They're Not Just Words

  I wrote a blog yesterday about a musician freshman at Rutgers University who jumped off of the George Washington Bridge. They identified Tyler Clementi's mangled body today after it was found in the Hudson River.

  It turns out that Tyler asked a gay forum for help dealing with a spying roommate who outed him. He expressed his disgust with the fact that his roommate  had garnered sympathy from homophobes instead of seeing the spying as the crime. This kid tried to reach out for help that never came.

 To those thinking that this was a harmless prank, think. If Tyler was seeing a girl in his room, none of this would have been broadcast. Even if it were, there would be kudos instead of slurs. This young man was humiliated to death, just as Asher Brown was, just like many kids before.

  If you don't think words can be criminal, look at these guys who are no longer alive because of intolerance.