More Fruits of Christianist "Love"

Sometimes people do not understand my passion for gay rights activism and trying to do my part in exposing the deliberate lies and untruths disseminated by Christianists, Mormons, the Vatican and other anti-gay religious hate merchants. Then a story like this one comes along and it makes it all come into focus: I want there to be an end to stories of LGBT youth - and those perceived to be LGBT - killing themselves because they are harassed, bullied and told that they are worthless by those emboldened to do so by "godly Christians" and others who spew hate and seek to impose their religious belief system on all.

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I'll be blunt, I find those who make a living at tormenting and denigrating gays to be nothing less than a force of evil. The number of lives ruined or lost because of religious based intolerance - which, let's face it, is ultimately what fuels homophobia and makes it acceptable to many. No one should have to endure what Eric Mohat (pictured above) and countless others like him face every day all so that bigots like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Matt Barber, Rick Warren and others can feel sanctimonious and self-righteous and make a quick buck (or lots of bucks) in the process. Here are some highlights from ABC News concerning this victim of Christian justified hate:

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Eric Mohat, 17, was harassed so mercilessly in high school that when one bully said publicly in class, "Why don't you go home and shoot yourself, no one will miss you," he did. Now his parents, William and Janis Mohat of Mentor, Ohio, have filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying that their son endured name-calling, teasing, constant pushing and shoving and hitting in front of school officials who should have protected him. The lawsuit -- filed March 27, alleges that the quiet but likable boy, who was involved in theater and music, was called "gay," "fag," "queer" and "homo" and often in front of his teachers. Most of the harassment took place in math class and the teacher -- an athletic coach -- was accused of failing to protect the boy.

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"When you lose a child like this it destroys you in ways you can't even describe," Eric Mohat's father told ABCNews.com. The parents aren't seeking any compensation; rather, they are asking that Mentor High School recognize their son's death as a "bullicide" and put in place what they believe is a badly needed anti-bullying program.

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The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, names school administrators Jacqueline A. Hoynes and Joseph Spiccia, as well as math teacher Thomas M. Horvath. None would comment on the allegations.

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The Mohats also claim that bullying was a "significant factor" in the deaths of three other students in Eric Mohat's class in 2007. Mentor high school officials confirmed that a girl and two other boys in Eric's class had killed themselves in 2007. . . .

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Eric Mohat -- whose friends knew him as "Twiggy" for his lean, 6-foot-1-inch, 112-pound physique -- had a dry wit and musical talent, according to his mother, Jan Mohat. He had played piano for 13 years, enjoyed video games, anime, Harry Potter books and "cracking puzzles." "By all indications he was a very nice, typical high school kid, kind of quiet and shy, but outgoing with his little group of friends," said the family's lawyer Ken Myers. "He seemed to have a quirky sense of humor and was also very sensitive."

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Much of the taunting was related to him being considered gay, though Eric Mohat's parents said the teen "didn't identify himself that way," Myers said. "He may have looked effeminate, was in theater and would wear bright clothes," said Myers. "He was a skinny kid, and so the kids found something that bothered him and went for that."

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The Mohats allege that school officials urged students not to cooperate with the police investigation. "Nobody would take this seriously," said Myers. "We saw this horrendous bullying and no one could stop it." The family was "trying to pick up the pieces and move on" when they learned there were other suicides in Eric Mohat's class that year, according to Myers. After the police investigation, the family wanted to "hold school officials accountable." With the second anniversary of Eric Mohat's death and what would have been his 19th birthday this month, Jan Mohat said, "You could accept it if it were an accident, but the way he went is just not right."

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But days before the suicide, Eric Mohat told his mother, "I get picked on every day and I've got a whole nine weeks left. I can't do this anymore." "We never had a chance to help him," she said, choking back tears. "It shouldn't require legal action to get the school system to pay more attention to bullying than they do to their sports programs," said his father. "How many suicides is enough?"