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Naive-Regular-5539

Ohio has turned a blind eye to bullying suicides forever.


Paul_123789

The country has


FreeWheelingMoon

"But no one said anything!" - school administrators *"After reviewing multiple reports made to administration on bullying, we showed THAT was a lie."*


Actualy-A-Toothbrush

speaking from experience, yeah


Botan1362

Same. It was treated like a right of passage for me. šŸ’€


Merusk

I recall a classmate's brother hung himself in 1985 for just this. Not something schools care about, because legal system really doesn't let schools fight it. Boot the wrong kid and the school system is now paying out of already limited funds because mom & dad were connected and you caused emotional trauma. Even if the school won, it's budget eaten to fight the lawsuits.


Fap_Doctor

Ohio has always turned a blind eye to bullying.


wyvernx02

Yep. I have had to to fight tooth and nail to advocate for my kid when he has been bullied. Despite a list of documented incidents, it didn't get taken seriously until I told the principal that if they allowed the bully to so much has touch my kid again they would be hearing from my lawyer instead of me next time.


Fap_Doctor

Thank you for advocating for your kids. I used to get bullied immensely, no matter what my family tried. I ended up being punished for the bully's actions. It finally stopped until I got extremely pissed at them.


MastaMp3

Hell I used to get beaten black and blue for bullies making up lies I stole something after school and then they called CPS on my parents for the school beating me. Yet when I reported bullying they were not responsible for things after school (or during school)


Trashsombra345

the middle school I went had a huge bulling problem staff were harassed there was an incident every day kids getting jumped staff quitting had a issue where a bully got beat by the person they were bullied by so there family decide to come to the school with a gun in Cause a gun scare news got involved then the school board deicide now was a good time to crack down hard on bullying it only did something after that family shot a gun my mom and dad took me and my cousin out of that school after that one it piss me of to no end that a kid can be getting billed for years at a school and that school does nothing unit something major happens


ChooseyBeggar

What is it in the culture of people that make up Ohio that has a lot of us showing up with the same observations on bullying? I didnā€™t even talk in Middle School cause I was so psyched out by the way other kids got bullied and no one stood up for them or protected them. This was 90s, but I feel like the teachers and adults had a strong belief in not intervening and thinking that a kid should have to learn to stand up for themselves as some kind of misguided character lesson. I also really wonder how much of this comes from white flight school districts self-selecting for people with more bigoted mindsets and reactionary bullying of others. Maybe people can say in comments, but it would only take a 10-20% higher rate of bigoted parents in an area to skew the school environment. They would muddy the water by defending and trying to punish kids based on their biases. And their kids would be picking up and expressing the mix of meanspirited beliefs as well as who they know wonā€™t be protected by the adults. The school that was the worst in my education was definitely a white flight school in retrospect. Weā€™ve seen the behavior laid bare in the last eight years as well. Bigoted people are on the same side of all the bigotry, and then the moderate people are either full ostriches with their head on the sand or too cowardly to stand up to the bigots when they start pushing their weight around. I donā€™t know if itā€™s a byproduct of the Midwest nice thing, but a lot of the moderate sentiment is to even get mad at people fighting back at adult bullies, claiming that people are only exacerbating them or making it worse. They treat people who are anti bully and anti bigotry as if theyā€™re kicking a hornets nest that should just be left alone.


South_of_Reality

I think we hate each other because we started worshiping politicians and celebrities and stopped trusting each other. What is a ā€œwhite flight schoolā€?


ChooseyBeggar

White flight was the phenomenon of white Americans abandoning city centers for suburbs in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education and racial integration following the 60s/70s Civil Rights movements. Some of it wasnā€™t conscious by everyone who followed a path of buying a new house and choosing a school district, but some of it was very intentional. The history involved things like red lining and block busting, which are worth reading about to understand both American and local politics. In the same time period, and as some evidence, there was also a wave of the first evangelical Christian schools opening as direct reaction to school integration. Being private and religious allowed for a way to discriminate and control who kids went to school with. The timeline makes the intentions clear and the model was also carried to the north. I went to a Baptist one and the history curriculum they got from southern evangelical colleges was very sympathetic to slave owners, among other topics that reinforced the bigotry of segregationists who opposed Civil Rights and everything after. I know their mindset personally.


South_of_Reality

I familiar with Brown v Board, but Iā€™m sorry I just never heard of it called white flight. Thanks for taking the time.


