Stories like this break my heart. Seth Walsh, 13, from Tehachapi, California, died nine days after he tried committing suicide by hanging himself from a tree. He had been placed in critical condition, but succumbed to his injuries and passed away September 27, 2010, with his family standing vigil at the Kern Medical Center. He is the third teen to commit suicide this month following unrelenting anti-gay bullying.

Apparently, Walsh had been bullied relentlessly by peers over his supposed sexuality. His death shocked many students at his school who claim that school officials did NOTHING to intervene in the repeated bullying Walsh was forced to endure...just for being different. Ironically, the school even had an ‘anti-bullying’ program. Police officials said there would be no charges made in his death.

Judy Walsh, Seth’s grandmother, said the family did not have to make a decision to remove life support.

“He died as of yesterday afternoon. He passed away in a natural death. He is in the process of being an organ donor.” Judy Walsh stated.

A memorial service for Walsh will take place on October 1st, at 3:30 pm at the Tehachapi First Baptist Church and Judy says that the service will be positive and celebrate this sweet boy’s short life, who left behind three siblings, ages 11, 17, and 18. 


Judy appealed for tolerance within the community. “We want only positive things. It is not a blame game.”

“We are hoping the community will develop more tolerance for different people,” she states. “He was different. He knew he was different. He was a very loving boy, very kind. He had a beautiful smile. He like fashion, his friends, talking on the phone. He was artistic and very bright.”

She also believes that no one person is to blame for Seth’s death, and has appealed for kindness towards one another.

“We all let him down. It’s not any one person’s fault, or one individual.”

I remember being in high school 10 years ago and how kids in my school harassed and bullied the ones that were ‘different’. One of the seniors even tried hitting my friend (who was gay) with his truck as he and his friends jeered and made awful comments towards him. One of my closest friends was bullied so much at school for being ‘different’ that he would pick alternative routes to get to his classes, to avoid being abused by others, and eventually switched schools to avoid the incessant verbal and physical harassment.

As a community, as a culture, we need to start looking at this very seriously. Being gay is still stigmatized, still considered a ‘choice’, still considered immoral by many people in our country. If the United States would step up to the plate and allow for marriage equality, once again become a moral authority, the gay and lesbian community in this country would have the law behind them, showing everyone who calls them ‘different’ that they have and deserve the same treatment and respect under the law.

When you have a group of people that are vilified, bullied, and ostracized for their sexual orientation, it creates a rippling effect of hate that is allowed to permeate in our collective consciousness. This energy seeps into our homes, into our media, into our schools. When little Mike hears his parents refer to someone on television as a “fag”, he thinks this is acceptable. When little Susie hears that gay people aren’t allowed to get married because a religious rule is running our state laws, she assumes that they are lower than her, and will act accordingly.

Whatever your personal thoughts are on how people choose to live their lives, we instill our beliefs in our children whether we realize it or not. As we grow up, we are often told in school and at home that being different is positive. It’s important to be unique and special. This child, Seth Walsh, is a reminder to us all that being ‘different’ only makes you more susceptible to abuse and depression. Is that the kind of world we want for our children?