News & Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: R. Zeke Fread

Coordinator & Organizer

Are Police Really Blameless for Teen, Marcus Wayman's, Suicide?

The Three Borough of Minersville, PA, police officers that the jury cleared Wednesday night of violating Marcus Wayman's constitutional right to privacy, is a great setback in Gay and Non-Gay Teen Suicide Prevention. It sends a message to our fragile and tormented gay teens, their constitutional rights to privacy are limited and serves to cause something more for them to be in fear about. What makes this such a tragedy to all gay and non-gay teens, is that Marcus was not gay. Which shows that there is such a great fear of being outed as a gay teen, that even if the teen was not gay, it can be so traumatic it can lead to a teen committing suicide.

The federal appeals court in Philadelphia soundly rejected arguments by the town of Minersville and the officers that lesbians and gay men do not have a constitutional right to decide when and how to reveal their sexual orientation and that they act in a "parental role" in a small town, lessening citizen's expectation of privacy. The court wrote, "It is difficult to imagine a more private matter than one's sexuality and a less likely probability that the government would have a legitimate interest in it's disclosure." The court also ruled that threatening to disclose the information was tantamount to doing so, "because the security of one's privacy has been compromised by the threat." This landmark decision allowed the trial to go forward. However, this ruling seemed to be completely dismissed by the jurist in their verdict..

The facts are clear that the officers had threatened to disclose that Marcus was gay and even though he was not gay, he was so traumatized by the officers threat to tell his grandfather he was gay, he killed himself several hours after being released at his home. This is not disputed. The note he left, even further shows the connection to his Grandfather saying, "'I'm sorry grandpa, I found my future, I won't let everyone's life be ruined by mine." HELLO, wasn't the jury paying attention. Sorry, didn't mean to shout. It is so difficult for me to believe, a jury could find the officers COMPLETELY BLAMELESS in Marcus's decision to take his own life. With the treatment the teen's endured at the hands of those charged with protecting them, calling them queers, condemning, ridiculing them with misinterpreted references from the Bible, was not torment enough, they had to threaten to tell Marcus's Grandfather he was gay. One has to ask, "What were they thinking?" How could they be so insensitive to these young boys emotional well being. And ignorant to the number of gay teen's that commit suicide due to the exact type treatment, they imposed on these two teen boys. Such torment is usually at the hands of immature teens, not at the hands of those charged with protecting and serving the youth of the community. They may not have supplied the gun Marcus used to end his young life, but, the most certainly supplied the ammunition that took his life. Not find a slightest shred of blame on the part of these officers, goes far beyond the jury comprehension of the facts presented or personal beliefs. We have to wonder if the outcome would remain the same, if the football player was with his cheerleader girlfriend? Would their be condemnation or ridicule using Bible scripture? Threats of telling either's parents of finding condoms or that a possible sexual interlude was about to take place? I think not, it was clear that Robert Connelly, then a guidance counselor at Minersville Area High School, testified that Police Chief Willinsky summoned him to the police station hours after the tragic suicide. But, not to discuss the suicide of a gay teen after enduring extreme emotional torment and threats of violating a gay teens constitutional right of privacy, at the hands of police officers. No, Willinsky told Connelly he was concerned that there might be homosexuality on the high school football team. The same team Marcus Wayman, a senior at Minersville, was a member of. The jury did not see the homophobic attitudes of the chief and his officers rearing it's ugly head and the total absence of any concern for a young gay teens life that ended only hours earlier. That the chief of police concerns were that their may be other homosexual football players who have yet to be discovered and driven to take their lives. "I believe this tragic situation called for some type of condemnation or blame placed on the officers and chief of police, for their blatant disgraceful and intolerant actions". They may have escaped blame and responsibility for their actions by a jury of their peers. They have not escaped being held accountable by those of us who do not want our gay teens to believe their actions are acceptable. That, this treatment of gay teens is wrong and will not be allowed to continue unchallenged. Gay teens should not have the added fear, that they themselves could someday be the victims of such horrific treatment.

We have to protect them from those who would cause them harm. Let us not allow the jury to send our gay teens the message this is the type of justice they as gay teens can expect in future. For whatever reason they decided the police officers in this situation were free of any blame and actions were not wrong. We must be sure, that we send our message that we care about them and they absolutely do not deserve to be treated in such a manner solely for who they are.

Talk to your teens, both gay and non-gay, be sure they know how much we care and are here to protect them. So, at least, they will not feel the fear that the Marcus's have been exposed to by the intolerant and bigoted beliefs of others.

Please, also join us in sending messages to those officers and the police chief involved in this terrible tragedy. Share your deep sadness and feeling with them. Perhaps, we can get them and others who believe as they, to see the danger to our gay teens and the error of their ways. With much hope, we can prevent another gay teen from ending their young life and the pain their family has to endure by the loss of a beloved gay son or daughter.

TBC will attempt to obtain contact information for Marcus's family, for those who would wish to send them message that may be of comfort to them. I will share this information via our newsletter and on our web site. Our prayers and thoughts go out to them and others who have suffered a loss of a gay and non-gay teen.

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