horrible end
sad sad
this is so sad!
Thats Horrible !We should Stand up for what RIGHT! Go Perez . RIP
poor kid. I hope tolerance becomes more of what kids in our country are taught so this type of thing won't happen anymore.
:( so terrible….
This is so Sad and why we all need to stand up and make our voices heard!
This is just terrible I feel awful for his friends and family. Hopefully the people who bullied him learn something from this and are changed forever.
Poor kiddo. =(
That is so incredibly sad. Wow…Poor kid, no one should be bullied like that. The kids today that bully are such assholes.
People need to get along All animals are treated as equals at nozycat !!
its sad.why cant people treat people equally?
You do realize that all this stuff with Miss USA doesn't help create equality and love, it simply widens the divide. It is the reason that the argument should not start with Gay Marriage (that will happen one day) let's just worry about equal rights under the law for now.
It will take time, but constantly fanning the flames is not the way to fight this battle. It will keep people divided and hating. Think about it!
It is very sad but kids make it through being made fun of and bullied all through school because of being fat, skinny, ugly, too tall, or because they are ethnic. This kids made a choice. If things were that bad then his parents should have stepped in and moved him. Hell, why does an 11 year old kid go around advertising that they are gay? Just like as adults, it isn't anyone's business what your sexual preference is. You are trying to make everything about gay marriage and it is going to blow up in your face.
This is making me sick! I have family there. Just visited them too! God, when will people learn. This is just so sad!
oh no!!!
that's too sad…how could this happen?
omg….tragic. what's going on there. little kids to hang themselves. totally nightmare.
How terrible…awful.
This is just so, so sad. I wish people would stop being so cruel to each other. Perez - you are awesome- keep standing up for what is right
jeez
rip
rest in peace , jaheem, this is so sad
Damn, I hate crap like this, such a waste! Poor kid, It pisses me off it does!!!!!!!
So sad. My son is 11. I can't imagine him doing anything like that, much less not knowing he was in so much pain.
jeez
God. From what I've seen you're quite the bully yourself, Perez. You fucking Hyppo.
That is so sad no one deserves that
wow a 11 year old boy what is the world coming
to wow
people are starting to treat murderers better then gays
and it so upseting to see what the world is coming too.
Re: Orator – So what you are saying is that it is okay to be intolerant of straight people or those who don't agree with gay marriage? How typical! You dont'care about gay rights or marriage, you just want to bully society.
It is not nice to tease people for any reason but I'm sure that doesn't stop the queens from making fun of people. What a bunch of losers!
there are some insensitive people in the world - stuff like this should NEVER happen!
if parents weren't so scared to teach their kids about homosexuality, this wouldnt happen.
Sad and sick.. something must be done
omg so incredibly sad
thanks for posting this perez. i posted it on facebook. this is just terrible.
This is indeed sad but it is the state of America. For a country that pretends to be all about civil rights, well, you suck.
And Perez, thanks a lot for giving that dimwit homophobe from California more freaking air time, you ass! You sit and judge a misogynistic competition, which abhors women at heart, and this is what you get for being a misogynist ass yourself, more air time for the idiots and probably a slot on the Republican ticket.
I think your 15 minutes are up. You're a disgrace to gay men everywhere.
Poor baby. Poor mother.
God give them strength.
.
HATE BREEDS HATE.
.
I PRAY FOR LOVE AND EQUALITY.
I think this is a common tragedy that need to put an end too. I inspire to do everything in my power to help kids gay or not. Were all equal were all gods children who cares what color you are what religion or the gender you love? I dont and neither should you!
R.I.P. Que duerma con los angelitos….How very heartbreaking. My condolences to the family….
this is heartbreaking.
again, this is why we need people like perez to fight for those who dont have a voice.
No one should ever have to beg for human rights and equality, no should have to lose their life over this.
Hey Perez….This kid believed only a man and a women should marry… Do you care now??
RIP!
SUCK ON THAT CALIFORNIA!
you do more Harm Than good FAT BODY!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOU!!!!!!!! you will destroy the gay community
That's terrible.
That's awful. People like that are inhuman. (This has more to do with general comments on this site) If you can't accept a person for who he or she is then you should keep your opinions to yourself. It upsets me when I read some of the comments people post on here directed to Perez and I think you should all grow up and accept that homosexuals are people too. They have feelings. Its not like all emotion disappears and you can say whatever you like because you think its right. You upset people, you really do. I would have been like this if I didn't have an open mind. We live in a liberal society. With that society comes the right to conscience and the right to be whatever you want to be as long as it doesn't conflict with the laws. There is nothing wrong with being gay. Its not an illness and it most definately is not an excuse to discriminate against someone who dares to be different. Do what you like with who you like. If gays are not hurting other people let them be. They are human too even if some people would rather die than admit it. We're all equal so grow up or shut up. No one wants to hear the horrible sadistic stuff homophobes think when they log onto this site.
