A tragedy shines a spotlight on the ways it might have been prevented.

Tyler Clementi’s suicide and the arrest of his roommate for streaming Tyler’s intimate encounter with another man online, is highlighting the paths in place to help L.G.B.T. teens find help against bullying.

Suicide rates among L.G.B.T. teens are four times the rate of their straight counterparts, and in last few months alone, four teenagers committed suicide, apparently in response to homophobic bullying. Nothing can erase that horror, but perhaps something good can be built in their memories. “So often the problem is that students are invisible and unprotected,” says Hayley Gorenberg, deputy legal director of Lambda Legal, which works for the civil rights of lesbians, gay men and people with H.I.V./AIDS. “Now we have some highly visible, horribly tragic cases — and, I hope, the potential for all of us stepping up to make a difference.”

She recommends the Web site Stop Bullying Now as a resource for parents of younger children, to start the conversation early. It is not just for victims, but also addresses bullies and those who witness bullying.

Lambda’s Web site has several resources designed to teach older L.B.G.T. students their rights. “Out, Safe and Respected” includes chapters on how to start a gay/straight student alliance, the legal rights of L.G.B.T. students, and what national resources exist to smooth the way. “Bending the Mold” is a version aimed more narrowly at transgender student, and includes a chapter on “Preventing Violence and Bullying.”

GLSEN, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, focuses on the educator piece of the problem, developing training programs, and regularly measuring the extent of bullying in schools and the effectiveness of interventions. (In 2009, their latest report found, 85 percent of L.G.B.T. students experienced harassment at school the previous year.)

Particularly powerful — and a must see for any parent shaken by this story — is a new project, called “It Gets Better” by Dan Savage. A columnist, parent and gay man, Savage is creating videos that talk directly to kids who are struggling with issues of sexual identity. His message — and that of the other adults who share their stories by adding their own tales to the You Tube channel — is that life improved after high school, and after they were able to get away from the bullies. His hope is that knowing the taunts will end, knowing joy and love are possible, will save some lives.

The larger hope, of course, is that no one be subjected to the taunts in the first place. But this is a first step.

(Related Article: Resources on Bullying and Cyberbullying