. >> asher brown was in eighth grade, a straight a student, mature beyond his years, which made the torture at school even worse. asher knew he was different and told his family the bullies at school were happy to remind him with violence and abuse. >> they made fun of his size, him being small, they made fun of his ears, they made fun of his religion when they found out he was buddhist. >> reporter: asher told his parents he was being tortured. it was going on all year, but his final days were especially bad. >> the bully that he had had trouble with pushed him down a flight of stairs and had his books kicked down the hall, all while laughing at my son. i believe fully that this was just the last straw for him. >> reporter: the next morning asher revealed a secret and told his stepdad he was gay. >> he had a smile on his face. he got it off his chest. >> reporter: but after school that afternoon, asher went into a bedroom closet and shot himself with his stepfather's gun. >> i think i started screaming then because i just couldn't wrap my head around that. . >> reporter: for a 13-year-old

asher brown's funeral will take place tomorrow.hot himself inside his family's home. asher's parents said their son told him he was gay shortly before he killed himself and they complained to the high school about the harassment he endured. >> my son told teachers. when that didn't work, we called the school. we asked to speak to counselors, assistant principals, the coaches in his p.e. class. anyone who would listen to us. >> the family says they blame the school district for allowing the harassment to go on. meanwhile, the school district responded to msnbc news saying upon enrollment his mother reported his personal history, which included post-traumatic stress disorder. the parents made no contact with the school regarding concerns of bullying. asher brown and tyler clementi are among four gay teenagers who killed themselves in the past month alone. in california, a memorial service for 13-year-old seth walsh is taking place later today. the middle school student spent nine days on life support after hanging himself in a tree i

asher brown's parents said he sh and killed himself september 23rd. all had been bullied in school. >> they are vilified. the one place they should be safe is in school. unfortunately they're not. >> reporter: the law center produced the documentary. he said it is more than one gay teenager about his struggle with bullies. he said it's the district's inaction. >> youan't be neutral on achb issue like this. >> reporter: cohen wants legislative action. heants tolerance. >> i hope people can see my story and realize we're human beings and we deserve respect. >> reporter: craig melvin, news 4 today. >> southern poverty law center is making the film. it's available along with teaching kits free of charge to every school in the country. so far 15,000 kits have been given away. >>> police are sll trying to figure out who shot a man near a virginia metro station. police found the 32-year-old victim at the huntington metro station monday night. he was in the lot bleeding from a gunshotound in his lower body. a faly member who was supposed to meet him called po

the asher brown case, another teen suicide, focusing national attention on the issue of bullying. rutgers university student tyler clement jumped off a bridge to his death after two other students allegedly use add webcam to record him during a sexual encounter with another man. then they posted it online. last night in las vegas hundreds of people attend add rally trying to to reach out to victims who feel they have nowhere to turn. knsv has the details. >>> you shouldn't have to dread going to school in the morning. you shouldn't have to run home from school in the afternoon and you shouldn't have to cry yourself to sleep every night. >> reporter: the message was a rally cry and a cry for help. gay teens and other young people who don't fit into gender norms have long suffered ridicule and bullying but after recent news of suicides, texas and new york, many are standing up. in las vegas, they're even recruiting help from local politicians. >> there's just been too much news lately, too many deaths, too much discrimination, too much harassment based on sexual orientation and gend

highlights a troubling trend, cyber- bullying and gay bashing leading to tragic outcomes. 13-year-old asher brownmself in the head after he was reportedly bullied. in california, 13-year-old seth walsh hanged himself from a tree in his backyard, and 15-year-old billy lucas killed himself in indiana, all reportedly over relentless teasing about their sexuality. according to a recent survey on gay bullying, nine out of 10 gay and lesbian student are bullied at school. those statistics, student at harvey milk high school in manhattan know all too well. this is one of the first high schools in the country, open primarily for gay, lesbian, and transgender students. >> i think people get scared and fearful, and not because they were born into that fear but because it was taught by society. >> reporter: tonight, prosecutors say they will investigate whether this was a bias crime. katie? >> couric: byron pitts. byron, thank you very much. we ask for your comment and questions on twitter and facebook today. jan crawford in washington is our chief legal correspondent. jan, what kind of laws against bullyin

