Jadin Robert Joseph Bell (June 4, 1997 – February 3, 2013) was an American teenager known for his
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
which raised the national profile on youth
bullying
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
and
the targeted harassment of gay individuals.
Bell, a 15-year-old gay youth, was intensely bullied both in person and on the
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
because he was gay. He was a member of the
La Grande High School
La Grande High School is a public high school in the western United States, located in La Grande, Oregon.
Academics
In 2008, 81% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 197 students, 159 graduated, 29 dropped out, and nine were ...
cheerleading team in
La Grande, Oregon
La Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name because that name was being used for a city in Linn County. Located in the Grande Ronde Valley, the city's name comes ...
, where he was a sophomore. On January 19, 2013, Bell went to a local elementary school and
hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
himself from the play structure.
He did not immediately die from the strangulation and was rushed to the
emergency department
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
, where he was kept on life support.
The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
reported that a spokesman for the
OHSU Hospital
Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (OHSU Hospital) is a 576-bed teaching hospital, biomedical research facility, and Level I trauma center located on the campus of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland in the U.S. state ...
in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
announced that after being taken off
life support
Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...
, Bell died on February 3, 2013.
Bell's death was widely reported in the media, starting discussions about bullying, the effect it has on youth, and gay bullying. ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'',
''
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
'',
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...
,
''
The Raw Story
''Raw Story'' (also stylized as ''RawStory'') is an American Progressivism in the United States, progressive news website. It was founded in 2004 by John K. Byrne and is owned by Byrne and Michael Rogers (publisher), Michael Rogers.
History
...
'',
GLAAD
GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
,
''
PQ Monthly
''PQ Monthly'' was a free, advertising-supported, monthly LGBTQ newspaper and online publication for Oregon and southwest Washington and, briefly, Seattle, published in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first issue was released on . The last pr ...
'',
''
Pink News
''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005.
It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights aro ...
''
and many other media outlets reported on Bell's death. The media reported his suicide stemmed from being bullied for being gay, which Bell's father fully believed, stating: "He was hurting so bad. Just the bullying at school. Yeah there were other issues, but ultimately it was all due to the bullying, for not being accepted for being gay."
Legacy
![2014 06 28-13 08 34-IMG 003358 (14575879582)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/2014_06_28-13_08_34-IMG_003358_%2814575879582%29.jpg)
After Bell's death, his father, Joe Bell, planned a cross-country tribute in honor of his son. He planned to walk across the entire continental United States within two years, spreading awareness about bullying and the effects that it can have. Bell resigned from his position at
Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade Company (), which uses the trade name Boise Cascade, is a North American manufacturer of wood products and wholesale distributor of building materials, headquartered in Boise, Idaho.
with sales over $7.9 billion in 2021, it is trad ...
and helped launch Faces for Change, a non-profit anti-bullying foundation, to speak in high schools across the U.S. He stated: "Not doing anything is not acceptable.
hose who watch and do nothingare just as guilty. They are saying that it is acceptable."
Joe Bell began the walk on April 20, 2013 and was killed halfway through his journey after he was hit by a
semi-truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer a ...
in Colorado on October 9, 2013. He was pronounced dead at the scene on the shoulder of
US 40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
when authorities arrived.
The driver of the truck, Kenneth Raven, was charged with
reckless driving
In United States law, reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation that generally consists in driving a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. It is usually a more serious offense than careless ...
and may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
The story was adapted for the 2020 film ''
Joe Bell''.
[Kevin Slane]
"Mark Wahlberg got ‘as thin as possible’ for new movie"
. ''Boston.com
''Boston.com'' is a regional website that offers news and information about the Boston, Massachusetts, region. It is owned and operated by Boston Globe Media Partners, the publisher of ''The Boston Globe''.
History
''Boston.com'' was one of t ...
'', November 22, 2019. Jadin was portrayed by Texan actor Reid Miller.
Faces for Change created a scholarship program in memory of Jadin Bell "to make awards to scholastic institutions on behalf of individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and the development of community tolerance in our area of service."
See also
*
Suicide among LGBT youth
Research has found that attempted suicide rates and suicidal ideation among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) youth are significantly higher than among the general population.
In the United States, one study has shown the passage of la ...
*
List of suicides that have been attributed to bullying
The following is a list of suicides attributed to bullying — both in-person and via the Internet (aka cyberbullying).
For a list of people who died from suicide, regardless of reason, see List of suicides and List of suicides in the 21st ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Jadin
2013 in LGBT history
2013 in Oregon
Bullying and suicide
Suicides by hanging in Oregon
Deaths by person in Oregon
Gay history
Bullying in the United States
February 2013 events in the United States
LGBT-related suicides
Discrimination against LGBT people in the United States
2013 suicides
Youth suicides