A couple interesting posts on the recent rash of gay suicide victims across the nation (see In All Things reactions here and here).

First, openly gay Fort Worth, TX, city councilor Joel Burns made a tearful plea for gay youth to avoid the temptation of despair that comes along with bullying and hatred. Watch the gut-wrenching, and thought-provoking video below.

Also, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, published a piece on the Huffington Post entitled “How Religion Is Killing Our Most Vulnerable Youth.” He writes, “These bullying behaviors would not exist without the undergirding and the patina of respect provided by religious fervor against LGBT people. It’s time for “tolerant” religious people to acknowledge the straight line between the official anti-gay theologies of their denominations and the deaths of these young people. Nothing short of changing our theology of human sexuality will save these young and precious lives.”

Michael J. O’Loughlin is national correspondent at America and author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.