Bully

From the day Tyler was born,

I was probably the proudest dad in the world.

Because he was the firstborn, he was the first son.

He always had that laugh about him that was just...

I don't know, it was infectious.

It caught you.

Keep going! Keep going!

One more time. Let's go.

See, Papa, see?

See, I can do it.

Papa, see? I can do it.

As he grew older, he kind of reverted and was a loner.

He couldn't stand large crowds,

he couldn't stand the noise of it all.

Here, let's see the window.

I knew he would be victimized at some point in time.

Tyler?

What is it, Dad? I need a camcorder.

Tyler was never the most athletic.

All right, y'all tell me what y'all think about snow.

When he was in PE, he was always the last one to be chose.

Nobody would be on his team because they said he was a geek

and he's a fag, and they didn't want to play with him.

And it took a toll on him early in middle school

to where he... he cried.

And then he got to a point to where he didn't cry anymore.

And that's when it became difficult

to truly understand what he was going through.

Is this in position?

Kimberly, if you see this tape, this is me, I'm talking in the camera.

But I just wanted to say that I really love you very much.

If all the kids insult you

and all things like that, forget about them.

The last couple days we had heard

that he had had his head shoved into a wall locker.

Some kids had told him to go hang himself, that he was worthless.

Hand me it.

And I think he got to the point to where enough was enough.

- Tyler, what are you doing? - Drawing.

- You doing your homework? - Yes.

- You drawing Daddy a picture? - Yes.

- Say hi to Daddy. - Hi, Daddy.

I still think he's going to come through that door.

And I know he's not.

Come here.

Well, come here.

Basketball.

If there is a heaven...

I know Tyler's there.

And all I can do is have the faith...

that I'll be able to see him again.

That's what I have to live for.

And I have to live for my other two kids,

and I have to make their life...

as comfortable and as pleasant...

and as peaceful as I can.

Tyler Lee Long, born April 25, 1992.

Died October 17, 2009. Age 17.

- Papa? - Yes, dear?

You have no cups that I can reach.

I have no cups?

- That I can reach. - Why not?

Because they're all the way back there.

Somebody, named "your mother"...

I feel good when I'm in this house

and when I'm with my family.

- That's Papa's cup. - Yeah, I know.

Maya, my sister, she is annoying,

but that's normal for a sister, so...

Then there's Ethan.

He's my six-year-old brother.

He got all A's in preschool through kindergarten.

I'm proud of him for that.

Then there's Jada.

She talks a lot.

Then there's Logan, my two-year-old brother,

and my mama and my dad.

And then there's me.

L-O-S-E-R. What does that spell? "Alex."

Wow, sisters are annoying.

Your face is annoying.

People, call me "fish face." I don't mind.

You got called "fish face," too?

I got called that all the time in third grade.

- You did? - Yeah.

Come here, come here, come here.

What?

Body slam!

Your foot!

Isn't it tasty?

I feel kind of nervous going back to school 'cause...

I like learning,

but I have trouble with making friends.

What's up, Alex?

Don't piss me off and that won't happen.

OK.

I'll kick your ass.

- Don't do that. - I'm not hitting you.

You hit me in the nose.

- Don't even think about watching. - OK.

Or gonna throw you on the ground and start kicking the crap out of you.

I'll break your Adam's apple, which will kill you.

Hey! No, you didn't!

- What's up? - S'up?

OK.

Yeah, I know what you're saying.

Whoa, the fog must have slowed everybody down.

Go. Go, go, go.

Get to class.

And away we go.

Listen up, everybody get your team and line up over there against the wall.

It doesn't matter which order.

Whoa, buddy, what happened? Come here.

- We just got... - What in the world happened?

I don't see any hole.

- He got hit pretty good. - Did he?

I'll bet you guys didn't like that, did you?

Get in there, let's go. Get in there.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

Let's go, let's go, move around.

Come on, Jason, move around.

Watch the ball!

Hey. Are you in trouble?

- Not really. - OK.

He's always such an unhappy-looking child.

I see you guys laughing over there.

Now, Cody.

Cody, come here.

You don't have a book? 'cause you just snuck in?

We're on page 364. Maggie, go ahead and read it, please.

Mrs. Pucilek, open a window.

Open a window.

Can I do that without getting in trouble? OK.

Yes. Come here, sweetie.

Cody, can you tell me what's happening at lunch table?

He calls me a faggot.

He does?

How does that make you feel?

It... It breaks my heart.

It breaks your heart. I see.

So what do you think we should do?

Tell me how to fix this.

Tell me how to fix this.

I don't know. I don't have any magic.

Just, you know, and it's a really awful feeling.

How many people in here have, um, at least one friend?

OK. How many people in here have two friends?

How many people in here have more than two friends?

Almost everybody.

People think that I'm different,

I'm not normal.

Most kids don't want to be around me.

I feel like I... I belong somewhere else.

You can always count on something happening

when you're walking down the hall at school and in the classroom,

after school, when I'm walking home,

when I'm walking through the parking lot in the mornings, to school.

I wasn't welcomed at church.

I'm not welcomed in a lot of people's homes.

I know these guys get called "gay" just for hanging out with me.

Everybody thinks I'm a lesbian.

Everybody thought we were lesbians

- right when we started hanging out. - I'm straight.

- And she's straight. - I'm straight.

Like I told you, she's K-gay.

I'm not straight anymore.

We were walking back from lunch and these guys,

there was probably like six older guys, driving in their mom's minivan.

They were mostly jocks.

I was gonna find out what their problem was,

so I kinda walked in the road,

and instead of slowing down or stopping to talk to me,

they sped up and I flew onto the windshield.

I couldn't have gotten hit by something cool, like a Jeep or something.

I had to get hit by a minivan.

Tuttle. Country town.

- What did he say? - Friday night games.

Football, football Let's play football!

Defense! Defense! Defense!

Bible Belt Oklahoma.

Any time someone comes around that's the least bit different,

they make sure to put 'em down.

This is where I got the most crap. Playing basketball.

I loved basketball.

But they just told me many times they don't want to touch me.

It's pretty much on that court was my worst year ever.

Every time I look at that board,

I know my name should be up there.

I was told many times I could have got a scholarship.

I was a cutter.

I've tried to commit suicide three times.

Once Kelby came out and the town learned about her,

it was overnight.

We've pretty much been isolated here.

There are people that we spent...

years with, side by side, coaching their children...

that will not even wave to us anymore, won't look at us.