A seventh-grader in Bedford County, Tennessee took his own life on November 28 after he was relentlessly bullied for being gay at school.
Eli Fritchley, a 12-year-old who attended Cascades Middle school, was described by his parents as a peaceful soul who wasn’t afraid to be himself. “He didn’t care, or at least we thought he didn’t care, and that’s what’s really difficult for us because we thought he didn’t care,” his parents said as they teared up.
Eli played the trombone in the marching band, painted his nails, loved the color pink and wore the same SpongeBob sweatshirt nearly every day. “I think probably because he was in the same clothes every single day that they used that as a weapon,” his mom Debbey explained, saying he loved doing