For Tyler Clementi, plunging to his death in the Hudson River was a better option than everyone finding out he was gay.

Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after learning his roommate Dhraun Ravi and another student, Molly Wei, had been broadcasting his sexual encounters with another male online.

Wei and Ravi are currently in custody on charges of invading Clementi’s privacy.

We, like the rest of the country, were shocked and saddened to hear about Clementi’s death.

We were horrified to learn that his death is only one of almost half a dozen suicides by gay teens in the past month. That is absolutely unacceptable.

What’s worse is this is not a solitary phenomenon.

A study found that gay students are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers.

Recently, it seemed that our society was taking positive steps towards gay rights.

That’s what the media seemed to show anyway.

Stars like Ellen DeGeneres and Neal Patrick Harris have come out of the closet and enjoyed successful careers.

Recent conversations about Proposition 8 and ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ have been heated but encouraging.

This incident makes us think we have a hard lesson to learn. If these victims, some as young as 13 years old, would rather end their lives than face harassment because they are gay, this country is in serious trouble.

Students need a safe place to live and study. We sincerely hope that this country learns a lesson before another student is put into a horrific situation like the one Clementi faced.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.