Tyler Clementi: The fallout

Ellen DeGeneres is urging hope, lawmakers are attacking the internet, and bridges are getting a new look, among other reactions to the recent rash of gay teen suicides

Sarah Silverman speaks out on the recent rash of teen suicides for the "It Gets Better" YouTube series.
(Image credit: YouTube)

Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers student who killed himself Sept. 22, may be the most publicized of the five — or more — gay or (perceived-as-gay) youths who took their lives last month, apparently in response to anti-gay bullying. But together, the suicides have captured national and international attention, and shocked people into soul-searching conversations about cyber-bullying, homophobia, crime, and social networking. Here are five key talking points from the fallout:

1. Ellen, Dan Savage, others say "It gets better"

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