Rutgers Gay Suicide: Online Dating Invasion of Privacy
Oct 2, 2010 Online Dating News
Tyler Clementi’s 18-year old body and spirit were dragged out of the Hudson River on Thursday. It was more than a week after he jumped to his death from the two-level George Washington Bridge, which safely takes commuters across the river between New York and New Jersey.
A Facebook page supposedly belonging to Tyler Clementi had a mobile status update on September 22. It read, “jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”
The Middlesex County, New Jersey Prosecutor’s office has charged two Rutgers students with invasion of privacy. Further charges including bias are pending. Allegedly, Clementi’s roommate at Rutgers, 18-year-old Dharun Ravi and another student, 18-year-old Molly Wei, placed a web camera in Clementi’s dorm room without his knowledge. It was then used to broadcast his sexual encounter with another man on the internet.
The social media trail
Reports say Dharun Ravi is believed to have posted messages on Twitter.com a number of times to share information about his roommate’s sexual orientation and activities. Tyler Clementi is believed to have used a gay website, JustUsBoys.com.
Twitter – August 22, 2010 (allegedly from Ravi):
“Found out my roommate is gay?” The tweet also linked to a thread on JustUsBoys. Another page on JustUsBoys showed a post labeled “college roommate spying.”
Twitter – September 19 (allegedly from Ravi):
“Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”
According to prosecutors, Ravi tried to use the webcam again two days later.
Twitter – September 21 (allegedly from Ravi about Clementi):
“Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it’s happening again.”
JustUsBoys.com – September 21, one day before Tyler Clementi’s jump from the GW Bridge (allegedly Clementi under username “cit2mo”):
“so the other night i had a guy over. I had talked to my roommate that afternoon and he had said it would be fine w/him. I checked his twitter today. he tweeted that I was using the room (which is obnoxious enough), AND that he went into somebody else’s room and remotely turned on his webcam and saw me making out with a guy.”
Reports say the user, Cit2mo, then asked readers what he should do, including whether or not he should try to get another roommate. Several responses said the webcam was an invasion of privacy. Cit2mo said he might talk with a resident assistant in the dorm.
Cit2mo later responded that he had reported the incident. “He [the resident assistant] seemed to take it seriously… he asked me to email him a written paragraph about what exactly happened… I emailed it to him, and to two people above him….”
A lawyer for JustUsBoys.com confirmed the posts were traced back to Rutgers.
Rutgers University is reeling from scrutiny over the controversy and looming legal issues about how long it knew about the situation, and what it did or didn’t do to resolve it. University President Richard McCormick is meeting with members of the school’s gay and lesbian community. So far the only statement from Tyler Clementi’s family said, “We understand that our family’s personal tragedy presents important legal issues for the country as well for us.”
To try to put out the fire, a candlelight vigil is being held tomorrow night on the Rutgers University campus. Tyler Clementi might be there in spirit.
Tags: gay suicide, invasion of privacy, online dating news, Rutgers, Tyler Clementi