Sixteen-year-old Brandon Elizares was found dead by his mother, who returned home from running errands to discover that her son had killed himself in their El Paso, Texas, home. Elizares says that her son’s death is the result of bullying, which he had faced at school since coming out two years ago.
“He got bullied simply for being gay,” the mourning mother told KFOX14. “He’s been threatened to be stabbed. He’s been threatened to be set on fire.” She also insists that her son’s death is not the school’s fault. “They reprimanded kids,” she said. “And they did everything they could.” She claims that her son’s friends told her after his death that at school on Friday Brandon had been bullied and kids had threatened to beat him up the following week. He never made it through the weekend. “My son had every right to live his life the way he wanted to, without having to fear that people would call him names or threaten to beat him up.”
I understand what Ms Elizares is trying to express, of course, but I’m sure if Brandon could’ve chose to “live his life the way he wanted to” he would have chosen to fit in. Brandon’s true right was to live his life the way he is.
The people who didn’t give him that right should face a criminal investigation. If there are witnesses who heard someone make violent threats against Brandon, threats which pushed him to kill himself, there should be some kind of legal retribution.
Bullying kills. Killing is illegal. . . So why isn’t bullying? And don’t give me this “we can’t stop kids from being kids” bullshit. You throw some asshole in jail for hating another person to death, they’ll learn a much greater lesson than they ever will writing lines in detention.
That’ll be “thou shalt not kill” 666 times, please.
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