Bullied 14-Year Old Called “Gay, Girly, Fag” Commits Suicide

Fourteen-year old Pennsylvania high school freshman Brandon Bitner wrote a suicide note, left home around 2:00 AM Friday morning, walked thirteen miles, then, threw himself into highway traffic, killing himself. A friend says, “It was because of bullying. It was not about race, or gender, but they bullied him for his sexual preferences and the way he dressed. Which they wrongly accused him of.”

Via The Daily Item:

“His death came just days after an anti-bullying assembly at the high school, which, according to district Superintendent Wesley Knapp, was not held in response to any specific problems at the school, but because it is an issue Principal Cynthia Hutchinson has always felt strongly about.

“After the assembly, according to student Briana Boyer in another letter to The Daily Item, “No one took it seriously, and joked around about it.”

“He was very talented,” said sophomore Alley Sharp, of Middleburg, as she remembered an “Evanascence” song he played on his violin at a middle school talent show, wowing the crowd.

“Anyone in our school who looks different is tortured,” said sophomore Emily Beall-Ellersieck, of Middleburg, who said Bitner had “changed” around the eighth grade.

Bullying is a problem at the school, she said, and “It needs to be dealt with.”

Bitner’s friends have created a memorium page, on which they write,

“Brandon left a suicide note at his home and several audio recordings for his closest friends. His note was not full of resentment and hate, but of love and hope. Brandon explained in the note that he was constantly bullied at Midd West High School in Middleburg, PA, where he was a freshman. Bullies called Brandon gay, girly, fag, and geek. He stated in the note that a humiliating event in school this past week was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“In the first part of the note, Brandon made it clear that he does not want this outcome for anyone else in the world. He said he wants his family and friends to fight to bring awareness to the bullying issues in today’s society. He told his friends in the audio recording and in the note that he wants them to have fulfilled lives and the strength to follow their dreams. It is now up to us, the members of this society, to explore bullying further and start a strong, solid movement to prevent bullying and suicide.”

They add, “Brandon was intelligent, caring, passionate, and hilarious. He was quiet but he always caught you unexpectedly with a great comeback or one liner. He was insightful and read people well. His sensitive nature made it easy to get along with him. He accepted everybody – it didn’t matter if they were white, black, gay, straight, skinny, or fat.

“He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Whenever his mom had a nice dinner or gathering for her friends, he always helped and interacted with the group. Brandon and his sister Crystal always goofed around and had fun together. He always looked forward to summer vacation with his grandparents and was fortunate enough to visit a lot of the United States.”

There’s a Flickr page of photos of Brandon, and a Facebook page.

It’s important to remember there have been many anti-gay bullying suicides. Take a look at “September’s Anti-Gay Bullying Suicides – There Were A Lot More Than 5,” and “Gay Teen Suicide Epidemic — Missing In Action: The Surgeon General And The CDC.”