Saturday, February 16. 2008Teen shot in hate-crime attack at school On Wednesday February 13th Lawrence King, a 15 year old gay boy, was shot in the head, twice, at point blank range by his 14 year old classmate. That his bullying classmate felt emboldened enough – culturally sanctioned enough – to act like this should remind us where we are in terms of gay acceptance and tolerance.The shooting happened in a well to do district of southern California; it happened in full view of 20 other students. Some of those other students actually told King he better “watch out” hours before he was shot dead by 14 year old Brandon McInerney, who had previously bullied him for his gender-nonconformity and appearance. "He would come to school in high-heeled boots, makeup, jewelry and painted nails -- the whole thing," said Michael Sweeney, 13, an eighth-grader. "That was freaking the guys out." We can’t have that now, can we? God forbid that some otherwise completely unaffected straight boy should ever suffer a moment’s discomfort. Why, their fragile little minds might shatter.
No, there was only one goddamn solution. Everyone would understand. When it comes to matters of sexual orientation, it’s a commonplace to read that American teenagers are more liberal than their seniors. We’ve all seen the articles that prophecy that - when they grow to voting age - these nascent progressives will transform the nation: marriage equality will, we’re told, become a reality. But what proof do we have that teenagers in American high schools are not every bit as bullying, shaming and intolerant as the adults that sired them were decades earlier? Why would we accept they’re more inoculated against a political and religious culture that has menaced and marked gay people as a handy vote catcher? How can we possibly believe that a new day has arrived if bullying 14 year old straight boys can bring a gun to school to take the life of a gay child who’s very existence is an affront to them? Trackbacks
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She's trans, not gay.. .get a fucking clue.
It's bad enough that so many gays hate transpeople...must you steal our dead and appropriate them for your own selfish pursuit of rights at transpeople's expense? Shame on you!
Lyssa,
Thank you for your comment. Lawrence King self identified as gay to his peers, and was described as gay in all the media reports at the time this post was written. That was the reason I wrote and recorded that he was gay. It was not a conspiracy to divest him of his true identity (I didn’t know him personally). Your claim that Lawrence King was transgendered means that you must have access to new information that no one else did at the time this post was written. I have certainly not seen that claim made anywhere in print yet. Where are your sources? Caveat: I'm not interested in participating in the identity Olympics, as unquantifiable blood sports were never my thing, and because your tone from the outset was hostile, scattershot, presumptuous and shaming. Also - and something tells me you've heard this before - but I’ve personally found that it's a really good idea to treat your allies with a degree of respect, especially when you seek to enlighten them. It may not be as viscerally thrilling as swearing at them, or expressing contempt, or castigating them for resigning "your" people to ignominy, but in everyday life good manners are almost always appreciated. I know I appreciate them. It appears from your short but fairly comprehensive disavowals of gay people that you don’t believe you have many allies. Has it occurred to you that a first step toward a deeper understanding might be to treat others with the respect you demand for yourself? I await your sources and I assure you I'll amend my story when you supply them, thanks.
I'm willing to bet that Brandon McInerney, the 14 year old who shot Lawrence King, didn't concern himself with fraught questions about the precise nature of his victims identity and orientation. He saw a faggot who deserved to die and he shot him.
I think we'd do well to remind ourselves how comprehensive and final that fearful word is, because in the minds of the people who hate us, it's sufficient shorthand for anyone who's different. This was not, as you incautiously claim, a nefarious appropriation of a transpersons death by a gay writer (at the expense of the trans community) This was a simple expression of grief. I am appalled by this crime; I want justice for the victim, that is all.
Well, the only thing I disagree with is that there's no hope for the upcoming generation; before I continue, I'd like to stay this was a great article
 and i hope i may have your permission to use it for a school project and share it with others of similar projects, please e-mail me if i have your permission. This is lengthy, please bear with me.Back to topic, my father's a homophobe. My mother doesn't stand up to him. and i'm not lesbian nor bisexual (although i was at one time "bi-curious"). however, i'm a teenager and not against homosexuals. i'm usually prosecuted for my beliefs, particularly from my own family. what others see as a "rebellion" towards my father- i consider honesty. I will have you know that here in California, (where i live -- in a neighboring city to the tragedy) that people are now going around with a petition to make same-sex marriages illegal. (technically it's not here, still. shut down in the 9th court --YAY!) ahem but being a teenager, i am not alone. even though none of us are ourselves homosexuals, we may know other people or even dated some "experimenters" (or w/e else they prefer to be called). after this lengthy narrative (i hope i didn't bore you), i just wished to express that this stubborn teen isn't like that other young 'un. perhaps i'm just older by about 3 years -- but at the same time, i remind you i'm not alone. and our voices will be heard. so, i hope my own pledge suffices in adding some hope for my generation. i can accurately name you over 400 students (7th and on) that are with me on this (i went to a lot of schools, and used my time wisely  ). again, thanks for your patience and i'm glad to have had the honor of reading your article.
I cannot believe the agression displayed here in a time where we should be banding together to show some sincerity in our belief that we are all equal no matter what.
A younglife is taken away and all Lyssa can think about it what team the victim played on. That is a plain rude and warrants no respect. Fast lad you posted exactly what we all heard through media sources. Not once had I heard that the victim was trangendered. Regardless it is a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to everyone affected by it. |
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