It's so sad that not only did her nonacceptance help push her son to such a depression, but that her nonacceptance now leads her to believe that her son is in hell. (sigh)

That's just terrible. I don't even know what to say.

That's the same reaction I had, Georgia. I posted this because sometimes people don't realize the harm and pain they inflict on others, even when they don't do it on purpose.

Here is how I feel about homosexuality:

People are born being attracted to the same sex.
It is a desire equally as strong as people who are born attracted to the opposite sex.
Asking homosexuals to be celibate is as cruel as it would be to ask heterosexuals to be celibate.
One person's homosexuality does not effect any other person.
Consenting adults who are homosexual do no harm engaging in a relationship with each other.
Therefor, there is no logical reason for anyone else to deny rights to homosexual people.

This a tragic story of a woman with a deadly type of homophobia. She drove her son to suicide and doesn't even know she is responsible for it. This case is too tragic for words. It's sobering to know that there really are people out there who are so unaccepting as to cause a death. I don't know what else to say.

Futureshock....I agree with your homosexuality explanation. It's very accepting and fair.

Thank-you. And I LOVE your avatar!

That makes me want to cry... that poor, horrible woman. She doesn't even realise what she's done... And now one more beautiful young man has left this world in pain and anguish, all because of Religion. What a loving though.

It makes me mostly angry. If you are a christian, how would you reconcile this?? Why would god do this to people- make them different and let them suffer for it, let their own parents tell them there is something inherently evil in them, then let them die, and let their parents think they are going to hell for the situation God caused in the first place ....

This is why I don't believe in God.

If this is 'love' I shudder to think what this twisted wench thinks hatred or intolerance is.. she as good as killed that boy herself.

The mom was desperate about her son being homosexual and definetly approached him incorrectly. People make mistakes. I would have certainly approached to this case differently. But not everybody knows how to approach very difficult situation like this. This is shocking news to a mom so I can understand under the trauma that it is to her that she couldn't think of what is right. As we see more and more gays nowadays we are more prepared to face this situations.

It's not a difficult situation in the least. I actually don't view it as a situation at all. And do you mean "we" as in Christians? How are you prepared? How would you have approached it differently? By telling your son that what he's doing wrong in a different way than she?

if that lady was a *christian* as she wanted everyone to beleive.. she wouldnt have been tied to the thought that he was going to hell.

Its a widely known fact that God loves each and every one of his children equally regardless of their choices.

Yeah, rainfire, but not all christians believe that!! She didn't.

It's terrible that her religion told her to treat her child this way, and offered no help to her when he committed suicide. I'm blaming her religion, not her.

This is what happens when people are taught to be sheep and not allow individual rights..

To you it is not a difficult situation but you can't speak for all. To me it would be very difficult. I wouldn't like to have a homosexual son/daughter. And it's not because I'm religious. My brother was gay so I have already experiences how it is when it happens in your family. There is also gay in my fiances family. So I know already aware how this can happen and therefore I am now prepared to face it. As for how I would approache it I have done my own research and definetly not sharing in here.

This makes me so thankful that my mom was happy when I came out.

Parents have no business in worrying about ANYONE'S salvation. This includes their children. They're there to love their children UNCONDITIONALLY... regardless of "sin".

This is one of the hugest problems in the world: People so freakin' consumed with everyone else's salvation, while they're committing the greatest evil of all: judgment... especially when we have hurting kids in the world who need love and acceptance. Just think how different this world would be!

This disturbs me so much. SO much.

I agree, Marvel. Believing homosexuality is wrong is so twisted. It makes me want to throw up.

Nightangel, I'm sorry you were raised and taught to discriminate so quickly. It makes me very sad that you believe they are the ones with the problem, when in reality, it's you.

Uh, did I miss where it is said that he killed himself solely because of his mother's actions? Sure, she screwed up, but there could have been plenty of other reasons he made this decision. Like, oh I don't know, society's views on gays, depression, adolescent hormones, personal issues we don't know about, etc.

Betty kind of smells like a troll there, too...

Just to keep it balanced...

I don't think she's a troll. I also think this exact same scenario happens in thousands of families.

Katieo, I agree with you completely.

Nightangel, why wouldn't you like to have a homosexual person in your family? How can they negatively affect you in any way?

Because, futureshock, new studies show that you can actually catch the homosexuality disease by breathing the same air as they are!
We had better stay far, far away!

Is that why, Nightangel? Or do you have some other wacky explanation?

Gay: the new SARS?