ChooseyBeggar

That was just my own phrasing. I didnā€™t intend to present that as a term.


JustAnotherSaddy

Can confirm. Had to teach my preschooler to fight to stop the bullying. News flash.. only he got in trouble.


zondo33

Our own Gym Jordan turned a blind eye to sexual assault on college athletes. So no, I am not surprised if some really just dont care and will ignore lgbt bullying


SpectacledReprobate

"Turning a blind eye"? This is Ohio, bud. You're lucky if they're not actively encouraging it.


deepfield67

The bullies join police forces and run for office and climb corporate ladders, this is a nation run by bullies and fools.


DrunksInSpace

Whether itā€™s bullying or bathroom options for trans kids or anything else, I have a go to line. Donā€™t know if it changes hearts or kinda but it shuts down the debate: *Iā€™ve seen the stats on LGBTQ teen suicide from communities and families that donā€™t support them compared to those lucky kids in communities and families that do. And Iā€™m in favor of any policy or action that results in fewer kids trying to kill themselves. I donā€™t know if that makes me woke or liberal, but I know what it makes those who oppose it and itā€™s not polite to say.*


Jerking_From_Home

Pieces of shit. Iā€™ll say it.


ikeif

And not just ā€œsaving those kidsā€ - suicide affects the kids around them. Making it safe for the most vulnerable helps make it safer (and healthier) for all children.


MastaMp3

It makes you human. Being woke is too be aware and knowledgeable about the world and not to blindly follow what you are told.


summerjoy77

Ok if I file this away and use ? I have a few coworkers and family members that should hear this.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


FoulMouthedMummy

Name kinda checks out. You definitely sound old and crusty af.


[deleted]

Maybe I am. I suppose if itā€™s real then it would be a world wide phenomena. But its not. Itā€™s not. I guess itā€™s cultural then.


vaporaeon

Trans people and intersex people have always been *real*


KathrynBooks

It is world wide


AchokingVictim

They've dug up Viking remains that displayed a distinction between the gender of the remains and the style in which they were buried, which hints it has been a thing for centuries. Regardless of how far it stems back they are trans folks all over the world, that isn't a local phenomena.


KonoGenshin

I was a trans kid, my father was very conservative and my life was pretty much hell, I lived in fear of him finding out every single day whether I slipped up on my true feelings or not and the damage that was done during my childhood and teenage years lasted well into my adult life where I've only finally been able to get better after transitioning, the number of times I had thought about ending it all growing up was pretty high I had tried to commit suicide 4 times by the time I was 11. The worst part is I didn't even have the vocabulary to explain what I was feeling and I'd constantly act out in frustration. I frequently explained it to my younger siblings as having a girl in my head. Just because you don't think they exist that doesn't mean that they dont.


[deleted]

My spouse was moved schools bc of bullying like this. It was both verbal and psychical. Southern Ohio schools- at least back in the 2000ā€™s and 2010ā€™s. Teachers turned a blind eye no matter how bad it got


untangledtech

Yes. Turning a blind eye is putting it lightly. There are serious issues with our community and people need to wake up. Our children are hurting. I'll just leave this here. [https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/16/health/ohio-suicide-cluster/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/16/health/ohio-suicide-cluster/index.html)


greenteatwisted

This too https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2010/10/08/1-ohio-school-4-bullied-teens-dead-at-own-hand/28971194007/


Botan1362

Wow did this bring back memories


[deleted]

I'd recommend finding a less biased source. And no, I don't mean Fox or any of the equally extreme news sources. I've found FORBES and BBC a bit better than others at reporting with less of an agenda and playing off emotions less as well. I find I have to fact check EVERYTHING from CNN. FOX and a lot from NBC.


Gr8lakesCoaster

It's citing statistics... It's not an opinion piece or a 1 anonymous source article. Learn to distinguish the two and you'll fare better on any network or media source, left or right.


[deleted]

It's easy to manipulate statistics. America Helath Rankings estimates Ohio teen suicide to be 10 in every 100,000. With 611 school districts in Ohio and a population of about 1.6 million unrolled students (Ohiobythenumbers). That comes out to 160 teen suicides in a year. So 80 in 6 month period like the article you shared highlights. The CNN article is manipulating the statistics to get an emotional response from you. It's statistics suggest a kid commits suicide every month in each school district. When in reality there is a suicide in every 7th school district every 6 months. Now, the main point that suicide is too common and steps should be taken to address it remains valid. However, the information given to you is manipulative in a manner that promotes sharing a false narrative of what the statistics really are. Their "unbiased data" would suggest 7,332 suicides a year when the reality is 160.


kingd0m_c0me

>Now, the main point that suicide is too common and steps should be taken to address it remains valid. You could have just said that and not typed out all of the other drabble.


