15-YEAR-OLD BULLIED GAY TEEN DIES

An American 15-year-old teenage victim of anti-gay bullying, who hanged himself two weeks ago, has passed away after he was taken off life support.

Jadin Bell who attended La Grande High School in Oregon died on Sunday afternoon at the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland.

Medical tests had confirmed that he showed no signs of brain activity, which led to his family’s decision to take him off life support.

On January 19, Bell tried to commit suicide by hanging himself from playground equipment at a local school.

He was discovered by a passerby and rushed to hospital. Efforts to revive him failed.

Family and friends said that Bell complained of being bullied for being openly gay, which they believe could have led to his desperate action.

“He was different, and they tend to pick on the different ones,” family friend Bud Hill told KOMO News. “If someone was down and out he would walk into a room and say a couple quick words and everybody would just forget about their problems and smile. He just had a gift.”

KOMO News reported that despite being popular at school and being part of the cheerleading team, Hill said that Bell had asked his parents to be home schooled.

It was also reported that the school district was investigating the bullying claims when the boy took his life.

According to the LaGrande Observer, over 200 people took part in a candlelight vigil for Bell last week. His mother told the newspaper: “We always knew that Jadin is a special person. Now everyone knows.”

Most those who attended the vigil were fellow school pupils.