When Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei streamed Ravi’s college roommate, Tyler Clementi, live on the Internet having a sexual encounter with another man, they had no idea the trouble they were getting themselves into. Nor did they know the effect that the incident, which caused Clementi’s Sept. 22 suicide, would have on the world. Why does it take an epidemic of suicides to call attention to anti-gay bullying?

Clementi is not the first to commit suicide this year because of his alleged sexual orientation.

Justin Aaberg, age 15, hanged himself on July 9 because of anti-gay bullying at his school. Billy Lucas, age 15, hanged himself for the same reason on Sept. 9. Cody J. Barker, age 17, took his life on Sept. 13. Asher Brown, age 13, shot himself in the head on Sept. 23 after his school did nothing to stop his classmates bullying him.

Harrison Chase Brown, age 15, committed suicide on Sept. 25. Seth Walsh, age 13, hanged himself and died nine days later on Sept. 28 after classmates taunted and bullied him for being gay. Johnson and Wales University student Raymond Chase, age 19, hanged himself on Sept. 29. Felix Sacco, age 17, jumped off an overpass into a southbound lane of traffic on Sept. 29. Caleb Nolt, age 14, committed suicide on Sept. 30.

These 10 suicides are a wake-up call. And they aren’t even the only ones. With the number of suicides that have occurred recently because of anti-gay bullying, I could write nothing but the names of victims. It is not only tragic, but is catastrophic for those left behind.

The world has come a long way in tolerating non-heteronormative sexuality, but we so obviously have not come far enough. On our own highly liberal and tolerant campus, we’ve witnessed anti-gay bullying with last year’s Bryan Incident.

But to what point? We are all human, despite the color of our skin, our religious views, the gender we claim, or our sexual identity. We are who we are. I do not have the right to tell you that you are unnatural or wrong for being who you are any more than you have the right to tell me I am wrong or not whole or worth less than you for being who I am.

Rather than being intolerant and ignorant about any of the things that make up who we are, we need to be understanding. It is understanding, and compassion that will put an end to harassment that causes kids to feel the need to end their own lives.

These suicides truly are a wake-up call to the world that bullying has to end. The question really is this: is anyone even listening?