Mother: Anoka-Hennepin School policy contributed to gay son’s suicide

According to his mother, Justin Aaberg was "a very sweet boy who seemed to always have a smile on his face; he didn't have a mean bone in his body...He was always a shoulder [friends] could cry on and would help them with their problems. He was also an extremely good cello player who even composed a few of his own songs."

Tammy Aaberg's son, a student at Anoka High School, killed himself on July 9th, 2010. In testimony she gave to the Anoka-Hennepin School Board on Monday, Aaberg said her son was bullied because of his sexual orientation. She blamed the district for not intervening to stop the bullying, accusing district administrators of tying teachers' hands with a policy that kept teachers from being able to "reach out and help these hurting students."

"I'm not asking you to accept this as a lifestyle for you," Aaberg told the Board. "I'm only asking that you please make the school safe for GLBT students still alive and in this district today they are people just like us and deserve to be treated like the rest of us. Suicide should not feel like the only way to take away the pain and shame."

According to Peter Gokey, a former teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and a leader of a group of LGBTA activists in the school district and who is familiar with Justin Aaberg's suicide, the young man also left messages saying he was driven to suicide by incessant anti-gay bullying.