in tas, asher brown's parents say he was pushed too far about his sexseuality. he shot and killed himself september 3. >> the gaz ays and lesbians are terribly vilified, and the one place they should be safe is in our school, and they're not. >> the fm is about more than one gay teenager's struggle with bullies. it's about his school's inaction. >> i think schools have to be explicit and name gays and lesbians in particular. it can't be neutral in a case like this. >> they want legislative action. nabosny wants tolerance. >> i rope peophope people can s story and realize we're human ings and we want respect. >> they're making the film available for free along with a teaching kit to every school in the country, and so far they say they've given away more than 15,000 kits. back to you. >>> vincent gray says one of his goals as mayor would beo bridge the city's racial and economic divisions. tonight gray held one of eight town halls before the general elecon in november. he says he also plans to push for more ecation reform and he wants police to have a more physic

how about billy lucas and asher brown?e all teens who were gay, or thought to be gay, they were all harassed, tor meanted a tormented and bullied to the breaking point. these kids didn't think life would ever get better. now a gay city councilman in ft. worth, texas, has put his political life on the line to tell other kids it does. that was joel burns speakg from experience. you'll hear from him in a second. he used the city council as a forum to tell how bullies went after him as a teen. it left such an emotional scar -- let's listen to him quickly. >> i want to use my taime to tak about another issue that pulls at my heart. the parents of asher brown, who you can see above, complained to school officials outside of houston that their son was being bullied and harassed in school. the bullies called him faggot and queer. they shoved him and punched him. in spite of his parents' calls to city councounselors and the , the threats and tormenting continues. for years it continues. he went home, found his father's gun and shot

in the last three weeks, including 13-year-old asher brown in texas where his school is rallying againstg. >> trying to degrcreate awarene where to go if they're being bullied and need help. >> the price paid is one that should never be called upon. >> new jersey senator will introduce federal legislation requiring colleges to adopt an anti-bullying code of conduct in clemente's honor. some question if it's enough. >> i don't know legislation can come into kids' rooms and stop them from doing the horrible things they're doing. >> his roommate and another freshman are charged with invasion of privacy. others are weighing state crime charges. >> a seasoned skipper says he would be dead this morning if not for his bright yellow life jacket. he was on the boat off alcatraz when he went overboard. they spotted saber and called for help. after about 20 minutes in the water he was rescued by the coast guard. we talked to saber by phone. he has advice for anybody that boards a ship. >> if there's anything i can impart from the public it was certainly resounding: use your life vest. i was on the

seth walsh in southern california, billy lucas in indiana, and asher brown in texas. and dan savage posted a seven minute video entitled it gets better. >> however bad it is now, it gets better and it can get great and it can get awesome. your life can be amazing. but you have to tough this period of it out. >> reporter: but the gay strait alliance network has taken the message one step further launching the make it better project.org. >> i was coming to terms that i was gay. >> and i was made fun of every day. >> the site encourages the community to shoot and upload videos in hopes of turning victims into activists. >> we have lives and power right now. and we can use it to make it better right now. >> did you ever think about committing suicide? >> yes. >> reporter: at the lgbt community center at san those jose state, students say these videos would have helped when they were in high school. >> you can help that one person who might be thinking i'm going to end my life today. >> i'm happy is out there the more people that come to you is a -- that say it does get be

including 13 #-year-old asher brown in texas. his school is rallying against bullying. >> trying to create awareness and make sure that kids and parents have resources that he know where to go if they are being bullied and need help. >> the price that was paid is one that should never be called upon. >> reporter: new jersey senator frank lauden -- lautenberg will introduce federal legislation requiring col togs adopt an antibullying code of conduct in tyler clement a honor. some question if it's enough. >> i don't know if legislation can necessarily come into kids rooms and stop them from doing the horrible things they are doing. >> reporter: tie lair clementi roommate and another preshman are charged with violation of privacy. >> police in prince george's county are trying to figure out whether dozens of cadets cheat on academy test records showing unusual amount of perfect scores on the test that measure basic skills and arrest procedures and nearly 150 officers are being investigated right now. at least 34 face specific cheati

