| 7/21/2008 |
NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY. WORDS CAN'T BRING YOU DOWN.
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Stories like this make me think. I get torn. Which, I suppose a good article should do. If you're not familiar with the story... I'll give you the short version of the 5-page article. Larry King, 15 years old, was shot twice in the head at school by a classmate, Brandon McInerney, 14 years old.
Larry was a flamboyant, cross-dressing, young man. Make-up. Glitter. High heels. He worked it all. With a troubled past involving a drug-using mother and not-in-the-picture father, Larry was adopted by supportive parents. Larry had been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder and given ADHD medication.
Brandon's past wasn't much brighter. His parents split after Brandon's father shot his mother in the arm and then his father claimed the mother turned the home into a drug house. Once Brandon's mother entered rehab, Brandon went to live with his father.
Larry was a disruptive student. If not in appearance, then in behavior. Students had created a Mean Girls-esque "Burn Book" and wrote about how much they hated Larry. Larry openly flirted with Brandon in school. Brandon threatened Larry telling Larry's friends to tell him goodbye because he wasn't coming back. Some teachers were very supportive of Larry's right to express himself. Others were concerned about his dress and behavior. They'd go to the school's administration that one of the Assistant Principals, who was also a lesbian, was possible pushing her own agenda on to Larry. She states Larry had sought her out for guidance.
Larry's adoptive father, Greg is upset that gay-rights groups are making Larry the new Matthew Sheppard. He is not wholly convinced that Larry was gay. Greg is more concerned about the ability of a student to get a gun into the school. Where are the resources to help either of these troubled students, he questions.
So my questions are many. Be out. Be proud. Be loud? Is that really the best idea? Did Larry bring it upon himself? Like so many others wondering, how did Brandon get a gun and get it into a group home alternative school? How much do you encourage a child to express themselves?
Putting the victim/accused's gender and sexuality aside for a moment... If this had been a girl killed by a boy, would a lot of these question even come up? What kind of things would be said to a boy who was overtly sexual with a girl? These are issues that do come up in schools. Can they be handled like any other social/behavioral issue?Labels: gay, news |
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I posted this @ 7/21/2008 05:56:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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