Dona Ana County Commissioners Pass Resolution Against Bullying

Dona Ana County Commissioners passed a resolution against bullying Tuesday with the message bullying should not happen and it can be stopped.

?The continued bullying and harassment will not stand,? Scott Krahling, Commissioner, said.

It’s a starting point, supporters said, to end bullying once and for all.

?One life lost because of this type of bullying is unacceptable,? Dolores Saldana-Caviness, Commissioner, said.

Taking a cue from several tragedies around the nation, leaders in Dona Ana County are taking a stand.

“Whether you’re gay, whether you’re a recent immigrant, whether you’re Hispanic, black, American native, you have the right to be different in this country,? Oscar Vasquez Butler, Commissioner, said. ?And I think that’s gotten away from us.?

David Stocum, Director of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender and Queer Center in Las Cruces said, talking about bullying is the first step.

“Just the fact that the County Commission of Dona Ana County New Mexico is aware of this problem, and is saying it is unacceptable, has already changed the environment that the kids are living in,” Stocum, said.

Right now more teens in Dona Ana County are being bullied.

And across the country, some have even killed themselves. In the past few weeks, there have been at least five gay teen suicides in national headlines.

“We held a candlelight vigil in memory of the suicides that have been in the news and all the other suicides we don’t know about,” Stocum said. ?And I?m quite sure there have been some in Dona Ana County – some we know about, some we don’t know about. There were 52 people there that warmed my heart. Some of those people shared stories that broke my heart. So it is happening here and we do need to do some things to change that.”

In addition to Tuesday?s resolution, the Department of Education has new guidelines that classify bullying as a federal crime. But preventing bullying is a community effort, leaders said.

“I hope by your example other people will start talking about it too because if we keep looking at it as someone else’s problem or it doesn’t exist here, it’s not going to get any better,” Stocum said.

In light of the recent deaths, celebrities have taken to youtube.com with a message for gay youth telling them it ?gets better.? Commissioner Krahling echoed that message Tuesday and said, ?life does get better, once the bullying is left behind.?