including 13-year-old asher brown in texas where his school is rallying against bullying. >> we are trying create awareness and make sure that kids and parents have resource that is they know where to go if they are being bullied and they need help. >> the price that was paid is one that should never be called upon. >> reporter: new jersey senator lautenberg will introduce federal legislation requiring college to adopt an antibullying code of conduct in tyler clement a honor. some question if it's enough. >> i don't know if legislation can necessarily come into kids rooms and stop them from doing the horrible things they are doing. >> reporter: tyler clement a roommate and another freshman is charged with invasion of privacy. prosecutors are weighing whether to add hate crime charges. emily schmidt abc news washington. >>> a month to go and it's a political all star lineup and it's happening at bowie state university this afternoon. abc2 news linda so joins us with the biggest star, the president, will show up to support governor o'malley. lindo ors -- linda. >> reporter: well, the preside

and 13-year-old asher brown of texas killed himself with a gun. >> his life was intended because of intolerance and hate. >> life gets better. >> reporter: relationship columnist dan savage, who's gay, says getting past the hate is hard but not impossible. >> when a gay kid commits suicide, what he's saying he can't picture a future with any joy in it, a future worth toughing it out for. and i want gay kids to know that they can have a happy, fulfilled life, and experience joy. >> reporter: this week at rutgers, project civility was launched, an effort to improve interpersonal relationships. >> we're trying to create a campus where everywhere is safe. >> reporter: too late for tyler clemente. another precious young life gone. mike taibbi, nbc news, new brunswick, new jersey. >>> when our broadcast continues in a moment, "education nation." you know how teachers have been under attack lately, tonight we meet parents who were willing to go to battle for their kids' beloved teachers. >>> later, remembering one of the great leading men, tony curtis. the great leading men, tony curtis. words alone a

in the last three weeks, including 13-year-old asher brown in texas, where his school is rallying againstullying. >> trying to create awareness. trying to make sure that kids and parents have resources that they know where to go, if they're being bullied and they need help. >> the price that was paid is one that should never be called upon. >> reporter: new jersey senator frank lautenberg, said he will introduce legislations, requiring colleges to adopt an anti-bullying code of conduct, in tyler clementi's honor. some question if it's enough. >> i don't know if legislation can come into kids' rooms and stop them from doing the horrible things they're doing. >> reporter: tyler clementi's roommate and another freshman are being charged with violation of privacy. >>> the three candidates in that closely-watched florida senate race faced off last night in their first-ever debate. charlie crist and kendrick meek tried to paint marco rubio as a radical conservative. rubio is backed by the tea party. he pointed out that crist decided to run as an independent, only after falling behind in the rep

would you go ahead and run the -- the parents of asher brown, who you can see above complained to school officials that their son was being bullied and harassed in school. the bullies called him fagot and queer. for years the harassment continues. a couple of weeks ago, after being bullied at school, asher went home, found his father's gun and shot himself in the head. his father found asher dead when he came home from work. asher was 13 years old. i would like for you to look at his face. unlike asher, indiana teen billy lucas who was never identified as gay, but was perceived as being gay by the people who harassed him daily. three weeks ago he hung himself in his grand parents' parent. minnesota 15-year-old justin auburn came out to friends at age 13 after harassment and bullying began. when he found the harassment more than he could bear, he hung himself in his room and was found by his mother. classmates started teasing and name calling seth walsh in the fourth grade, it continued through his middle school years where other students told him the world didn't need another queer and t

