I am Jamey Rodemeyer

Surrounded by piles of school work and my Shih Tzu, I have been trying to figure out a way to put into words exactly how I feel about the events of the past day or so.

Jamey Rodemeyer was a 14 year old boy from Williamsville, NY.  This past Sunday, after years of relentless bullying due to his sexual preference, Jamey made the horrible decision to take his own life.

This issue really bothered me not only because it is related to my platform on Teen Domestic Violence Awareness, but also because I felt bullied when I was a middle schooler and a Freshman in high school like Jamey.  I cannot even fathom the constant anxiety today's teenager feels in regards to bullying.  Bullying doesn't just end in school anymore with name calling or throwing someone in a locker, it continues at home.  Teens log into their social media and are flooded with cyberbullying.  Although in today's society there are many amazing artists and public figures reaching out to promote Dignity For Students, I still feel very fortunate that I am not a teenager today.

This is my 9th grade yearbook picture.  Glasses, braces, at-home-highlighted hair; the works.  Needless to say I didn't fit in too well with the all the "popular" crowds during that point in my life (I probably still don't).  It also didn't help that I was a huge choir nerd and developed later than all the other girls thus transforming my current nickname of "Train Tracks" to "The Anorexic Girl."

This was extremely hard for me.  Among other rumors, I actually heard that someone said the only reason I was put on the cheerleading team later that year was because I was bulimic and the only girl they could lift in stunts.  Which is hilarious to me now because I am terrified of heights but at the time had me in tears almost daily.

This recent event is not an issue dealing with gay rights, but an issue of equality, respect and love.  Young people are bullied every day, many of them, like Jamey, for something that they can not change.  It is not someone's responsibility to change how God made them so you can be more comfortable, it is your responsibility as a human being to love one another and accept people for who they are.