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Obama expresses concern over gay teen suicides
Oct 22, 2010, 20:44 GMT
Washington - US President Barack Obama expressed concern on Friday about the recent series of suicides by gay teenagers who had been bullied or subjected to humiliation.
'Like all of you I was shocked and saddened by the death of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay and ultimately took their own lives,' Obama said in a video posted by the White House.
The spate of suicides has garnered national attention and prompted activists to rally and post videos on YouTube seeking to assure gay teenagers and condemn bullying.
Among the most well publicized cases was the September suicide of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University in New Jersey who jumped off a bridge after a roommate posted footage of him engaged in sex with a young man.
'As a parent of two daughters, it breaks my heart. It's something that just shouldn't happen in this country,' Obama said.
'We've got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage, that it's an inevitable part of growing up. It's not,' he added.
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