A nationwide gay college group is
calling for the ouster of two students charged in connection with the
suicide of Tyler Clementi.
Dharun Ravi and fellow freshman Molly
Wei, both 18, have been accused of bullying to death 18-year-old
Rutgers University student Clementi.
Clementi jumped off the George
Washington Bridge to his death two weeks ago after learning that his
roommate, Ravi, had secretly streamed live video of him having sex
with another man onto the Internet.
Ravi and Wei have been charged with
invading Clementi's privacy, but New Jersey officials have said they
are considering charging the students with committing a hate crime
because Clementi was gay.
On Thursday, the group Campus Pride
called on the university to expel both students.
“Ravi and Wei acted maliciously to
secretly tape Tyler Clementi, even posting comments to encourage
others to 'video chat' and watch,” Shane Windmeyer, executive
director and founder of Campus Pride, said in a
post on the group's blog. “This is an egregious act of
invasion of privacy. Both students should be expelled. Period.”
“Rutgers University has an obligation
to the family of Tyler Clementi and to parents who have gay kids
across the nation to enforce the student code of conduct,”
Windmeyer added. “The nation is watching what happens. Rutgers
should take immediate action in the wake of this national tragedy and
immediately expel both students.”
The group is encouraging students and
alumni to contact Rutgers officials and demand the expulsion of both
students.