When Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, he took part of our hearts with him.

Clementi’s suicide was precipitated by a gross invasion of privacy by his roommate and another friend. A live video stream of Clementi’s private sexual encounter with another man was splashed across the web, hidden-camera style, in a despicable act of ill-spirited voyeurism. The prank was more than a violation of his basic rights, however. It was a solemn reminder of the environment confronting a great portion of today’s gay youth.

The most recent incident in a longer narrative of anti-LGBTQ bullying in the United States, Clementi’s death has widened the conversation to include the challenges imposed by cyber-bullying. With a hurtful crime only a mouse-click away, this new type of torment is difficult to find and enforce. Its effect on Clementi was deadly.

By filming and streaming the video without the victim’s consent, Clementi’s roommate Dharun Ravi and his friend Molly Wei committed only a third-degree felony. The question that authorities must now answer is whether Ravi spied on and sought to humiliate because of his roommate’s percieved sexual orientation, or in spite of that fact.

If Ravi and Wei’s decision to break the law was motivated by anti-gay bias, then prosecutors can and must charge them under New Jersey’s strict hate crime laws. An attack on sexual orientation strips the victim of dignity and privacy. If this was their aim, Ravi and Wei deserve the significantly longer prison sentence that awaits them under hate crime sentencing guidelines.

Today, gay teens encounter persistent bullying. A recent study indicates that this demographic is three to four times more likely to be bullied than their heterosexual peers. In that same 2007 study, findings showed that about half of all gay youth had been bullied at school in the prior year.

Sadly, Georgetown is not immune from these flaws. We saw in the string of bias-related incidents last year that some members of our community remain intolerant of LGBTQ students. Still students are those best suited to prevent a tragedy like Clementi’s death from ever striking the Hilltop. And while the university has taken positive steps to support students who are discriminated against, with outlets such as the LGBTQ Resource Center, peers are still the most important resources for victims of abuse.

Students should look out for their friends and roommates who may be targets of bullying (be it sexual discrimination or any other type). Resident assistants, hall directors, chaplains-in-residence, and Counseling and Psychiatric Services are all available to talk to students who are concerned about themselves or their friends.

Honor Tyler Clementi’s memory by tackling head-on the bullying that seems to have led to his death. We owe it to ourselves and to our community to make all feel welcome. More importantly, we owe it to each other to help those harboring prejudices move beyond intolerance.