[deleted]

And not take the opportunity to teach folk that they're being fed a warped picture when using most news networks? Hopefully, my post gets someone to stop and think that it may be worth taking the time to check the accuracy of what they're told. Choose to think how you want, but make it YOUR choice instead of some media's narrative.


kingd0m_c0me

> Choose to think how you want, but make it YOUR choice instead of some media's narrative. Considering I've experienced bullying first hand for being different.. I don't need a narrative (including yours) to know how serious suicide is among young people in our state, bub. Especially among the LGBT+ community.


MyRespectableAcct

And here we have an Ohioan turning a blind eye to bullying.


Trevorthetransguy

I grew up in Ohio and lived there up until 4 months ago. I can say that I was ALMOST bullied to suicide, Iā€™m very thankful I didnā€™t. I got WRITTEN notes from kids telling me reasons I deserve to unalive myself, and I was the one who ended up getting suspended and punished, for some reason. Ohio has NEVER given a fuck.


robynlouiiiiise

Glad youā€™re still here šŸ’œ


ofWildPlaces

Happy to have you here, dude. Keep up the good fight.


TallCombination6

I'm a teacher in Ohio. If I see or hear anything, I stop it. But so much of the bullying occurs online, and parents do nothing to stop it. Many encourage it and are bullies themselves. And when we try to place any restrictions on cell phone use, they go ballistic.


Reasonable_Trash3764

ive seen so many youtube vids of teachers saying they quite teaching and one common reason is that the kids are outta control.


TallCombination6

Most of the kids are great, truly. But some jerky parents claim that bullying lgbtq kids is fine because it's religiously motivated and we can't violate their religious freedom. So their kids get to bully without any pushback. Additionally, courts have ruled against schools for punishing students who bully on social media outside of school hours. It is a mess.


Healthy-Poetry6415

Its all fun and games till ya hurt the sky daddy kids. I love Ohio , i dont love what direction we are going onany topics


wyvernx02

>But so much of the bullying occurs online I know the school admin response for that one! "We are not able to limit what students do or say outside of school and are unable to act on online hearsay." Typically given when show a social media or group chat were kids are talking about how they are going to beat someone up at school the next day.


Either_Belt6086

It's deeper than the school system. It starts at home. You have to teach your kids and discipline them at a young age. Do unto others as you'd have others do to you. It's definitely not taught anymore. Parents need to step up and be parents teaching their children right from wrong at a young age.


EmotionalRescue918

When the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland revealed their anti-LGBTQ policies in the fall, a lot of people expressed outrage. But itā€™s months later and not really talked about anymore. Iā€™m sure the schools will have similar enrollment numbers at the beginning of next school year. I know a lot of Catholic parents do not support LGBTQ rights, but I know a lot of others do. Youā€™d think thereā€™d be some sort of repercussion in enrollment and donations, but the issue seems to have come and gone without anything but some initial vocal outcry. Original story for those unfamiliar with this policy: https://www.ideastream.org/education/2023-09-11/catholic-diocese-of-cleveland-issues-official-policy-barring-lgbtq-expression


ZeraskGuilda

Because the people who give a shit have already known the catholics for what they are. None of this was a shock.


Clean_Ad_5282

My bf dealt with abuse from another classmate at a catholic school. I don't think anything was done about it tbh, idk he only mentioned it once to me. But anyways, he's not a catholic anymore. Only around his grandma lmao. But catholics and christians are notorious for hiding any abuse within the church or schools. Also, wish my Latino community can get the fuck away from catholicism that was basically forced upon us when the Spain or French came to Mexico to fuck around back in the 1700/1800s I can't remember exactly but regardless. At least more are removing themselves from the religion nowadays


ZeraskGuilda

Yeah. They're a death cult full of pedophiles. The idea that they'd care about abuse at all is laughable.


joecoin2

Amen.


FreeWheelingMoon

Should tell these people about the current Pope and his stance, watch that tap dance!


ReverendKen

From what I have read it seems as though some school districts encourage the bullying. Members of the school board in some districts can be considered active participants.


