A national epidemic of harassment related youth suicides has led to Wednesday being dubbed “Spirit Day,” during which supporters wore purple.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center took part in hosting a two hour long nighttime vigil that attracted almost 300 people despite cold winds. Participants were given purple glow sticks in place of candles.
About a dozen supporters, including LGBTCC staff and Dean of Students Lori Berquam, spoke on the abuse they’ve witnessed and ways to overcome the intolerance problem that burdens LGBT youth across the country.
In the wake of the recent suicides and assaults on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens and students across the country, University of Wisconsin campus organizations banded together to stop the silence Wednesday night.
Armed with purple glow sticks and their voices, 250 students, staff, faculty and community members gathered to remember those who recently died and those who have been bullied.
The LGBT Campus Center’s interim director Robin Matthies said bullying and harassment of LGBT individuals will not disappear on their own. She said change will not come without community support, and the time to act has long since passed.
Following a performance by Tangled Up in Blue, organizers invited those assembled to share their stories, thoughts and opinions.
UW Dean of Students Lori Berquam took the microphone first and said now is the time to make change happen.
“We start here and we start now,” Berquam said. “Together, I believe we can do it.”
Many others shared their stories, including UW senior Gabe Peeples.
Peeples said his mother dressed him in feminine clothing all his life and until coming to UW he never felt comfortable dressing in clothes he actually wanted to.
He said his masculine attire attracted the attention of an interesting individual who, while walking with his girlfriend on campus, shouted the word “fruit” at him.
Peeple laughed at the story because he said he saw it as a “bullying fail.”
“It took me about 10 seconds to realize he was talking to me because there was no one else around,” Peeples said. “Then I kind of wanted to call back ‘Thanks’ because even though he thought I looked gay, he also thought I looked like a guy so that made me happy.”
In addition to students sharing their stories, others also performed poems and sang songs they wrote for the occasion.
UW senior and LGBT Diversity Coordinator for University Housing Kelsey Foster said just before the vigil she read about another LGBT student who committed suicide.
While some earlier students said things they have seen give them hope things are getting better and bullying is disappearing, Foster said reading about the suicide yesterday afternoon greatly upset her.
“Who I want to talk to, I need a mic, I need a feed into their brains, I need to talk to the people who aren’t here,” Foster said.
Foster said the fact people do not understand why these tragedies are occurring and refuse to do anything about it but rather focus on the economy and other issues also made her angry.
She then read the names of seven students who recently committed suicide for their perceived homosexuality, including Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate filmed him having sexual relations with another man.
Foster said the issue cannot wait, and if officials want proof all they have to do is hear the names.
“Why don’t you tell them that you have bigger things to worry about and better things to deal with”? Foster said.
The vigil started with a line of students standing silently holding their glow sticks on the steps of Memorial Library. It ended with a group of students shivering in the cold of the night, but smiling.
Correction: Due to editing errors, a previous version of this story used nonpreferred pronouns for Gabe Peeples. We regret the error.
