PopGoesTheNews.com "I'm Tanner. 14 years old. Gay. I hate people. And life."
This is the description Tanner Moskuil of Gatineau, Quebec — part of the national capital region — displays on his blog, Make Me Feel Broken.
The words and images he has posted since creating the Tumblr page on Oct. 18 have sparked a global online campaign in support of the high school student. People around the world are sending Moskuil words of encouragement and personal video messages. His Twitter account has surged to more than 1,000 followers.
Moskuil's blog is a very public cry for help. He has posted images depicting self-cutting and suicide, including a photo of a boy jumping in front of a subway car and an image showing nothing but the word "suicidal" over and over again.
In one post, Moskuil described his life at school as "HELL." He then related an exercise in his drama class in which he had to remove his shirt, prompting a classmate to call him an "anorexic gay fuck." He wrote: "I hate my fucking body. Who is going to want someone whose 85 pounds. nobody. i hate people thinking im 10 years old and shoving me into walls. im done with it ... i wish i could dissapear."
Moskuil also shared a message he received from an anonymous visitor to his blog. "faggot go kill yourself and eat shards of glass, your 14 how do you even know your gay yet you sick fuck kids like you should die."
Someone else wrote: "i think i wanna kill you right about now" to which Moskuil replied: "me too."
But in the most disturbing post, headlined "I Hate My Life," Moskuil wrote: "why do I even bother anymore? I have nothing to look forward too." Then, "it would be nice, to start over."
He later posted: "just wait till you all regret what you said."
Moskuil's expressions of anger and despair come days after Ottawa teen Jamie Hubley killed himself after being bullied for being gay. Hubley's blog, in which he chronicled his struggles, was named You Can't Break...When You're Already Broken.
But reaction to Moskuil's plight was swift. Online supporters were quick to report a Facebook page titled "Tanner Mosquil likes it in the bum," and got it removed. And people have been submitting heartfelt messages for Moskuil via a Tumblr page called We Love You Tanner.
The movement was sparked by a young man identified only as "Seanothan," who posted a call to arms on Reddit. In a video message to Moskuil, he admitted that he hoped "a couple of people would send you a message and say that you're awesome and loved and please stick around. Don't let what a couple of people say make you do something drastic.
"Instead, it snowballed into this thing where hundreds of people just instantly wanted to support you and have your back."
It appears that Moskuil is feeling the love. On Oct. 20 he said the messages of support have made me cry. "I cant even believe how many people have written to me ... Im nothing great to deserve this but now when i came home from school today to see so many people care makes me feel important to someone. now im smiling, and its thanks to you… people who dont even know me, made me get hope back."
