Jacob Rogers, Tennessee Teen, Commits Suicide After Years Of Anti-Gay Bullying (VIDEO)

A Tennessee teen has taken his own life after being subjected to anti-gay bullying which, friends say, officials at his high school did little to prevent.

As Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV is reporting, Jacob Rogers had been bullied at Cheatham County Central High School for the past four years, but at the start of his senior year, it had become so bad he dropped out of school. "He started coming home his senior year saying 'I don't want to go back. Everyone is so mean. They call me a faggot, they call me gay, a queer,'" friend Kaelynn Mooningham is quoted by MSNBC as saying.

Though Kaelynn says her friend repeatedly sought help from the school's guidance office, Cheatham County Schools Director Dr. Tim Webb said officials were only made aware of one incident. After the principal intervened, Jacob said things were getting better, Webb said. He also acknowledged a series of staff changes at the school could've had an impact in how the situation was addressed: "We have a new principal, a new assistant principal and at least one new guidance counselor out there...so it could've been they didn't have the knowledge of the history of what was going on."

Kaelynn disagrees: "It was different and it was worse, and they ignored him." She also noted Jacob's family may not have enough money for a funeral.

UPDATE: A number of gay blogs -- Towleroad, Dan Savage's Slog and Joe.My.God -- have created a donation fund to help pay for Jacob's funeral.

Look at other recent cases of anti-gay bullying below:

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• Tyler Clementi

  The disturbing rash of LGBT teen suicides began receiving attention last fall. Among those who took their own life was Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers University student who jumped off the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York after his roommate allegedly filmed him having sex with another man.

• Seth Walsh

  Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old California teen, hung himself in September 2010 after reportedly being bullied because he was gay.

• Raymond S. Chase

  Gay Rhode Island-based student Raymond S. Chase, 19, became the fifth in 2010's disturbing spate of teen suicides last fall.

• Obama's Anti-Bullying Video

  In October 2010, President Obama released a video in support of LGBT youth who were struggling with being bullied.

• Pastor's Confession

  In November 2010, Jim Swilley, the pastor of a Georgia megachurch, revealed to his congregation that he is gay. The 52-year-old father of four said the recent spate of teen suicides, particularly that of Clementi, prompted him to change his mind. "For some reason his situation was kind of the tipping point with me," Swilley told CNN's Don Lemon this weekend.

• Daniel Radcliffe Honored

  In June, "Harry Potter" actor Daniel Radcliffe was honored with the Trevor Project's "Hero" Award for his <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/26/daniel-radcliffe-speaks-o_n_478960.html" target="_hplink">ongoing suicide prevention efforts</a> for LGBT youth.

• Jamey Rodemeyer

  In September, Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old boy from Williamsville, N.Y., took his life Sunday after what his parents claim was years of bullying because of struggles with his sexuality, months after posting this "It Gets Better" clip on YouTube.

• Lady Gaga's Dedication

  After vowing to stop bullying and make it illegal, Lady Gaga -- a longtime advocate for LGBT causes -- dedicated a performance to Rodemeyer at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. "I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you've got when you're in school," Gaga told the crowd. "So tonight, Jamey, I know you're up there looking at us, and you're not a victim. You're a lesson to all of us."

• Bachmann Speaks Out

  Days after being faced with a petition that urged her to publicly address gay bullying in her district, Rep. Michele Bachmann noted, "That's not a federal issue," according to CBS News. Previously, Tammy Aaberg, the mother of Justin Aaberg, a gay teen in the Anoka-Hennepin school district who committed suicide after having been bullied in area schools, delivered petitions to Bachmann's office asking her for support.

• Jamie Hubley

  Jamie Hubley, a gay 15-year-old from Ottawa, Canada, committed suicide Oct. 14. In this clip, the teen performs Mike Posner's "Cooler Than Me."

• Hubley Tribute Video

  Friends created a poignant tribute video to Hubley, the Canadian 10th grader who committed suicide on Friday.