in texas, asher brown's parents said he shot and killed himself september 23rd.al others had been bullied in school. >> gays and lesbians are terribly vilified. the one place ey should be safe is in school. unfortunately they're not. >> reporter: the law center produced the documenta. he said it is more than one gay teenager about his struggle with bullies. it's about his school district's inaction. >> i think policies ischools have to be explicit and have to name gays and lesbians in particular. >> reporter: cohen wants legiative action. he wants tolerance. >> i hope people can see my story and realize we're human beings and we deserve respect. >> reporter: craig melvin, news 4 today. >> southern poverty law center is making the film. it's available along with teaching kits free of charge to every school in the country. so far 15,000 kits have been given away. >>> one d.c. council member wants to keep children in school longer each day. it would lengthen the school 30 minutes to seven hours. the district has the shortest public school day in the region. but it w

. >> 13-year-old asher brown, who told his parents to escape, fatally shot himself last week after they say bully's pushed him too far. 15-year-old billy lucas hanged himself three weeks ago after classmates had bullied him for years over his sexual orientation. 13-year-old set welsh died this week, eight days after trying to hang himself from a tree. he also was said to have endured abuse from students for being gay. >> a gay and lesbian advocate organization has launched its two campaigns to try and prevent suicides of young people who are victims of the same types of bullying. >> they need to know they are not alone. >> avoid reaching out, hoping to save lives. -- a voice reaching out. >> ellen degeneres had a moving statement on her show this afternoon about that very situation. the american college student convicted of murder in italy is backed. >> we will hear from her lawyer. >> clever tv ads, but who is paying for it? paying for it? two governors, two different approaches. even in good times bob ehrlich did not make education a priority. he increased college tuition by 40%, cut

and then these -- their children who steep in this rhetoric go to school, and there's 13-year-old asher brownews. 13 years old, who is gay. and the religious rite would have us believe that seth and asher made a choice at 13 to be gay, a choice to be brutally bullied and they could have easily chosen not to be gay and instead it was somehow easier for asher to blow his brains out and easier for seth to hang himself than just to choose to be straight. the religious rite needs to be held accountable for the climate of hate and fear and bullying that they have encouraged in the schools. and this is what we're seeing for their efforts. dead children. >> so this youtube campaign, it gets better, from hathaway to mccarthy, their messages on there, are you also continuing to receive messages from noncelebrity types, and when if that does happen, what are the messages, and how do you kind of police or how do you kind of absorb what's being said and make a decision about what should be posted? >> the it gets better project, which is it gets better project.com, isn't a bandwagon that people are jumping

asher brown, seth walsh and 12 days ago, tyler clementi.all this week we're partnering with "people" magazine taking an in-depth look at bullying and what a lot of people don't realize, these days it's not just kids in schools. for kids who are bullied there's no escape. it's not happening just in schools but happening online and on cell phones and kids are dying because of it. students at rutgers university held a vigil for tyler clementi over the weekend. he was 18 years old, an incredibly talented music with great potential. he jumped off the george washington bridge after a webcam video of him kissing another man was streamed online. his roommate at rutgers and another student face criminal charges. tonight, randi kaye has more on how the whole tragedy unfolded. >> reporter: like many universities rutgers randomly assigns a roommate for each of its new freshman. so it was pure chance tyler clementi and dharun ravi came to share a room here at davidson hall. clementi, shy and modest. ravi, charming and loving attention, three weeks later

i want to you meet asher brown. he lived in texas. he was 13 years old. about two weeks ago he was found dead in the bottom of a closet in his home. he shot himself in the head with his stepdad's gun. his parents say he had been relentlessly taunted for being small, for the kind of clothes he wore, for his religion and the fact that he was gay. phoebe prince, 15 years old, she was bullied in school and online. her suicide resulted in criminal charges against six teenagers. carl joseph walker-hoover, he hanged himself. kids called him gay even though he said he never was. he was only 11 years old. 13-year-old hope witsell, texted a topless photo of herself to a boy. he circulated it all around. the bullying from that was too much to bear and she hanged herself in her room. four kids with dreams and desires and lives to grow into, and there are so many more just like them. in fact all the kids that you see behind me are kids who took their own lives because they were bullied. this is a problem that has gone far beyond isolated incidents and there are so man

asher brown, shot himself in texas.st week in oklahoma and the list will continue to grow as long as we don't change our attitude. as long as people continue to use religion. that's what an apostle in the mormon church said last week. as long as politicians continue to perpetuate the lives that young people are being brainwashed into being gay. that's what carl paladino said yesterday and continued to defend today. >> mr. cuomo took his daughters to a gay pride parade. is that normal? would you do it? >> i think that you can probably expose your children to a lot of different things and help them decide to make their own decisions. >> i don't think it's proper for them to watch a couple of grown men grind against each other. i don't think it's proper. it's disgusting. >> anyone running for public office who would insult people, he hopes the government does not get the public's vote. and the sad list that suicides will continue to grow as long as they continue to treat this as a right of passage. the obama administration

asher brown fatally shot himself in his family's home last month. asher's parents complained to school officials several times about the harassment but the school says no one reported the boy was being bullied. the district also says it is currently conducting its own investigation. asher's funeral will take place today. >>> new messages from washington this morning as both parties try to claim a lead on the economy. president obama and the senate's republican leader each blame the other side of the aisle for the nation's struggle to create jobs. >> in the pledge they recently released, the republican leadership is promising to scrap all the incentives for clean emergency projects, including those underway. even with all the jobs and potential they hold. >> virtually every single piece of major legislation democrat leaders in washington have proposed over the past 19 months has made it either harder for businesses to hire new workers or retain the workers they already have. >> let's bring in mike baa caro live for us at the white house. mike, the mid

asher brown, 13 years old, from houston, shot himself in the head on september 23rd. raymond chase, 19, hung himself in his dorm room in rhode island on september 29th. and on september 30th a 14-year-old indiana boy ended his life. kathy, you've been to iraq, even talked with gay soldiers who were bullied in the military -- >> yes. >> larry: let's take a look at that. >> are there certain people in your unit that you feel like would be the type of person that would tend to out you and you kind of stay away from them? >> mm-hmm. >> i'm more worried about the violence and possible gay bashing because there is so much just accepted hate because of like the whole policy. because i would become like really good friends with this one person and he wouldn't know that i was gay and when we were in our corps school just out of nowhere said "i think we should hang gay people out in front of the trees so they know they're not welcome here." and i was like, what? >> wow. how do you respond to someone saying that to you? >> i couldn't say anything. i was -- that killed me. >> and

in the last three weeks including asher brown in texas where his school is rallying against bullying.eate awareness and make sure kids and parents have resources, that they know where to go if they're being bullied and need help. >> the price that was paid is one that should never be called upon. >> new jersey senator will introduce federal legislation to adopt an anti-bullying conduct. some question if it's enough. >> i don't know it can stop them from doing the horrible things they were doing. >> the roommate and another freshman is charged with invasion of privacy. they may be adding hate crime charges. >> marine biologists believe a pregnant blue whale likely died after colliding with a ship. it washed up on the san mateo county coast over the weekend. a whale fetus was found about 30 feet away from the adult. a park ranger said the blue whale appeared to show signs of suffering blunt force trauma. a team of researchers is trying to determine what to do with the carcass. >> finding a job in this economy isn't easy, especially with students with little or no work experience. lisa a

of teens from around the country committing suicide because of bullying. 13-year-old seth walsh, asher brownd billy lucas and now 18-year-old tyler clemente all took their own lives last month. the most recent rutgers college freshman, tyler clemente. >> now, there's word this morning that the college freshman may have known he was being spied on before a video of him involved in a sexual encounter spread across the internet. sarah simmons joins us with more on the latest on this string of senseless deaths. sarah? >> tony and allison, students at rutgers are still reeling over the death of tyler clemente. many are calling it cyberharassment. and another reports he may have been trying to get help. >> it is really scary. >> students who live in the same dorm as tyler clemente can't believe he may have known he was being recorded. the rutgers university freshman took his own life after police say he was recorded by a webcam in his room during a sexual encounter. now, gawker.com is reporting tyler complained about a spying roommate on a message board for gay men. saying "the fact that the peopl

