Gabe Peeples didn?t act very girly as a child, but wore feminine clothing and was teased in school. Aiden Caes was spat on and run off the road as a teenager. According to others who spoke at a vigil on a chilly Wednesday evening on Library Mall, treatment such as this toward people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning has not improved. Amid the glow of small purple lights, with many people sporting purple shirts and armbands, dozens of students and Madison residents gathered to recognize the effect of bullying that has led to suicides among gay teenagers. The Stop the Silence vigil, which began in 2008, is held to acknowledge the prevalence of bullying, harassment and homophobia, said Kassie Brown with the UW-Madison LGBT campus center, which held the vigil.
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