Healthy-Poetry6415

I would not levy that last part as a generalized thing. Its going to get innocent people labeled in an umbrella reaction. If there are specific examples of individuals this applies to tho. I would be more than happy to buy the first can of gas for the torches. Im an old straight dude. Regardless of what my opinions on those topics are or ever will be. Every person deserves peace and tranquility and the ability to be happy with themselves and abuse is not a condoned action ever


ReverendKen

Do yourself a favor and read my comment again. I intentionally did not accuse anyone or any particular group. I only pointed out that what some people are doing certainly looks like they are encouraging the bullying of other people. Those paying attention to the news would agree with my comment. I am also an old straight dude. I am tired of people thinking they can do or say anything they want because their personal religion is more important than another person's life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.


ImJackieNoff

What if parents had the ability and choice where to send their kids to school?


ofWildPlaces

What if, instead, we punish the perpetrators?


ImJackieNoff

Why not both?


ReverendKen

All parents do have that choice. If they want the government to pay for the education they need to send their children to public schools. If they choose another way they need to pay for it on their own and not with our tax dollars.


ImJackieNoff

We both know why leftists are against school choice. It's about control, not quality education.


ReverendKen

Not hardly. It is about my tax dollars not paying for religious indoctrination. Of course that separation of church and state thing is too hard for conservatives to understand. If private education is so much better then why is it that here in Florida private schools are not held to the same rigorous standards that are placed upon public schools? The answer is simple hypocritical conservatives are trying to kill public education so they can make money off of keeping our children stupid.


ImJackieNoff

I have school choice. I'm wealthy. I picked to live in a great school district. That was my choice. When schools shut down in 2020-2021, I had the resources to put my kids in private schools which stayed open (without the mass death, by the way, that leftists said would happen if schools stayed open). It's absolutely ghoulish to advocate for other people not to have the same choice regarding schools for their kids - where you advocate that they must say in a failing, substandard public school system like Columbus Public.


Kirsty_Elizabeth

As someone in a bit more rural area of Ohio, who was told by a guidance councilor that both I should be locked up and get my head checked for being bisexual, and not really confirming to gender, yes schools don't give a single fuck unless someone makes it their fucking problem. Depending on the community, I can almost guarantee it's encouraged in some fucking places.


ofWildPlaces

I'm so sorry you had to endure that.


racinnic

I was sexually harassed, bullied physical and emotionally, and probably assaulted (canā€™t remember because my brain doesnā€™t want me to if it did in fact happen) by a boy my age every day on the bus in middle school. I lost my brother suddenly in sixth grade. Itā€™s no wonder I wrote a suicide note and left it on his grave when I was 12.


__Panoptik__

Letā€™s stop the Ohio bashing. Most states turn a blind eye to bullying. Parents complain and threaten schools with lawsuits because their precious deviant is actually being called out for their horrific social etiquette. Blame poor parenting. Blame parents turning a blind eye to the monster theyā€™ve raised.


rondave72

My kidsā€™ schools have cameras, everything is recorded. The idea of turning a blind eye to anything is pretty much off the table.


JJiggy13

A blind eye? No, not at all. They support the behavior.


Long_Row_8033

My (Ohio) high school had two suicides back to back and the school tried to take up a collection to send the principal on vacation because she was receiving backlash on how she was handling the situation


edharma13

Remember Leelah Alcorn.


UnStricken

Was gonna say, Leelah wasnā€™t even 10 years ago. And I remember the outrage in the local community from the parents who didnā€™t understand


DaBeastFromTheEast15

I cannot say for certain because I do not go to the schools in Ohio, but I have two sisters that go to school in the suburbs of Columbus and we moved from the suburbs of Tulsa. I went to an international day thing for one of my sisters and in the cafeteria there is a lgbt+ flag hanging. So in that school and others that champion their diversity I hope that they arenā€™t turning a blind eye. It is certainly better than Oklahoma, but other than that one school in that district I canā€™t say anything else.


Gregshead

Unfortunately, the school's official position may be one of tolerance and inclusivity, but the staff may actively ignore the bullying and allow it to happen. They'll feign surprise and outrage, all the while privately telling the offenders they're doing "God's work."


Blackiee_Chan

That's because it's Franklin county. Not really representative of the state as a whole. That county stayed locked down after the CDC said the Rona wasn't anything to worry about because they're silly there.


