I had not previously seen this story about a 20 year old lesbian (pictured at right) who took her own life earlier in the month. There is no evidence that bullying was a factor, but one cannot help but wonder whether or not all of the propaganda put out by the anti-gay forces played some role. Personally, I believe every member of the LGBT community suffers to one extent or another as a result of the prevailing homophobia in society. The Christianists can disclaim responsibility all they want, but they are the moving force behind the ongoing denigration of LGBT individuals and the principal supporters of anti-gay legislation. One would have to be unconscious not to feel the societal effects of the non-stop attacks coming from NOM, FRC, FOTF, and other organizations that use anti-gay propaganda as one of the largest fund raising tools. Here are highlights from SF Weekly:*
The rash of young gays and lesbians committing suicide has now struck the country's LGBT capital here in the Bay Area: Aiyisha Hassan, a 20-year-old Marin County native who identified as lesbian, killed herself on October 4. Hassan was a former student at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
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According to news reports, Hassan was a part of the university's LGBT student group:
Lauren Morris, 21, a senior at Howard, who lived in the same building as Hassan from 2008-2009, said she introduced Hassan to [the LGBT student group] and added that friends have reported Hassan's suicide was related to her struggles with her sexuality." ''She was having a lot of trouble with a lot of different things,'' Morris says, ''but mainly her sexual identity and just trying to express that.''
*
The Rev. Hassan told the Metro Weekly in Washington, D.C. that his daughter, who identified as lesbian, was not the victim of anti-gay bullying.
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