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9-Year-Old Boy's Suicide After Coming Out To Classmates Is Stark Reminder About The Dangers Of Bullying

Jonna Ivin
Aug. 28, 2018
Leia Rochelle/Facebook, @BlakeNemeth/Twitter

A tragic story is coming out of Denver about a nine-year-old boy who committed suicide after being bullied at school over being gay.

Jamel Myles' death has been ruled a suicide after the fourth grader was found unresponsive in his home. His mother Leia Pierce said that her son had recently told her he was gay. Jamel had recently started school at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School.

Pierce told KTRV about the days leading up to the death of her son when he opened up to her about being gay:

And he looked so scared when he told me. He was like, 'Mom I'm gay.' And I thought he was playing, so I looked back because I was driving, and he was all curled up, so scared. And I said, I still love you, He went to school and said he was gonna tell people he's gay because he's proud of himself.

Pierce added that Jamel wanted to dress more feminine, saying:

And he goes, 'Can I be honest with you? And I was like sure, and he's like, 'I know you buy me boy stuff because I'm a boy, but I'd rather dress like a girl.

Midway throught the first week of school Jamel took his own life. Pierce says he killed himself after being bullied,

Four days is all it took at school. I could just imagine what they said to him. My son told my oldest daughter the kids at school told him to kill himself. I'm just sad he didn't come to me. I'm so upset that he thought that was his option.

In a Facebook post from 2016 Pierce discusses the bullying her son endured .


Facebook

Now Pierce wants to shine a light on bullying to help other children in need.

We should have accountability for bullying. I think the child should. Because the child knows it's wrong. The child wouldn't want someone to do it to them. I think the parent should be held because obviously the parents are either teaching them to be like that, or they're treating them like that.

This tragic story has hit people especially hard.









The public needs to stay informed on the dangers the LGTBQ community still face.





Our deepest sympathies go out to Jamel's family.

H/T: BBC, Huffington Post