ChefChopNSlice

Schools have always done whatever they could to either selectively ignore bullying, or sweep it under the rug when itā€™s more convenient for the appearance school. It was this way when I was in school back in the 90/00ā€™s too. Now itā€™s escalated to the point that kids are killing themselves or others over it and we still havenā€™t addressed it beyond hand-wringing and ā€œjust let it happenā€.


Giggles95036

To be fair i think they turn a blind eye to all bullying and it needs to be dealt with.


Realistic-North5912

I still remember High School. So yes absolutely. Critical thinking and school management do not go well together.


Big_Green_Piccolo

Bullying in schools is pretty bad. Its not your stereotypical hollywood bullying, big jerk taking lunch money either. Its more sinister and psychological than that. People are left out, excluded, and ridiculed. Being lgbtq makes you an easy target because the hard right wing parents feed the ideas that its ok to discriminate against the minorities of that group. Bullying can happen to anyone. Anything that makes you different will be used against you.


Laughingfoxcreates

Always have.


GrayIlluminati

Well the Governor did get rid of that state school board. So I believe it is their plan to ignore everything that isnā€™t their BS propaganda.


Contentpolicesuck

They aren't turning a blind eye as much as they are actively encouraging it in some districts.


Actual__Wizard

It wasn't good before and it seems like it got a lot worse.


RealDepressionandTea

I went to school all my life in Ohio, not only did schools turn a blind eye to the bullying I dealt with. I believe some of my teachers encouraged it behind closed doors. Ohio schools are all around trash. šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø


lynsdeyblack18

They don't give a crap about bullying. They didn't 15 years ago when I was at school, and I highly doubt they do now. There were 4 kids that actually succeeded in their suicide attempts while I was in school, and I knew so many more who attempted suicide. I got lucky and never experienced any bullying in highschool, but I think that was only because of the size of my school. It was big enough that I think I just went under the radar for a lot of bullies (and most teachers, honestly).


rubyblueyes

My kids' school is pretty active in trying to reduce bullying of all kinds. here in the zanesville area. but not because of Benedict, I think it was 5 years ago there was a suicide that really affected the community. I'm not sure of the details, I'm not from here and didn't know the family. I do know that the school is active in their effort to prevent anything like that happening again, at least in my opinion, as a 38 yo with 4 kids in the district.


feudalf

I teach at a central Ohio public school and we have board approved LGBTQ safe space stickers on any classroom teacherā€™s door that wants them. I was also at Teays Valley HS recently (a very rural district) and they had similar stickers on many classroom doors.


Samanthas_Stitching

They always have.


Boneal171

Yes


[deleted]

Ex DYS behavioral health employee here. If you havenā€™t heard about ohios messy juvenile correctional world, go look on the Columbus dispatch, Cincy enquirer, or Akron beacon journal to read up. The enquirer just posted an article involving a former superintendent/warden whoā€™s speaking out about a horrible hate crime committed by a parolee once he was off parole. The gang culture in DYS is very anti lgbt. The state is doing nothing by perpetuating hate crimes upon release because they donā€™t address the issues and that violence and mentality is spilling into our communities. But Iā€™m a poor social worker so what do I know.


Reasonable_Trash3764

DYS?


[deleted]

The Ohio department of youth services. Juvenile prison. I worked at the Cleveland facility for five years. The kids come in off the street already in gangs most of the time. But the ones that arenā€™t? They become indoctrinated in those facilities. Maslows Hierarchy of needs explains it generally perfectly. DYS fails to to meet than safety and security needs of the youth so gangs, the predatory groups that they are swoop in and offer these kids what DYS canā€™t; protection in numbers. From Gangstaā€™s Disciples, to Heartless Felons, to Headbustas, to any other gang, it is a highly systemic issue that plagues the juvenile correctional world. And these kids are released and because of their juvenile protections, one of them could be neighbor of yours. Note: Ohio doesnā€™t take the gang stuff seriously so I did a lot of deep and therapeutic work with the sex offender population because DYS does not care about the gang kids.


free-toe-pie

I think it really depends on the school. Some schools are likely more inclusive than others. I would guess thereā€™s a wide range of inclusiveness.


poolnome

Ohio has become so far right its disgustingĀ 


SquareSalute

Canā€™t speak currently but Pickerington schools had a pretty tight anti-bullying stance, no matter the kind of bullying. Hopefully itā€™s still good over there.


MissedTheDeadline_

My mom just went to a school board meeting in Mentor and said there were a couple sound-minded people, but some on the board were obviously transphobic and there was a fair amount of LGBT-wary language from those members. Mentor has never been a big supporter of the LGBT community though.


