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http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Mar28/0,4670,GayStudentKilled,00.html
Shooting of Gay Student Sparks Outcry
Friday, March 28, 2008
OXNARD, Calif. - Larry King was a gay eighth-grader who used to come to
school in makeup, high heels and earrings. And when the other boys made fun
of him, he would boldly tease them right back by flirting with them.
That may have been what got him killed.
On Feb. 12, another student, Brandon McInerney, 14, shot him twice in the
head at the back of the computer lab at their junior high school, police
say.
The slaying of the 15-year-old boy has alarmed gay rights activists and led
to demands that middle schools do more to educate youngsters about
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Police would not discuss McInerney's motive. But the day before the
shooting, King told McInerney he liked him, eighth-grader Eduardo Segure
told the Ventura County Star.
If King had flirted with the other boy, "that can be very threatening to
someone's ego and their sense of identity," said Jaana Juvonen, a psychology
professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
McInerney was jailed on $770,000 bail on an adult murder charge that could
put him behind bars for life. Prosecutors also filed a hate-crime
enhancement, which could bring three more years if McInerney is found to
have acted on the basis of the victim's race, religion, nationality or
sexual orientation.
The shooting has galvanized Oxnard, a city of nearly 200,000 people about 60
miles northwest of Los Angeles. Several vigils for King have been held,
including a march that drew about 1,000 people to this strawberry-growing
section of Ventura County.
Like the killings of some other gay students _ such as Matthew Shepard in
Wyoming, and Brandon Teena, the Nebraska transsexual whose story was the
subject of the movie "Boys Don't Cry" _ King's death has drawn national
attention and outraged many gays.
Comic Ellen DeGeneres, who is a lesbian, said on her talk show Feb. 28:
"Larry was not a second-class citizen. I'm not a second-class citizen. It is
OK if you are gay."
Students at E.O. Green Junior High said the other kids used to taunt King,
call him names and throw wet paper towels at him in the boys' restroom, and
he would bravely fire back by flirting with them and chasing them.
"He didn't like people insulting him," said his friend Miriam Lopez, 13.
"Larry was brave enough to bring high heels and makeup to school and he
wasn't afraid of anything."
Jerry Dannenberg, superintendent of the Hueneme School District, would not
discuss details of what went on between King and McInerney but said students
are encouraged to come forward if they have been threatened.
He also said that King was free to wear women's accessories with his uniform
of white shirt and dark pants because the dress code prohibits only those
items that could be a safety threat, such as steel-toed shoes.
"If girls are wearing jewelry, you can't stop boys from wearing it, too," he
said. "Each gender has the right to wear what the other does."
The school system said that it has tolerance programs in its middle schools,
but that sexual orientation is often not dealt with until high school. Since
the killing, school officials have been meeting with gay leaders about
changing the program.
"With young people coming out at younger ages, our schools _ especially our
junior highs and middle schools _ need to be proactive about teaching
respect for diversity based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said
Carolyn Laub, executive director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network. "The
tragic death of Larry King is a wake-up call for our schools to better
protect students from harassment at school."
A 2005 survey by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network found that
more than 64 percent of gay and lesbian students report verbal, sexual or
physical harassment at school, and 29 percent said they missed at least a
day of school in the previous month out of fear for their safety. The group
is holding its annual "Day of Silence" in memory of King on April 25.
The families of both boys have refused to comment. An e-mail message left
for McInerney's attorney was not immediately returned.
Both teens have been described as good kids.
King and his mother crocheted hundreds of scarves that were shipped to U.S.
soldiers in Afghanistan. The avid singer planned to belt out the national
anthem at his brother's opening-day baseball game this spring.
"He had an amazing voice and was always singing," said Averi Laskey, 13, a
friend since elementary school. "He would stick up for you no matter what.
Larry was the best kind of person you could meet."
McInerney was described as the typical eighth-grader, goofy and fun to be
around. He trained to be a lifeguard and took martial arts. He also enrolled
in the Young Marines, a group similar to the Army's Junior Reserve Officers'
Training Corps.
The two had at least one thing in common: rough upbringings.
King had been in foster care at a center for abused and neglected children
since November, said Steve Elson, the facility's chief executive.
Confidentiality laws prevented him from saying why.
McInerney's parents accused each other of domestic violence and filed
dueling restraining orders, according to court records. Several months
before McInerney was born, his father was accused of shooting his mother in
the elbow. Kendra McInerney told a local paper she struggled with drug
addiction for many years. The couple divorced in 2002.
Jay Smith, director of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, a gay rights
organization, questioned whether teachers have enough training to deal with
gay teens.
"Those of us being out remember being bullied and we don't want to see that
happen to another kid," he said.