I'm from Springfield Mass and that's where Carl was from. It's really sad when these kids are getting bullied by lil shits. Its even more sad when the bully's parents dont do shit about it, and then always say my baby never hurt nobody.It's just sad.
Its a celebrity gossip site and one of the best at that, and all the irrelevant commenting about Perez upsets me and I'm sure it offends others too. If you want to poke fun at Miss America pagents go ahead, if you want to drool over the completely gratuitous posts then do that but don't comment if it has nothing to do with what you are commenting on. Grow up.
People hate because they are jealous or likeminded twits who hate change and sneer at everyone who is different to them.
Re: Oh Please – He never said he was gay. The kids only tought he was. He probaly was stright.
Re: Disturbed – "fat and worthless"? then why the fuck did you register you fucking goof.
this made me very sad. thanks perez for reminding all who were fighting for, and how great of a cause equality can bring to this nation.
Yes, this is very sad, but I thought this was a celebrity gossip site? Seems now it's just a gay agenda site.
Perez…fuck you and the fat ass you rode in on, I'm done here, along with many others.
This is happening more and more to our childern and IT has to STOP…so SAD!!
Rest in peace, sweet little boy. No one will bully you in heaven.
thats crazy…
(
thats really sad too
I can't get over this.
my love and prayers go out the both the little boys parents. so sad and tragic, and though it does not have anything to do with gay marriage, as someone at the bottom put, it all falls in the same category and its all connected some way some how. God loves his children, all of you may God Bless everyone.
So sad… My clothing line Tasteless Candy Clothing Co. is doing as much as we can to help with equal rights. Thank you for bringing so much to this world's attention Perez. xo
Tragic…yes…uncommon…no…will it happen again and again? Of course.Re: Disturbed – I agree with you….
That is terrible.
Some people are so horrible. I cannot believe how kids are going up these days (i sound like I'm 80 i know, I'm only 16)
Perez if Ms California hangs herself (god forbid) I will surely blame you for all the bullying you have done to her…..
And isn't this about the same thing that you are doing to Ms. CA? Just because she said something she believed in, now she is being ridiculed by you and all of America. What if she felt so sad she killed herself? Why can't we all just accept that people are different, gay, straight, homophobe, what ever? Let's go on with our lives and not judge anyone for what they believe wether it's what we believe or not.
Perez you do no give a shit about your own type in general. You just
crave publicity. If someone came along and kicked your teeth in you would deserve it. All Carrie did was stated her opinion but you have taken this well
overboard. I feel sorry for the boy but what does this boy dying have to do with gay's being allowed to marry? All for a lost cause anyway.
Re: Orator – talk about not teasing..calling some a fake looking hag falls into that category!!
Re: Disturbed – you said "Oh Fuck off Perez - you don't do a god damned thing for the cause, you only take advantage of one when it it's thrown on your lap, because you are a fat worthless fuck that can't be bothered. It would get in the way too much of you whoring yourself out daily. Haven't heard you do a DAMN thing for gay rights since the election. "
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Hey Douche-bag, Perez has done a shitload for gay rights, starting with outing all those smug celebs that think they can just sit back while the rest of the gays are in the trenches fighting for rights. Additionally the last few news cycles have been all about gays because of his question to Miss California, so again, he is putting the information out there, even when it could hurt his business. So do I think that sometimes he talks about Madonna Or angelina Jolie too much? Yeah, do I get sick of hearing about Zak Efron on here? Sure, but don't ever try to say he has done nothing for gay rights.
People–it's not guaranteed that either of these 11 year old boys who committed suicide WERE gay, they were simply PERCEIVED as gay and taunted because of it. And yes, you CAN know by 11 and earlier that you're gay. I had crushes on men at a very young age. Straight kids realize they're straight at a young age, they just aren't aware that they know because none of their feelings are thoughts are considered different than the majority of situations going on around them.
And quite frankly, many gay children were teased for being gay in school as kids even before they were out. Kids have a sort of sixth sense (gaydar) about these things without even realizing it.
Herrera's stepfather said homophobic bullies at school would taunt and name-call his stepson, a 5th grader, repeatedly calling him "gay and a snitch." The boy was even brave enough to tell teachers and faculty at his school about the harassment, but the bullying continued.
