The Sacramento Bee has yet another awful story of a gay teen whose suicide on New Year's Day appears to have years of homophobic bullying as its root cause.

The paper reports:

In the early hours of New Year's Day, Jeffrey hanged himself in the front entrance to his family's home in a tony Granite Bay neighborhood. He was 18 years old.

Since that day, his parents have searched their hearts and minds for answers. Though Jeffrey, who was gay, had recently ended a relationship and had been treated for depression, they believe something more insidious put him on the path toward suicide. They are convinced that a lifetime of taunts and bullying contributed to his decision to take his own life.

"We will second-guess ourselves forever," his father said. "But we do know that for years and years, people knocked him down for being different. It damaged him. It wore on him. He could never fully believe how wonderful he was, and how many people loved him."

His parents talked to the paper about a scenario that is all too familiar:

As early as the third grade, Jeffrey was the target of taunts, family members said. He had few friends and felt comfortable only when he was at home or on vacation with people he trusted.

"He would come home from school and cry," said Tyler, 21. "He would say he felt alone, that he wasn't accepted for the things he liked."

It was in the sixth grade that people first started calling him "fag," the Fehrs said.

And sometime after talking to his parents, who were away on a trip, about his relationship that had just ended, and leaving a Facebook update reading "New Years is stupid", Jeffrey hanged himself.

Granite Bay teen who committed suicide was bullied for being gay [sacramento bee]

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