The parents of a child who was bullied for being gay at a school in Long Island City, New York, are now suing the principal and staff after they allegedly suggested that the boy had brought the homophobic bullying on himself.
According to the New York Post Parents, Jason Cianciotto and his husband who have filed the lawsuit in a Manhattan Federal Court explained that their son endured what was described as a “living nightmare” as he was relentlessly bullied by other children who called him a “fagot ass,” “bitch” and mocked him for “acting like a girl.”
It has also been reported that fellow students at the school told the boy that he would be “damned to hell by God” because of his “lifestyle.”
As a result of the bullying, staff at the school allegedly shifted the blame back onto the boy and suggested the student had in fact brought the homophobic bullying on himself and was being too “open” about his sexuality.
The boy’s fathers also say that their son was told by staff that he should simply learn to respect other peoples views and the comments made by other children were just a “difference of opinion.”
Speaking to the New York Post one of the child fathers, Jason Cianciotto said “It’s a horrific situation to be placed in.”
“It was devastating to hear my child say that they wanted to kill themselves because the bullying wouldn’t stop” – Jason Cianciotto
The boy whose identity has not been revealed for his privacy was removed from his biological parents when he was seven years old. Following the removal, he spent the next three years between various foster homes, before finding a loving home with Jason Cianciotto and his husband who adopted him in 2018.
The boy was later diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and had to undergo surgery to have it removed.
