A student who is accused of posting a sex video online of a roommate who eventually committed suicide pleaded not guilty to charges of hate crime on Monday. The case has drawn national attention to existing problems of gay bullying.

19-year old Dharun Ravi did not say a word during his appearance in New Jersey County Court as he faces 15 charges which include tampering of evidence, invasion of privacy, and bias intimidation.

Tyler Clementi, Ravi’s roommate, jumped off the George Washington Bridge a few months ago after he found out that his sexual activities with another man was caught on camera and was posted online for everyone to see. 18-year old Clementi was a first year student at Rutgers University and showed great potentials as a violinist.

Ravi allegedly used a webcam to watch his roommate’s sexual activities with another man and showed it live online. Prosecutors said that Ravi set up the live filming of Clementi’s private activities and advertised it on Twitter, a very popular social networking site. Ravi is further accused of covering up his tracks by deleting and replacing the post. He also allegedly asked witnesses not to say a word against him.

If proven guilty, Ravi could be in prison for 10 years. He is scheduled to appear in court again on the 25th of July.

The case has received a lot of public and media attention, including US President Barack Obama and Ellen DeGeneres. Both prominent figures spoke against bullying and school systems that promote it. Now, there are several rights groups that promote programs preventing harassment of gay students.