Wow sounds like the same kind of harrassement your giving Miss California Perez!!! She was brave enough to defend her beliefs and you just keep on bullying her. Do you even read these comments??? Even other gay people are saying your spreading hate. I am not prejudice against anyone. You have a lot to learn. You make your money off of picking on people and spreading lies and rumors. How hurtful is that? I don't condone violence of any kind. Verbal abuse is so mean and you do it everyday. You call people fat and ugly and sometimes you are disgusting with the pictures you draw on people in the pics. Perez you need to take a good look at yourself in the mirror. For someone who makes his livin off of other peoples misery you have no room to question anyones beliefs. Your mom must be so ashamed of you, not because your gay, because your a mean hurtful person.
Bullying is so uncool… wish kids would realize that!
omg that's horrible.parents and schools must give more attention to children and talk them about that being gay or different is not a wrong thing.everybody deserves to be happy whatever means him/her happiness
Re: GeeBee – you said "You do realize that all this stuff with Miss USA doesn't help create equality and love, it simply widens the divide. It is the reason that the argument should not start with Gay Marriage (that will happen one day) let's just worry about equal rights under the law for now.
It will take time, but constantly fanning the flames is not the way to fight this battle. It will keep people divided and hating. Think about it! "
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Sorry but the days of gays sitting around trying to hope that people don't dislike us are done. Fuck the bigots, and fuck anybody that says we should get to the back of the bus. HRC has been trying that shit for years and for years they have wasted millions of dollars and not gotten one single piece of pro-gay legislation passed. Meanwhile a few gay couples in various states have done more for gay rights than HRC with all their "Make Nice" ways have ever done. If you don't want to push for rights, than get out of the way and the rest of us will.
Re: Orator –
Your name should be hater. How could you wish death on anyone because of their beliefs. Your an absolute idiot but I don't wish you any harm. Grow up
The sad part of this is that parents don't teach their kids how destructive bullying is. I totally blame the parents of the bullies and the school administration.
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I know that the family is suffering, too, but I always question what the parents did to protect their child. It says that the BOY went to teachers and faculty. Did the parents? It is so tragic that a child that young would resort to suicide. My heart goes out to his parents.
WHY WOULDN'T THE SCHOOL DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
So, what exactly is wrong with being Gay?
These boys are killing themselves all because people think they are gay…
SAD; YOU AND YOUR LITTLE ATTEMPT TO LOOK COOL ARE TOO.
Re: Oh Please – You're a reatard, Oh Please. If you cared to look more into this than you'd know that Jaheem did not even identify as gay and definitely didn't advertise it. He was bullied because his classmates thought he seemed gay he never said he was. Please look more into things before you start saying the dead 11 year old "Madr a choice". Geez sometimes people make me sick!
omg that is heartbreaking!! some people must be really stupid when they don't think that homosexuals don't have feelings!! another kid was lost because of unneeded prejudice!! and those bullies were not sure if he was gay or not and now jaheem's death will be on their conscience!!
You're the biggest bully! You harass, not gay people, but you hurt and make people feel bad all the time. You name call. You out and bully people in front of MILLIONS and you profit from it. Don't pretend to hate bullying or hurting people. Really! You think what you post to millions isn't incredibly hurtful and that people don't go through trauma from your words. You're high. You quit!
Don't use this as a fake out. WAlk the walk don't talk the talk.
I hope you realize that you're screwing over any kind of chance you had to actually make a difference, because you're alienating people with your ridiculous childishness and showing yourself as an intolerant pig. I feel bad for this kid; his story deserves recognition, but not from some whining CHILD who obviously just can't get over a diss from a bleached-blonde Barbie. You've betrayed his memory. I hope you're happy.
Perez Hilton you make me sick you try to tie everything to gay marriage this tragic case of a child being bullied and commiting suicide has got nothing to do with equality for gay people you need to face facts the majority of this country does not want the definition of marriage to include same sex partners that's never going to change even in one of the most liberal states California get over it and stop comparing this so called equal rights for gays to the civil rights struggle of black people that happened in the 50's and 60's your statements toward Miss California shows how intolerant you are.
Don't use this sad story as a reason to make yourself look loving, caring and compassionate. Own what you do.
Re: GeeBee –
Smartest thing I've ever heard someone say on this site.
I feel bad for the poor kid. 11 year olds can be so cruel…and not just to gay people.
Such a sad story, and so disheartening. Bullying is a tragic part of children growing up, and unfortunately the Adults and School Faculty are not doing enough to protect the children.
Let me know if you think you don't tease, harass and hurt people.
Re: Obama412 – 48 Truth.
You are one of the biggest perpetrators. Re-read your posts.
The premes is wrong that he was teased because he was gay. He was teased due to effiminate qualities…His mother denied his sexual orientation as being gay. He took his life becuase he was teased, harassed, bullied..It does not have anything to do with equal rights issue, equality under the law, or same sex marriage. I would not link the two occurences together to support same sex marriage. That would be unfair to this boy who is no longer that may not have been gay in the first place. I hope you understand where I am coming from. Thanks, CK