Under a creed of "Live=Let Live," the parents of Tyler Clementi today announced a new foundation for promoting tolerance in their deceased son’s name, more than a year after the gay Rutgers student jumped off the George Washington Bridge. The Star-Ledger reports that The Tyler Clementi Foundation will combat bullying, promote acceptance of gay teens, aim to reduce youth suicide, and also promote "civility and responsibility in the digital world," according to an announcement sent out by the family’s attorney. "The nationwide outpouring of compassion following Tyler’s death has been truly humbling and comforting for our family," said Joseph Clementi, Tyler’s father and president of the new foundation."During that time we have become increasingly aware of the difficulties young people face due to their sexual orientation, especially in this digital age." The logo of the new foundation is two hands locked, grasping one another’s wrist. The non-profit is starting to seek donations, and its website says it will distribute grants to institutions starting next year. Information is available at www.thetylerclementifoundation.org. Former Rutgers freshman Dharun Ravi is charged with invasion of privacy and bias-related charges in using a webcam to watch Clementi in an intimate encounter with another man, prosecutors said. Clementi, 18, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge September 22. A second Rutgers student allegedly involved in the incident, Molly Wei, received a probationary program called pre-trial intervention which could wipe all charges off her record if completed successfully. Ravi’s trial is scheduled for February 21, but there is a hearing before the judge scheduled for Friday.
And in an exclusive interview with People magazine, Tyler’s mother, Jane, says that, "not a minute goes by that I don’t think about him," adding, "It's especially hard right now because this was his favourite time of year," says Jane, 53, a nurse, of Ridgewood, New Jersey. "So we're trying to find a new way to celebrate Christmas. I'm sad – and trying to get through it." His father Joe says when he's thinking of his son, he'll look at a Facebook page in Tyler's honour. "I'll read a few things until I get choked up – then I'll stop," says Joe, 55, public works director for the borough of Hawthorne, New Jersey. In the interview, published Friday, in the magazine’s December 19 issue, the Clementi’s say that they were “completely unprepared” to learn of his sexual orientation, which he tearfully revealed to his family days before leaving for Rutgers University. “I told him I needed time,” Jane Clementi said. “You have dreams for your children, and when someone tells you this, your dreams are kind of shattered for that moment. I was processing it, but cutting him out of my life was never a possibility.” In an e-mail to a friend, Tyler wrote of that conversation that, “Mom has basically completely rejected me.” Tyler’s older brother, James, 26, also told his parents he is gay several months ago, People reports. The Clementi family speak fondly of Tyler’s passions — Broadway, the violin, the mall, and his unicycle. They also describe encountering Ravi’s family at move-in day at Rutgers. “He wouldn’t even look at Tyler,” Jane Clementi says. The last time the Clementi’s spoke to Tyler was the morning of his death. He did not mention the webcam incident, Jane said. The Clementi family says it is speaking out now in an effort to “focus renewed attention on the problem of bullying.”
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