Tyler Clementi: ‘Hate Crimes’ and the ‘Gay Morality’ Debate

01 Oct, 2010 by Donald Douglas

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From WPIX-TV New York, “Officials Consider Bias-Crime Charges After Rutgers Voyeurism Victim Commits Suicide.”

I wouldn’t go that far. Still, those who’ve blown this off as a botched “college prank” refuse to see evil. See, “Tyler Clementi’s Online Postings – Plus, Some Perspective on the ‘Hate Crimes’ and ‘Gay Morality’ Debate.” (Doug Mataconis has his head buried in the sand. And if Vox Populi represents the right’s position I’m appalled at those conservatives who refuse to see the humanity just inside of our ideological debates.)

There’s a symposium on this at New York Times — and this, from Daniel K. Gelb, strikes the appropriate tone:

The victim of cyberbullying cannot escape the Internet such a major part of modern life, and the technology affords the bully more tools for harassment (email, instant and text messaging, social networks and mobile media, etc.). Worse, bullies can exploit social networking platforms to gang up on victims. Abusing on these forums can lead to extreme emotional stress and mental anguish, even culminating in the victim committing suicide. The law must evolve to address how our society communicates, promoting proper conduct, and deterring future bullying with a legal means to punish those who cause harm.

See also Ellen DeGeneris, “It’s Time to End Teenage Bullying“: