RIP Amy

Amy Harville Turner was the first born to Al and Wilma Harville (Trice) formerly of Henderson, TN, at 2:30 AM November 18, 1975 at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa, AL. She transitioned to be with the Lord, Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 12:51 AM. Amy was a beautiful 7 lb. 8 oz. healthy baby with a set of strong lungs with great endurance. Amy was born into a spirit-filled home which led her to obey the gospel at the age of 12 and be baptized into the body of Christ at the Campus Church of Christ in Atlanta, GA. Through her childhood, Amy's family relocated several times. She attended grade school in Pittsburg, PA and Gainesville, FL. She attended middle and high school in Lawrenceville, GA. In a beautiful wedding ceremony in Memphis, TN on August 28, 2010, Amy and Archie L. Turner, Jr. were united in marriage. Their ceremony was held at the Woodland Hills Church of Christ and many friends and family were there to witness their union. Amy had a passion for science and math and was driven to achieve excellence in everything she did. She was an accomplished string instrument musician and rose to become one of the best viola players in the All-State Orchestra of GA while in high school for three years in state competition. A graduate of Central Gwinnett High School of Gwinnett County, GA, Amy attended Kutztown University of Kutztown, PA with a degree in Microbiology, minor in Chemistry and a Masters Degree in Business from the University of Phoenix in Detroit, MI. She formerly worked as a Microbiologist and Scientist for King Pharmaceutical. Most recently she worked at Stryker Medical Instruments as a Pre-Market Supervisor in the Regulatory Affairs Department. Amy leaves behind to cherish her memory a loving husband, Archie; a mother and father, Al and Wilma Harville of Cordova, TN; one sister, Dana R. Harville of Winston Salem, NC; a father-in-law, Archie Sr.; two brother-in-laws; two sister-in-laws, eleven nieces and nephews, numerous aunts, uncles, and a host of cousins and friends spread throughout the USA.

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"We can't let intolerance and ignorance take another kid's life."

"Things will get easier, people's minds will change, and you should be alive to see it."
Resources to Help Stop Bullying

This Reporter LOVES Obama

Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project

I just read about a gay teenager in Indiana—Billy Lucas—who killed himself after being taunted by his classmates. Now his Facebook memorial page is being defaced by people posting homophobic comments. It's just heartbreaking and sickening. What the hell can we do?

Gay Bullying Victim Who Survived

Another gay teenager in another small town has killed himself—hope you're pleased with yourselves, Tony Perkins and all the other "Christians" out there who oppose anti-bullying programs (and give actual Christians a bad name).

Billy Lucas was just 15 when he hanged himself in a barn on his grandmother's property. He reportedly endured intense bullying at the hands of his classmates—classmates who called him a fag and told him to kill himself. His mother found his body.

Nine out of 10 gay teenagers experience bullying and harassment at school, and gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide. Many LGBT kids who do kill themselves live in rural areas, exurbs, and suburban areas, places with no gay organizations or services for queer kids.

"My heart breaks for the pain and torment you went through, Billy Lucas," a reader wrote after I posted about Billy Lucas to my blog. "I wish I could have told you that things get better."

I had the same reaction: I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.

Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.

So here's what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.

I've launched a channel on YouTube—www .youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don't dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we've gone and things we've experienced—that we would've missed out on if we'd killed ourselves then.

"You gotta give 'em hope," Harvey Milk said.

Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it does get better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.

The video my husband and I made is up now—all by itself. I'd like to add submissions from other gay and lesbian adults—singles and couples, with kids or without, established in careers or just starting out, urban and rural, of all races and religious backgrounds. (Go to www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject to find instructions for submitting your video.) If you're gay or lesbian or bi or trans and you've ever read about a kid like Billy Lucas and thought, "Fuck, I wish I could've told him that it gets better," this is your chance. We can't help Billy, but there are lots of other Billys out there—other despairing LGBT kids who are being bullied and harassed, kids who don't think they have a future—and we can help them.

They need to know that it gets better. Submit a video. Give them hope.

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Obamateurism

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Fun Idea!