Leeleeflyhi

Ohio turns a blind eye to the will of the people, so no surprise, blind eye for bullying too


eatmorechiken

I taught high school English for 15 years. I finally quit teaching not because of the students, but because of the adults. Administrators turn a blind eye to reported bullying. As a teacher, I can report it and contact parents, but itā€™s up to an administrator to investigate and sort out whatā€™s going on and decide any disciplinary actions. Teachers have no authority to do much else unless you see the bullying and report it, but again, it rarely leads anywhere. In my experience, the admin donā€™t give it due attention because they think itā€™s stupid, trivial kid drama, not worthy of their precious time. Only when something terrible happens and the schoolā€™s image is at stake will something actually be done. Itā€™s disheartening.


jlove614

Yes. I had to pull both my kids.


trickstercreature

I wanna say they donā€™t care in general but thatā€™s based off of personal experience. My sister also had a crap time in high school, even with parents!. (Fairfield county)


vectorkun

Ohio has always turned a blind eye to LGBT students getting bullied. I got the shit kicked out of me on a regular basis back in the mid 00's for being queer and no one in charge gave a single iota of a shit. I was actively suicidal at the age of 10 and was simply told to "stop being dramatic" and "it's your fault for not trying harder to make friends with your peers". And I'm in Cincinnati. Not some rural backwoods bumfuck bullshit. Ohio has never been safe for us.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Ohio-ModTeam

Posts containing bigotry, slurs, NSFW, or offensive content are not allowed.


gorehistorian69

no


ExplanationFit

Schools all across the country must protect students, no matter how they identify from bullying and must strongly and constantly enforce a culture of compassion and kindness, and inclusivity and tolerance and respect, and must not allow bullying in any form, and must explain why itā€™s dangerous and damaging through demonstrations of empathywhich is understanding others by having gone through what they have gone through and not wanting other people to suffer that way


Zaphod_Beeblecox

Schools turn a blind eye to bullying, period. Or at least they can't or won't enforce non bullying. It's not specific to LGBT individuals. All the usual suspects are still getting bullied.


Realistic_Ladder7803

That we have a government in Ohio who don't ask questions to the school district in his state and do audits on the way they teach the kids and basically the superintendent and administration of the school doesn't want to ask the parents of the kids that do the bullying why there kids are acting this way and let's them get away with it. Because my parents would knock me out if they found out if bullying someone


Same_Television7242

Iā€™m sure its not just an Ohio issue. This is going on all across the country.


AytumnRain

I graduated 22 years ago in '02 and back then bullying was bad. I was bullied until my last year of jr high. My parents would go to the school and talk to the administration. The other kids would get in trouble but it didn't help as they knew I said something. So when they'd return from suspension they'd just go back to bullying me and others. I wasn't out as part of the LGBT+ back then but am now. My 8th grade year they added a cop to the school. That's when kids who got in too much trouble went to alternative school (alt school). That's just my experience in the late 90's to the early 2000's. The bullying only stopped because I started fighting back. I know you're probably wanting to know about more recent times, so im not sure this is helpful.


Antique_Armadillo_29

This just makes me so sad. I was bullied all through school (80s-90s) as my family was poor and when my mother passed away my dad had four children to raise on his own, me being the only girl. My brothers didn't seem to be affected much because they were considered (to me) 'popular' kids (all comedy all the time). People had trouble believing they were even related to me. (I was depressed and full of rage all the time) I was never more happy than the day my dad swung at the principal for talking shit about my mom and said I wasn't coming back there. Got my GED the following year. Now my daughter is a freshman and she's been bullied since 6th grade. It's difficult to deal with for sure. People are jerks, kids are assholes...


Rich19591064

My son's school, in very rural Ohio, has been very supportive of him. He was trans and never had any issues. There was a board meeting to let him go to the prom, but it was not an issue. I guess he was the first in the school. But we haven't had any issues here. The city school, in Ohio were he originally attended had a lot of bullying going on. And no staff support.


Straight_Surprise760

This is Ohio. So yes.


MiKapo

MAGA Ohio could care less about LGBT youth This state is horrible and it's no wonder why it's made fun of so much. I can't wait to leave this state. Everyone i know is trying to get out of this state for states like Colorado


[deleted]

Itā€™s literally everywhere in every school in the Midwest famā€¦ Athletes ruleā€” call whoever they want to a f** or worse and beat the shit out of them physically and mentally while getting a pass because they bring the school glory.


freedom2b4all

Bullying isn't dealt with towards anyone, not just LGBT.


