Jay Jones
For many gay teens, Coming Out can be a daunting task. For Jay Jones, the experience was made a lot easier by having a thoroughly supportive family. Jay's Father recalls seeing a significant change in his son's behavior once he opened up about his sexuality. The fact that Jay was accepted for who he was by his family gave him a new lease of lease. Jay's father recalls how his son rarely smiled before "coming out", and how he always looked depressed. The transformation in Jay was significant after he took his family into his confidence. He seemed happy, relieved and most importantly, content.
He joined the Gay/Straight Alliance at his school and made the decision not to hide his sexuality from fellow students. Unfortunately, bullies began teasing him for being gay, which escalated into a daily tirade of abuse, resulting in Jay being diagnosed with depression. No one knows whether there was a specific event that caused Jay to jump to his death off a Rochester Bridge or whether it was simply the feeling of helplessness that accompanies years of abuse. One thing is clear, Jay was being bullied and was not coping well with the situation, as many of his peers will attest to.
He joined the Gay/Straight Alliance at his school and made the decision not to hide his sexuality from fellow students. Unfortunately, bullies began teasing him for being gay, which escalated into a daily tirade of abuse, resulting in Jay being diagnosed with depression. No one knows whether there was a specific event that caused Jay to jump to his death off a Rochester Bridge or whether it was simply the feeling of helplessness that accompanies years of abuse. One thing is clear, Jay was being bullied and was not coping well with the situation, as many of his peers will attest to.
"I remember him saying something to me, like 'I just don't know what I'm going to do anymore.' I feel really terrible because I feel like I should have started paying more attention to him and being really concerned about him, but I guess I just didn't really think about it at the time." - Lillian Simmons, School friend
"I remember one time when me and Corey were in the hallway once... one of the seniors threw a bottle at one of us and they yelled the word 'fag' and Corey just wanted to go back there and just beat them up. I was like, 'Corey, no. They're not worth it.' " - Joshua Street, School friend
Rochester Police spokesman Brian Winters stated categorically that there was no direct evidence to suggest that bullying played any part in Jay's death. A bold statement indeed. Unfortunately, School Officials told a very different story. Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Michael Munoz acknowledges that Jay had been working with a school counselor and administrators to address bullying at Century High School.
"There was some form of bullying going on, but the school was on top of it and working with him (Jay) on this and working with those who were involved in the situation." - Michael Munoz, Public Schools Superintendent
Superintendent Munoz acknowledges that bullying takes places in Rochester schools, but said there are often multiple factors that drive a person to suicide. He said while the district's bullying policy is instrumental in setting a tone, it is up to students and staff to make it work.
"I don't think you can ever possibly cover every possible topic or issue that somebody could be bullied for. To me it's all about the respect thing. If we're not treating each other respectfully, then we need to deal with it. It's all about providing a safe environment for our students and when I say that, it's not just physical safety. It has to be emotional safety as well." - Michael Munoz, Public Schools Superintendent