Unnecessary and sad is right. How many of these stories don't make the news?

There's still a tremendous need for reach-out to help young people going through coming out.

Maybe the people at Bolthead industries who are all about the gays could make a contribution.

Stories like this make me heartsick. We're ten years on from Matthew Sheppard and this crap persists, and when LGBT adults try to reach out to youth in crisis we're so often labeled perverts.

Obviously someone who kills themselves because they got some prank phone calls was messed up in the head to begin with. If gays killed themselves every time someone called them a fag then there would be none of us here. Yes, it's sad when anyone dies, but to blame this kid's death on some stupid phone calls is asinine.

Stupid people do the most damage in this world. Poor kid!

Jon have you never heard that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Just because the majority of homosexuals can handle being called 'fag' does not mean we as a group should not explore the reasons why others could not. Remember it is not the language that hurts but the intent.

Estone, sticks and stones… It has nothing to do with homosexuals or "fag". It has to do with common sense. If you kill yourself over such stupidity then you are a VERY unstable person and the words really had nothing to do with it. Had this kid not killed himself over these words then he would have done it for some other petty reason or he may have decided to get back at everyone who has "picked on him" and done a Columbine.

Jon, were you one of the guys yelling "jump" to the gay teenager who jumped to his death a few days ago?

He looks a little bit "special".

My point EXACTLY!

Jon-

You missed my point. You are correct in your belief that a mentally stable person would learn to deal with taunting – by learning to be empathetic. Empathy teaches us to understand why others act the way that they do. The possession of such a quality allows us to understand that their taunting is a reflection of them and we learn not to take things personally. Empathy also teaches us to understand those who are less fortunate than ourselves. One might assume that people who do not possess this characteristic are unstable. They may not be a person who would kill, but they are damaged by the taunting (as you and MEN-SAR clearly demonstrate).

I must remember though, in my attempt to be a mentally stable adult to grant you the same courtesy I expect from you, to try to understand what causes you to be the way you are. So please, accept my apologies if I offended you. I now understand it is beyond your capabilities to act otherwise.