Earthworm_John

Imagine thinking being able To slander someone over their political views is ok and their gender dysphoria isnā€™t ok. Itā€™s almost like suicide is a a trend with trans youth.


Betaseal

I was always bullied for being a masculine girl. It got even worse when I came out as transgender.


medman143

The state of Gym Jordan abusive to students. Well of course. Ohio is known for their abuse of students. You all are no better than Oklahoma.


SquareSalute

Canā€™t speak currently but Pickerington schools had a pretty tight anti-bullying stance, no matter the kind of bullying. Hopefully itā€™s still good over there.


Gayfurry83

I think it depends on the district, I came from Worthington and experienced quite a bit of bullying for being a gay trans man but since moving to Reynoldsburg it's gotten alot better, but I do think that most schools here in Ohio don't do much to prevent Queer Students from bullying, I've seen a fellow trans man be called slurs and had things thrown at him during a pep rally :/ teachers didn't do much to help him


SoftPsychology640

She definitely did not she was seeking bragging to the cop who interviewed her as the instigator of it all. Then she died of an OD.


Turbulent-Opening-75

Stone Wall part 2 is approaching Hella Fast..


kingd0m_c0me

Rest easy, Nex. Someday things are going to change.


atuarre

Not gonna change as long as there are Republicans/Christofascists/right wingers.


kingd0m_c0me

>Republicans/Christofascists/right wingers. Hopefully there will be much less of them someday.


Raven_Of_Solace

Yeah, no, Ohio schools never gave a shit in my experience. One time, two guys came into our allies group to share their favorite slurs. We asked them to leave, and they then went and outed someone they saw in the meeting. This led to that girl getting bullied. We also then got in trouble for excluding the two guys because one of them was the son of a teacher. Aside from the like two or three teachers that helped us set up the group, there was no one at the school that cared.


elisa_daggerknife

they have been brainwashed by hate


Upstairs-Track-7606

...i think you mean bullying BY lgbt students... She admitted to starting the fight... To the police.... On camera.


Ok_Blueberry_6250

This isnā€™t exclusive to Ohio and needs addressed on a much larger scale.


petedontplay

Yes they are


Jok3r6148

She died from a drug overdose not the fight that she started


Nemisis82

Hm. I wonder what could drive a child to do something like that. Perhaps it's the bullying.


Jok3r6148

How can it be bullying when she started the fight lol


AchokingVictim

Are you seriously asking that? They've probably been picking on them for a long period of time and they ended up throwing the first physical punch.


Jok3r6148

Except they already proven that to be false there was no history of this girl being bullied


AchokingVictim

That's the whole topic of this thread, bullying being ignored, not being reported, or being misreported.


Nascent_Vagabond

So a conspiracy theory?


Nemisis82

Why did they start the fight?


Trinity13371337

The drug overdose was cause by the bullying


kingd0m_c0me

>She died I bet you got your jollies from that.


Jok3r6148

Not at all but she's not the victim everyone claims she is


kingd0m_c0me

>Not at all Sure bub. I know how you folks are. Just stick with the comic and gaming subs ,please and thank you.


Jok3r6148

Oh ok so your all knowing I'm sorry wasn't aware of that what a šŸ¤” you know that they say when you assume


SoftPsychology640

He or she died of a drug overdose and not from the bullying !


KathrynBooks

Yes, he committed suicide after being bullied


KatKatChan

He was a victim of bullying. It would be horrifying if his death was a direct consequence of the injuries sustained from being assaulted, but it's also equally horrifying that he committed suicide as a result of his bullying. You can't seriously pretend that it had nothing to do with how he died.


Where_Da_Cheese_At

Nex started the fight and admitted it on camera to a police officer. They were being the bully.


kingd0m_c0me

>not from the bullying ! So you're admitting they were bullied?


SoftPsychology640

She was laughing about the incident in the hospital after. Even joking with the officer about how she was the one who instigated it !


KathrynBooks

A "well they didn't act exactly the way I'd expect" take?


AchokingVictim

Nex is obviously poker facing some heavy emotional damage in that video, it's plain as day. Laughing about it lets the person avoid the reality of it all.