Shooting of Gay Student Sparks Outcry
Friday, March 28, 2008
OXNARD, Calif. - Larry King was a gay eighth-grader who used to come to
school in makeup, high heels and earrings. And when the other boys made fun
of him, he would boldly tease them right back by flirting with them.
That may have been what got him killed.
On Feb. 12, another student, Brandon McInerney, 14, shot him twice in the
head at the back of the computer lab at their junior high school, police
say.
The slaying of the 15-year-old boy has alarmed gay rights activists and led
to demands that middle schools do more to educate youngsters about
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Police would not discuss McInerney's motive. But the day before the
shooting, King told McInerney he liked him, eighth-grader Eduardo Segure
told the Ventura County Star.
If King had flirted with the other boy, "that can be very threatening to
someone's ego and their sense of identity," said Jaana Juvonen, a psychology
professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
McInerney was jailed on $770,000 bail on an adult murder charge that could
put him behind bars for life. Prosecutors also filed a hate-crime
enhancement, which could bring three more years if McInerney is found to
have acted on the basis of the victim's race, religion, nationality or
sexual orientation.
The shooting has galvanized Oxnard, a city of nearly 200,000 people about 60
miles northwest of Los Angeles. Several vigils for King have been held,
including a march that drew about 1,000 people to this strawberry-growing
section of Ventura County.
Like the killings of some other gay students _ such as Matthew Shepard in
Wyoming, and Brandon Teena, the Nebraska transsexual whose story was the
subject of the movie "Boys Don't Cry" _ King's death has drawn national
attention and outraged many gays.
Comic Ellen DeGeneres, who is a lesbian, said on her talk show Feb. 28:
"Larry was not a second-class citizen. I'm not a second-class citizen. It is
OK if you are gay."
Students at E.O. Green Junior High said the other kids used to taunt King,
call him names and throw wet paper towels at him in the boys' restroom, and
he would bravely fire back by flirting with them and chasing them.
"He didn't like people insulting him," said his friend Miriam Lopez, 13.
"Larry was brave enough to bring high heels and makeup to school and he
wasn't afraid of anything."
Jerry Dannenberg, superintendent of the Hueneme School District, would not
discuss details of what went on between King and McInerney but said students
are encouraged to come forward if they have been threatened.
He also said that King was free to wear women's accessories with his uniform
of white shirt and dark pants because the dress code prohibits only those
items that could be a safety threat, such as steel-toed shoes.
"If girls are wearing jewelry, you can't stop boys from wearing it, too," he
said. "Each gender has the right to wear what the other does."
The school system said that it has tolerance programs in its middle schools,
but that sexual orientation is often not dealt with until high school. Since
the killing, school officials have been meeting with gay leaders about
changing the program.
"With young people coming out at younger ages, our schools _ especially our
junior highs and middle schools _ need to be proactive about teaching
respect for diversity based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said
Carolyn Laub, executive director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network. "The
tragic death of Larry King is a wake-up call for our schools to better
protect students from harassment at school."
A 2005 survey by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network found that
more than 64 percent of gay and lesbian students report verbal, sexual or
physical harassment at school, and 29 percent said they missed at least a
day of school in the previous month out of fear for their safety. The group
is holding its annual "Day of Silence" in memory of King on April 25.
The families of both boys have refused to comment. An e-mail message left
for McInerney's attorney was not immediately returned.
Both teens have been described as good kids.
King and his mother crocheted hundreds of scarves that were shipped to U.S.
soldiers in Afghanistan. The avid singer planned to belt out the national
anthem at his brother's opening-day baseball game this spring.
"He had an amazing voice and was always singing," said Averi Laskey, 13, a
friend since elementary school. "He would stick up for you no matter what.
Larry was the best kind of person you could meet."
McInerney was described as the typical eighth-grader, goofy and fun to be
around. He trained to be a lifeguard and took martial arts. He also enrolled
in the Young Marines, a group similar to the Army's Junior Reserve Officers'
Training Corps.
The two had at least one thing in common: rough upbringings.
King had been in foster care at a center for abused and neglected children
since November, said Steve Elson, the facility's chief executive.
Confidentiality laws prevented him from saying why.
McInerney's parents accused each other of domestic violence and filed
dueling restraining orders, according to court records. Several months
before McInerney was born, his father was accused of shooting his mother in
the elbow. Kendra McInerney told a local paper she struggled with drug
addiction for many years. The couple divorced in 2002.
Jay Smith, director of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, a gay rights
organization, questioned whether teachers have enough training to deal with
gay teens.
"Those of us being out remember being bullied and we don't want to see that
happen to another kid," he said.
