Tatiana Geiselmann (in Epinal)
About fifty people went to the funeral of Lucas, a 13-year-old schoolboy who killed himself a week ago at his home. According to his relatives, he was the victim of school bullying and homophobic insults. Under a gray sky, many of his comrades wanted to pay tribute to him.
Rainbow colors in the greyness of the Vosges. The funeral of young Lucas took place on Saturday afternoon, to pay tribute to the thirteen-year-old teenager who killed himself a week ago at his home. According to his relatives, he was the victim of school bullying and homophobic insults. Despite the wind, rain and cold, around fifty people came to Lucas’ funeral to pay their last respects. Among them, many college students. Classmates of the teenager like Louna.
A white step
“He was a best friend and he had already told me that he felt bad, who was being harassed by all this. And we made fun of him because he liked boys and girls. And then he said often that he was fed up”, confides the young teenager. On the coats of those present at the funeral, many rainbow-colored pines were visible, to denounce the homophobia of which the young schoolboy said he was a victim.
Brian came to accompany his thirteen-year-old son, also a friend of Lucas. “Since Lucas was gay, we wanted to pay tribute to him by all putting an LGBT sign. We all did it,” he describes. A request from the family, who also wishes to organize a white march in Épinal in the coming weeks. In the meantime, an investigation has been opened to determine whether the teenager’s acting out is indeed linked to the school bullying he suffered.