A message from Executive Director Kevin JenningsExecutive Director, GLSEN
Lawrence King was a self-identified gay student who attended Green Junior High in Oxnard, California. His feminine gender expression “was freaking the guys out” according to one of his classmates.
Apparently, for this, he had to die.
On Tuesday morning Lawrence was shot at point blank range in his eighth grade English class by a boy who had apparently been one of his anti-LGBT tormentors. Now he’s going to die once they turn the machines off, which they may have already done by the time you get this message.
Ten years ago a gay college student, Matthew Shepard, was tied to a fence and beaten to death. Today, it’s a gay junior high student being shot in the head. When will we, as a society, say enough is enough?
Oxnard student declared brain dead
Police have not determined a motive in the slaying but said it appeared to stem from a personal dispute between King and the suspect. Keith and Totten declined to elaborate. But several students at the south Oxnard campus said King and his alleged assailant had a falling out stemming from King's sexual orientation.
The teenager sometimes wore feminine clothing and makeup, and proclaimed he was gay, students said. Some of the male students were bothered by his appearance, calling it a distraction, several students said.
"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."
complete article from LA Times
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