Students and staff of Huntsville High School, Huntsville, Alabama have been paying tributes to gay boy Nigel Shelby, the 15-year-old high school student who committed suicide last week.
Nigel Shelby reportedly killed himself after being bullied by his schoolmates for being gay. According to multiple Facebook reports, Nigel Shelby who was a student at Huntsville High School committed suicide on Friday after being bullied relentlessly.
“We were saddened to learn this morning of the death of Nigel Shelby, one of our 9th-grade students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time,” said the principal of the school.
“We are heartbroken over the death of Nigel Shelby, a 15 year old freshman at Huntsville High School,” Rocket City Pride, the local LGBTQ+ Pride organization said in a statement. “Nigel took his life because he was bullied for being gay. There are no words that can be said to make sense of this devastating news.”
Huntsville High principal, Aaron King addressed the tragic death in a post to parents, writing:
“We were saddened to learn this morning of the death of Nigel Shelby, one of our 9th-grade students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”
Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Christie Finley also addressed it at Monday’s school board meeting, saying:
“I want to take a brief moment to speak about the recent loss of a Huntsville high school student, Nigel Shelby. I spent most of the weekend really processing this loss and I’m sure many of you have as well. And we will for a while to come.
It’s clear to me that the simple word of the golden rule has really become more difficult for many to understand and to practice and it is time as a society to value, respect and uplift one another.”
She added:
“It is time for us to come together. Now is the time for us to teach our children and our students the values of acceptance, kindness, generosity, helpfulness and basically just being a human being.”
A candlelight vigil was held for the late student on Sunday night.
Radio show host Amir Diamond wrote:
I dedicated tonight’s show to Nigel Shelby. He was a 15-year-old boy who committed suicide after being bullied for being gay. I see myself in him. I was also bullied when I was young, because of my sexuality. I made an instagram video last year that discussed my coming out experience, because I wanted kids like Nigel to see me and know that it’s okay to be who they are.
My hope and my prayer is that kids who identify with the LGBTQA community will be able to be stand strong in who they are (despite what anyone else has to say about it).
I hope that the rest of the world supports those who are in the LGBTQA community (even if they don’t understand it). We have to teach the younger generations coming up to love EVERYBODY. You never know what someone’s going through.
Rest In Peace, Nigel.
We now have an angel who we know by name.
-Diamond
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