. >> in addition to clemente, asher brown who told his parents he was gay shot himself last week after he say bullies pushed him too far. 15-year-old billy hanged himself. and 13-year-old seth welsh from california died this week eight days after trying to hang himself from a tree. he also is said to have endured abuse from students for being gay. >> i would like to see more tolerance in the community for people that are different. >> for young people. >> a gay and lesbian advocate organization has launched campaigns to try and prevent suicide. >> people need to know they are not alone. >> a voice reaching out hoping to save lives. >> the trevor project has a 24 hour life line where you can speak to more than 30,000 young people around the country. it's not clear if suicides for young gay men are up or if there's more reporting of their death. coming up, could breast cancer be linked to your genes. it's not exclusively about women. >> a mammogram is not just the first step but a key to avoid getting one. hi there. i'm ian wright and i'm investigating what makes aruba so happy. oh my wo

i want to you meet asher brown. he lived in texas. he was 13 years old. about two weeks ago he was found dead in the bottom of a closet in his home. he shot himself in the head with his stepdad's gun. his parents say he had been relentlessly taunted for being small, the clothes he wore, his religion is, and the fact he was gay. phoebe prince, 15 years old, she was bullied in school and online. her suicide resulted in criminal charges against sixte teenagers. carl walker-hoover, just 11 years old. 13-year-old hope witsell texted a photo of herself to her boyfriend, he circulated it all around. the bullying was too much for her to bear, and she hanged herself in her room. four kids with dreams and desires and lives to grow into, and there are so many more just like them. in fact all the kids that you see behind me are kids who took their own lives because they were bullied. this is a problem that has gone far beyond isolated incidents and so many more kids are being tormented. so along with "people" magazine and the cartoon network, we'll talk about solutio

asher brown shot himself in the head with his father's shotgun a week ago. a former republican presidential contender trying to help out a g.o.p. senate candidate. but a new poll shows he is doing pretty well on his own. we're live on the campaign trail next. is more important thanver. at remax.com, you can find th, whether you're trying to sell of hopg to buy. nobody sells more real estate than re/x. visit remax.com today. oh. about what? uh, they don't really think you're an exchange student. what? they think you're a businessman, using our house to meet new clients in china. for reals, player? [ woman saks chinese ] they overheard a phone call. speaks chinese ] something about shipping with fedex to shanghai. and then you opened a bottle of champagne. that was for a science project. [ man and woman speaking chinese ] i'm late for..occer... rehearsal. [ man speaks chinese ] you and i are cool? i'll be home by curfew. [ male announcer ] we understand.® you need a partner who can help you go global. fedex. >> jon: fox news is america's election headquarters

last night i talked to the parents of this little boy, 13-year-old asher brown. he lived in texas.e week ago. his stepdad found his little body in the bottom of a closet. his parents say he was constantly bullied by four kids because he was small and because he was gay. the story i want to talk about now is the kind of bullying unlike anything we've seen with little kids. take a look at 18-year-old tyler clementi, he started his freshman year at rutgers university in new jersey. he was a talented violinist. today a medical examiner confirmed a body pulled out of the hudson river yesterday is tyler's. he committed suicide by jumping off the george washington bridge. on the day of his suicide it looks like he posted a note on his facebook page. it said simply, jumping off the gw bridge sorry. the stories about why he did this is frankly just sickening. it appears tyler is a victim of cyberbullying allegedly at the hands of two other rutgers students, one his roommate. prosecutors say they turned on a web cam and taped tyler having a sexual encounter in his dorm room with another man

