Now, Asher's parents hope to use his death as a lesson: "Our son is just the extreme case of what happens when (someone is) just relentless," insisted Mrs. Truong, before turning her attention to the bullies, "I hope you're happy with what you've done. I hope you got what you wanted and you're just real satisfied with yourself."

And I hope the accused are apprehended and, yes, brought to justice: the tide of bullying needs to stop, period, and perpetrators need to know that their words can indeed break bones, and lives.

On a related note, this Thursday, the National Education Association will hold a talk called "Addressing the School Environment and LGBT Safety through Policy and Legislation." Hopefully they'll come to some definitive conclusion on how to stem bullying, and perhaps Dan Savage can help, because this rubbish needs to stop – period.