Sex Prank Drives Teen to Suicide
- Tyler Clementi
Authorities found 18-year-old Tyler Clementi’s (pictured) car, wallet, and computer on the bridge last week. Clementi’s body has yet to be found.
Dharun Ravi, 18, and Molly Wei, 18, have been charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for setting up a camera in a dorm room on September 19 and using it to view and transmit a live sex scene, said Middlesex County prosecutor Bruce Kaplan.
Ravi and Clementi were roommates at Rutgers. Ravi’s Twitter feed on September 19 referred to his seeing his roommate having sex with another man in their dorm room.
"Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay," Ravi said on his Twitter page.
Two days later, Ravi posted an iChat link to a video feed of the encounter.
Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police Tuesday and was released on $25,000 bail, the prosecutor’s office said. On Monday, Wei turned herself in to campus police and was released on her own recognizance.
Read the full story here.
| Neighbor of Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi speaks about online sex broadcast, suicide |
8 comments:
Whew! Can't imagine how they feel!
Yes. . .and the sad thing is that these two students, apparently, never stopped to think even of the potential harm they were causing. Now alone and in conversations with law enforcement and lawyers they are being told the severe consequences of what they did.
But when gays and lesbians are held in such low regard, in general, in our society. . . I don't mean the politically correct terms, words, phrases used on "state occasions". . .but the realities that millions laugh about watching TV "comedian" a-holes. . .they things guys say and do to a fag kid in the locker room. . or worse, out behind the football stands. . .
Those of you who saw/remember the flash scenes in BrokebackMountain of what happened to one of the two men. . . and the grief in the life of the other.
Or that scene in QAF where Justin is bashed, almost killed in the parking garage at the prom. . by the footbal hunk who.m Justin had jerked off and then later told out in public on the Liberty Street in Queer Village.
We can too easily say "well those were just movies". . .and that is correct. . .yet movies based on real life stories of what happens to gay boys who get caught. . .
Children learn their mores/morals from adult society and mirror it. . . .
justin
p.s. My students, on their initiative, are organizing a peace/reconciliation prayer vigil for tomorrow night. .. AND, ,get this: it will be held in the chapel at the Catholic Center on campus! That's where they wanted and they got no hassle from the Fathers there. ;-)
Ravi has learned the hard way that a foolish prank can have utterly devasting consequences. He will have to live with that for the rest of his life.
It's a tragedy for the boy who suicided, a tragedy for his friends and family, and now a tragedy for Ravi. How much worse can it get?
And to think, the 2 students (Rhavi/molly) were themselves minorities. Didn't they ever face any harassment?
Power to your students. Same for the students in Michigan for supporting their homecoming transgender King.
THANKS, JIMM. . . I will tell my students what you wrote. . .;-)
A thought, JIMM. . .what happened/ how did you work out of/ overcome that awful period in your life. . when the bullying, loneliness and desperation. . .how'd you do it?
I and when you might be ready. .. ?
hugs
justin
Justin, there were 2 really bad times. Both involved harassment from my hearing loss. Not to take any attention from your current blog issue, but harassment comes from many angles.
As a teen, kids would test my hearing behind my back, cussing at me. When they started doing it in school hallways, i really went into panic mode. That changed me forever. I posted a story on my blog, rightside column titled 'Bullies.'
or: http://ragingeighthnerve.blogspot.com/2010/04/bullies-again-bit-of-action-on-river.html
A similar event happened on the job as an adult. I was still new on the job. People started testing my hearing behind my back, so i pretended not to hear anything until they spoke so loud that i knew what was going on. Other times people would scream in my face, instead of speaking normal.
Then they had a team meeting, excluded me, so they could discuss my situation on 'their' team. I found out they mocked me, my voice, during the discussion.
Later, the team leader told me "to watch out, she was keeping an eye on me." Stuff like this continued for a few more weeks. I could no longer sleep, nor eat. I dreaded going to work.
We finished the nite shift for that week. I tried to sleep in the daytime, but was too nervous. Just had to escape the apartment, so i drove to a nearby park. It was a cloudy misty day, dreary. After thinking it all over, i decided to find a tree. I would come back at nite with a rope.
Back at home, at the moment I found the rope, the phone rang. It was one of the girls from work. She'd gone to a supervisor and told him everything. I could feel this crushing weight lift from my shoulders.
So, you might ask, why couldn't i tell the super myself?
Because in telling him, i would have had a complete emotional breakdown for all to see. And i didn't know if he would believe me. Death seemed like the lesser of 2 evils.
Hearing loss by itself is isolating. The skills and abilities to verbally express myself are somewhat lacking. I can write, but i don't have the speaking and social skills of those around me.
What kept me going?
At a previous employer when i was new, a small group of youngsters(twenty-something) saw me always sitting alone on breaks. They invited me to sit with them, then befriended me.
After awhile they wanted to know why i was so quiet. I took a risk and explained that i couldn't follow enough of the conversation in order to participate. They collectively told me to interupt anytime i couldn't follow the conversation. And Chris told me we could turn aside, then he would fill me in on the conversation, or i could ask him later what was being discussed, for clarification.
For the first time in ages i had faith in people. Remembering those people and how they assisted me is what got me over the troubled times.
Justin, sorry this 'comment' is too long.
THANKS, JMM, for sharing your story.
Second, please..never ever apologize for the brevity or length of what you share, Please?. . . .OK?
Your story is right "on topic" here. . it's about living and finding ways to survive in the ordeals we have, as they come.
Some people are realy dumb. . = worse than ignorant. They just don't realize how hurtful they are and how crude in their treatment of others. This lack is a real poverty in their lives and they don't even know it.
Anyway what a blessing that phone call was. . .damn! We'd all be poorer if you hadn't answered the phone.
I can entirely understand your reluctance and inability to go to the 'super' about what was happening. . . it is all just too painful to spill out. . . I can see that and, with all my gab, there are a couple of things I cannot yet bring up and talk about. . . I'd "bleed" too much and I am too vain to mess up. LOL
I can do it with people I know and trust. . . .and face it, hard as it is, not everyone is deserving of that degree of trust.
JMM, you're a great guy. . keep sharing with us. . .I find the more I do it the easier it becomes. ;-)
hugs
justin
Thanks Justin!
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