Allan Hubley has released a statement in which he says that while bullying played a factor in the suicide of his son Jamie, it was not the main reason the 15-year-old took his life.
Here’s an excerpt from his statement to The Ottawa Citizen:
There are some reports in the media and on social media that James was bullied. This is true. We were aware of several occasions when he felt he was being bullied. In Grade 7 he was treated very cruelly simply because he liked figure skating over hockey.
Recently, when Jamie tried to start a Rainbow Club at his high school to promote acceptance of others, the posters were torn down and he was called vicious names in the hallways and online. We had meetings with officials at the school and were working with them to bring an end to it but Jamie felt it would never stop.
We will not say that the bullying was the only reason for Jamie’s decision to take his own life but it was definitely a factor.
It’s a mistake to assume bullying is always the cause of all LGBT teen suicides—internalized homophobia, family issues or clinical depression brought on by unrelated factors can be to blame—and Jamie’s Tumblr account focused more on his loneliness than any harassment he suffered at school. Sadly, the elder Hubley’s statement paints a picture that’s all to familiar.
Allan has pledged to help wipe out bullying in schools and asked interested parties to donate to the Youth Services Bureau’s Mental Health Walk in Clinic in Jamie’s memory.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Ian
Way to totally misquote the dad in your header, Queerty. There’s a big difference between “not the reason” and “we won’t say it was the only reason”.
Cam
What Queerty said….””Jamie’s dad Allan Hubley has released a statement in which he says that while bullying played a factor, it was not the reason his son took his own life.””
Has a totally different meaning than what the father said…
“”We will not say that the bullying was the only reason for James’s decision to take his own life but it was definitely a factor.””
__________________________
Once again, Queerty has written two sympathetic posts about Marcus Bachman, and now has repeatedly tried to misquote and push to claim that bullying is not causing suicides, you called a lesbian couple that was trying to get the military benefits any straight couple would get Thieves and shams.
What is going on? After reading Queerty for the last week or so a friend said that it really looks like the right wing is paying Queerty to sublty subvert gay rights.
Seriously, what is going on? People in the business of writing cannot have misunderstood what the father meant.
Ray
Would it really matter if the father did say it? The kid had blogs the parents apparently didn’t even read so there was much they didn’t know about Jamie. From the blogs bullying was obviously a major factor.
ChrisC
For a website that loves to target The HRC for sucking up to our opressors and not wanting to make politicans angry/put pressure on them, Queerty sure seems to be doing the exact same thing (at least recently). I’m totally all for attacking The HRC, as they are mainly useless, but don’t go and throw stones and glass houses. I believe Cam & Ray summed it up best.
AxelDC
Why did Queerty repost this article? Was it embarrassed by its horrible reporting and the slew of comments calling it out?
Bullying leads to depression. Depression leads to suicide. To say that intense bullying was not a factor in his depression is like saying that drinking is not a factor in car accidents.
This is irresponsible journalism. Why has Queerty become so critical of gays lately? Has it been bought by the LDS Church or NOM (which is the same thing)?
TampaZeke
Queerty, when you put what someone said in “quotes” it’s supposed to be WORD FOR WORD what they actually said. Not only was your quote not word for word, it COMPLETELY misrepresented what the father said.
I’m starting to think that the Family Research Council is now writing for Queerty. Your articles are becoming more and more sleazy and anti-gay.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Cam: Been a while since I cyberstrolled over to Queertyland. Based on your history, I gots to believe that there has been sympathetic threads towards Marcus the barbarian. This is a man who runs a “de-Gay the Gays’ clinic. The notion that one can “change” their sexuailty goes against every fiber of our being. Bachman is nothing more that a self hating bullying scumbag………..
Scott Mellon
I think the Queerty article is misleading. There is nothing in this article …. http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Hubley_says_bullying_pushed_his_son_over_the_edge-10912.aspx
that supports the view that bullying was “not the reason”.
And in any case, how would the father know that? We can (could, it’s been removed) read Jamie’s blog.
Obviously events don’t have one cause. Obviously depression was a factor, and should be taken seriously. But so should bullying, and this article in Queerty seems to imply otherwise.