Marie Osmond's Son Commits Suicide

I'm putting this out quickly and therefore I'll be laying it right on the table. This post on my blog friend libhomo at Godless Liberal Homo site on Marie Osmond's son's suicide really hit home. I believe I have to agree with his opinion on this. Here's why.

You may or may not know that my daughter, now 22, happily married and working her way toward graduate school, is a lesbian who came out as "bi-sexual" at age 16. As if the rejection of several of her peers, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her then boyfriend who become irate and deranged when she told him she thought she might actually be a lesbian and not bi-sexual after all, and a parallel bi-polar episode, weren't enough to make her want to kill herself  -  add to that the what-if of if I were a strict Mormon and added the beliefs of my screwed up church to conservations with my daughter, even while I loved her. I would have lost her to suicide. I know that with every fiber of my body. I know myself and there is no way I would choose a church's doctrine over my child's life and well-being.

 My daughter and daughter-in-law, taken during their college graduation week-end in 2009

Be aware that the Mormon church continues to advocate the use of Electro-Shock Therapy for people who are coersed into "treatment" because of their "problem" which had to be caused by the individual him or herself.


I feel for anyone who loses a child and I encounter the affects of that hurt every time I interact with WP's sister who lost her 25 year-old daughter to suicide in 2005. I know the pain my family and I went through knowing our daughter didn't want to live anymore. What I can't understand is why a person can't wrap their heads around the situation and understand that they have to do everything they can to save their child. If one's child is physically ill and needs many changes in order to live, wouldn't you go to the ends of the earth to try to eliminate or add anything you could possibly think of to save them or even to make them comfortable? Then why not chuck the church and the toxic friends and open lines of communication in order to save your child?

If I were a gay teen living in a strict Mormon household, I'd kill myself too.

Think About It (and support The Mathew Shepard Act)

With a new administration headed by our noble president and statesman Barak Obama, isn't it high time we put some legal muscle up against hate crimes? Haters are the ultimate of bullies.

Speaking of bullying, recently an eleven year-old boy named Carl, from Springfield, Massachusetts took his own life after months of vicious bullying and repeated taunts that he was gay. Click here for a news story.

View this video narrated by Mathew Shepard's mom Judy, calling for action on the hate crimes legislation.
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Below it is a legislative alert from Human Rights Campaign. Insert your own legislators in place of mine, John Olver. Click HERE for more information.


We've received word that the House will vote on the Matthew Shepard Act TOMORROW.

We also know far right groups are flooding Congress with calls, emails and sickening "fact sheets" claiming that sexual orientation means criminal acts like bestiality and necrophilia, and that this bill protects those behaviors. Shame on them.

We need more calls to Rep. John Olver, and we need them right away. So we've organized a national call-in campaign with dozens of organizations across the country – I hope you'll do your part.

It takes about 45 seconds. So set yourself a reminder on your phone. Stick a note to your computer. Or stop reading this and do it right now. Whatever you do, make sure to CALL REP. Olver TODAY.

If you've never called Congress, let me assure you, it's easy. And even if you have already sent an e-mail or called, please make another call – this is our LAST CHANCE before the House votes tomorrow!

1. Before 5 p.m. ET, call Rep. Olver's office at (202) 225-5335.
2. Most likely, one of Rep. Olver's interns will answer and ask where you're calling from and why. You're calling to urge the Representative to vote for the Matthew Shepard Act (H.R. 1913). Most calls end right there. But if you like, you can add:
* Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim's sexual orientation.
* Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.
* The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent acts – not speech. It does not tell any clergy member what he or she can or can't preach.
* Mention that Rep. Olver's vote on this bill will affect your future support.
3. IMPORTANT: After you hang up, click here to let us know that you made the call. Don't skip this step! It helps us track our progress.

It's been 10 years since Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. Judy Shepard has fought for 10 years for this bill, and HRC has been by her side. It's been 10 years, and this is our chance to get the bill signed into law.

Unlike the other side, we can't use lies to win. We only have the truth – and the voices to speak it. Please make your phone call right now.

Then, please pass this email on to your friends and family.

Thank you for taking action.