Utah family hopes son's suicide buries bullying

They say school officials didn’t handle teen’s situation properly, hope his legacy keeps other gay students from ending their lives.

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They have enlisted the help of Steven Ha, a Salt Lake City Asian community activist, with ties to both the Vietnamese and gay communities. Ha said he will introduce the Phan family, who want to learn more, to local gay activists and assemble a group to address several issues, primarily suicide prevention for gay-ethnic youth.

David Phan, Utah Teen, Commits Suicide Outside School After What Peers Call Extensive Bullying

“We have no formal reports of bullying,” district spokesman Ben Horsley told the Salt Lake Tribune. “We don’t have any student come forward to talk about bullying.”

But Phan’s classmate Makayla Schmidt told KSL that bullying is especially difficult to detect when it comes in the form of verbal, as opposed to physical, abuse.

“I heard it, people [talking about him,” she told the station. “I don’t think people realize how much words can hurt.”

(Click on the link to read the full article.)

Commentary: three years ago today, in South Philly High School, Asian immigrant students were targets in a series of beatings that lasted from 8:30am to 4pm after school. The school and school district officials immediately tried to cover up everything by refusing to take the responsibility on this, although 30 Asian immigrant students were attacked, and 13 had to go to the hospital. It’s dysfunctional school districts and irresponsible school officials like this that helped perpetuate the whole culture of silence and normalization of school violence.

It is imperative that school administrations step up to the plate, take responsibility, and work to ensure that schools are safe environments for the students they are built to serve.

RIP David.

For Asian American women, depression and suicide go largely unseen

haetae:

For Asian American women, depression and suicide go largely unseen
By: Erica Mu

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