Campus Forum to Discuss Suicides Among Gay Teens, Students

Published 10.07.2010

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An open discussion about the recent increase in suicides among gay students will be held at Pennsylvania College of Technology in conjunction with National Coming Out Day on Monday, Oct. 11.

With a message of "Stop the Violence, End the Silence! It's OK to Be Yourself," the free, public forum will be held from 6:30-8 that evening in the Mountain Laurel Room of the college's Thompson Professional Development Center.

The death of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University freshman who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after an intimate encounter with another man was broadcast on the Internet, is just one of at least five suicides in recent weeks by gay teenagers and college students who had been harassed by classmates, both in person and online.

The event is being sponsored by PC Alliance, a student organization at the college. The group's purpose is to "improve the visibility, strength and support of the Penn College lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and allied (LGBTQA) communities through an educational and social environment." Students who so identify themselves as well as their allies are enabled to interact with individuals who share like identities in a positive, comfortable and confidential atmosphere.

More information about the campus event is available from the sponsorby e-mail . For general information about the college, visit online , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.