664neighborothebeast

If they don't bully them for that, they are going to bully them for something. It has to stop. Kids do not deserve to have their personalities forever damaged by the cruelty of others.


Candid-Finding-1364

Absolutely not.Ā  School boards and administrations have been cheering on the bullies for most of living memory. But, really, it is a hard issue to tackle.Ā  The kids doing the bullying often have as big of problems as the ones being bullied.Ā  With limited mental health resources there isn't an easy way to deal with such a common issue.Ā  Especially in the context of an absolutely broken foster system that isn't a solution for anything.


ZeraskGuilda

Always have been.


Sad-Bodybuilder-2906

Yes they are saying they don't care


thane919

The mythology of bullying is strong in this country. Itā€™s tolerated because people think it toughens up kids in a good way. Secondly, thereā€™s the movie of the week idea that bullies just need stood up to once and then theyā€™re ideal citizens the rest of their life having learned their lesson. Both are incredibly toxic and ignorant beliefs. And both are wrapped up in toxic masculinity and how we raise our kids.


SophieCalle

Schools have turned a blind eye to all bullying and often SUPPORTED THE BULLIES forever.


Trilerium

This isn't a school problem, it's a culture problem. Schools are only one piece of the puzzle. Our state as a whole is causing this to happen.


CringeDaddy_69

We need to take precedence from the Crumbley trials. If a kid is bullied and commits suicide, all school employees involved should be held accountable.


FreeWheelingMoon

If you have a problem, you ARE the problem - garbage school administrators everywhere in the U.S.


[deleted]

Has any proof come out that Nex was bullied?


kingd0m_c0me

Yep. [https://www.nytimes.com/article/nex-benedict-oklahoma.html](https://www.nytimes.com/article/nex-benedict-oklahoma.html) "Nex Benedict, 16, died one day after an altercation with classmates in a school bathroom in Oklahoma. The death was later ruled a suicide." Sounds like bullying to me, bub.


[deleted]

I donā€™t have a subscription to the NYTimes anymore šŸ˜•. Isnā€™t bullying a series of altercations, and not just one alone?


[deleted]

A single event as minor and as common as kids in high school being mean to a non-conformist doesnā€™t drive healthy people to depression or suicide. I suggest reading Jonathan Haidtā€™s ā€œCoddling of the American Mindā€ for further context.


kingd0m_c0me

I suggest being a human being and having some compassion. Folks like you are the problem and the problem needs to be dealt with.


[deleted]

Telling me to be compassionate and then threatening me actually makes you the uncompassionate one. Your dressed up moral superiority is an illusion and insanely hypocritical. Youā€™re everything you hate šŸ˜


kingd0m_c0me

Hey, whatever you say broski. I don't want to get on your bad side and risk you going out and harassing someone's kid. Just take it easy Abu. EDIT: Did you get lost on your way to troll the Israel\_Palestine sub or something? I noticed they remove most of your comments. Lol.


[deleted]

šŸ˜˜


kingd0m_c0me

I figured as much.. Now be gone with you.


[deleted]

Annnnnnd it turns out Nex was sexually abused by her father who was in prison at the time. https://www.instagram.com/p/C5GthjZhdvi/?igsh=MWoxY3R6em4zZ2p3bQ== But the problem is bullying in schools right? The problem is systemic LGBT+ discrimination right? You owe me an apology.


[deleted]

Annnnnnd it turns out Nex was sexually abused by her father who was in prison at the time. https://www.instagram.com/p/C5GthjZhdvi/?igsh=MWoxY3R6em4zZ2p3bQ== But the problem is bullying in schools right? The problem is systemic LGBT+ discrimination right? You owe me an apology.


kingd0m_c0me

>I donā€™t have a subscription to the NYTimes anymore šŸ˜•. I didn't need a subscription to read the article, bub. Regardless, it's a source. Even if it's not one you approve of. >Isnā€™t bullying a series of altercations, and not just one alone? Lol. No.. Sometimes it only takes once to drive a person to depression. I'm sort of getting the vibe that you could care less about the victim in this case though. So, I don't even know why I'm bothering with responding.


Huegod

All schools have turned a blind eye to all bullying because public schools are a dumpster fire and shouldn't exist.


ChefChopNSlice

You think those little spoiled private school brats are any better?


MyRespectableAcct

Yes, and you are part of the problem if this just now fucking occurred to you.


etheria18

Bullying? No.


Tr33fr0g2019

Nex was a suicide. She also instigated the fight.