asher brown was in eighth grade at a houston suburban school and his parents tell a heartwrenching story liked to read and he didn't wear the most stylish clothes and then he shot himself with his father's gun. thank you very much for being with us. i know this is very difficult. amy, the night before asher took his life you asked him if he was okay and he said, yes. did he indicate to you that things were getting worse at school because you knew there were some problems, right? >> yes, ma'am. he did not initially indicate to us, the school system or the school itself had just come back in to session the day he died it was one month to the day. we didn't realize that they essentially picked up where they left off the year before. >> and you've said he was different. how so? >> he was unique. he was a little more sensitive than possibly some of the other students. he loved to read, so, you know, he was a little bit of a book worm. he was just different. >> and i know that you said you were aware of the bullying and that he had been teased at school for those things that you just mentioned

year-old seth walsh in southern california, 15-year-old billy lucas in indiana, and 13-year-old asher brownxas. as a result, columnist dan savage posted a 7 minute video entitled, it gets better. viewed more than 400,000 times. >> however bad it is now, it gets better. and it can get great and it can get awesome. your life can be amazing. but you have to tough to feared of it out. >> reporter: but san francisco's "gay/straight alliance" network has taken that step one step further launching makeitbetterproject.org. >> i constantly heard insults. >> i was made fun of almost every, single day. >> reporter: the site encourages the lgbt community to shoot and upload videos. >> we have power and can make it better now. >> reporter: did you ever think about committing suicide? >> yes. >> reporter: in san jose state, students say these videos would have helped when they were in high school. >> you can be helping that one person, you know, that one person who might be thinking i'm going to go jump off the bridge or i'm going to end my life today. that's why i'm happy this is out there because the m

tyler clementi in new jersey, asher brown, seth walsh and billy lucas. the focus of a sermon at sunshine cathedral earlier this month. >> they weren't miserable because of who they were, they were miserable because of how people treated them for being who and what they were. such abuses make me angry. and i don't know what to do with my anger. >> and the minister in the clip is a senior pastor at sunshine cathedral. i know that your church, your congregation is holding a vigil tonight to recognize the lives lost and the danger to young people who may be gay. what can people do about it? what do you do to promote more understanding? >> well, that's part of what we are doing tonight is we are having the vigil to raise awareness, to get people involved, to get people to know that they have to speak up and speak out on behalf of these kinds of issues. we want to support anti-bullying initiatives. we want to create safe places in schools and families and churches for people to be who they are. and not have to live in fear of being found out or being or the me

. >> reporr: in addition to clementi, 13-ye-old asher brown, who toldhis parents he was gay fatally shotself last week after bully pushed him too far. 15-year-old billy lucas of indiana haed himself three weeks ago after classmates had bullied him for years over his sexual oritation. and 13-year-old seth welsh from california died this week, eight days after trying to hang himself from a tree. he also is said to have endured abuse from students for being gay. >> i would like to see more tolerance in a community for people that are different. >> foroung people. >> reporter: a gay and lesbian advocate organization, the trevor group, has launched youtube campaigns to try and prevent suicides of young people who are victims of the same types of bullying. >> you need to know that they're not alone, especially less bee, lesbian gay, sexual transgender youth. >> reporter: a voice reaching out, hoping to save lives. leanne gregg, nbc news. >> expert says it's not clear if the suicides for young gay men are up or if there is just more reporting of their deaths. >>> looking pretty good out there t

meet asher brown. he lived in texas. he was 13 years old. about two weeks ago he was found dead in the bottom of a closet in home. he had shot himself in the head with her step-dad's gun. he was taunted for the clothes he wore, being small, his religion and being gay. phoebe prince, bullied in school and online. her suicide resulted in criminal charges against six teenagers. carl joseph walker hoover, he hanged himself. the kids called him gay even though he never said that he was. he was just 11 years old. 13-year-old hope whitsell made a simple mistake. texted a topless photo of herself to a boy. he circulate it had all around. the bullying from that was too much to bear and she hanged herself in her room. four kids with dreams and desires and lives to grow into, and there are so many more just like them. in fact, all the kids that you see behind me are kids who took their own lives because they were bullied. this is a problem that has gone far beyond isolated incidents, and there are so many more kids right now being tormented. so tonight