Amherst resident Mindy Domb wanted to dovetail the event with a new Facebook page, "Make It Better, Make it Safe - Amherst Fights Homophobia."
Molly Goodman, a junior at Amherst Regional High School, speaks Wednesday on the Amherst Town Common during a vigil to honor teens who recently killed themselves after being bullied.AMHERST - This week, on a day millions across the country wore purple to honor teens who recently killed themselves after being bullied, more than 150 people gathered on the Town Common here holding candles to be part of the effort.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation created Spirit Day to honor the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teenagers who have recently committed suicide after being bullied, some even online.
Town resident Mindy Domb wanted to dovetail with that and, through a Facebook page, launched “Make It Better, Make it Safe - Amherst Fights Homophobia.”
She wanted to show the kids “it gets better ... We will make it better.”
Domb was unsettled by the events of recent weeks in which a number of teens killed themselves, most notably Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University freshman who jumped from the George Washington Bridge in New York after his roommate broadcast his sexual encounters on the Internet.
She said maybe if Germans had held a vigil after Kristallnacht - the night of broken glass - that could have changed the anti-Semitism in Germany and altered the fate of millions of Jews who died in the Holocaust. On the nights of Nov. 9 and 10, 1938, Jewish businesses and homes, and synagogues were destroyed and 26,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps in Germany.
Domb said she wanted this week’s vigil, held on Wednesday, to show youths they live “in a supportive town.”
Molly Goodman, an Amherst Regional High School junior, was there with her mother, Joann Goodman. She’s a lesbian, and her mother was there to support her. While the high school is supportive of gay and lesbian and transgender students, she felt it was important to “honor the memory (of those who killed themselves) even if we’re very supportive.” She spoke to the crowd about Clementi.
The vigil drew state Rep. Ellen Story, D-Amherst, who said when she was growing up in Texas the issue was civil rights for African-Americans. She said she spent more time on the picket line than she did in classes. “Gay and lesbian rights are the civil rights of our time,” she said.
“I’m here feeling very proud of our community,” said the Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, of Grace Episcopal Church, adding that he was also present to express his remorse and sadness for “the bullying taking place under the guise of religion.” Some faiths argue that homosexuality is a sin and condemn gay marriage.
At 6:55 p.m., church bells at the Grace and First Congregational churches rang 18 times to symbolize the age of Clementi. Also, Domb said, 18 is a number in Hebrew that symbolizes life.