talloulou

Heartbreaking story.

Cover: Young, Gay and Murdered in Junior High | Newsweek Culture | Newsweek.com

I found it really interesting that Larry's father seems to feel in all likelihood his son probably did in fact sexually harass the boy who shot him. It's not an excuse for the kid who did the killing but at the same time it certainly does seem that the school sort of walked on eggshells for Larry because he was gay. It seems as if they let him get away with a variety of over the top distracting behavior all excused because of the "gay card."

What do you all think? Is the school somewhat at fault? I personally don't feel you can blame the school for the shooting itself. However I do feel the school failed in allowing the school to become a circus style atmosphere where bullying of all sorts seemed to run rampant.

Plus where's the common sense? The kid apparently had a love of stiletto heels which the school tolerated on the basis that he was gay and his sexual expression shouldn't be squashed. Give me a break. No one, male or female, should be allowed to come to school in stiletto heels! Am I right?

It's sad, cause to me it really sounds like this story could have gone an entirely different way if some common sense prevailed and some of Larry's in your face exuberance was toned down during school hours with a bit of rules and discipline. Perhaps the other kid wouldn't have been pushed over the edge and Larry would be alive. Or do you think that's naive?

Lightdemon

If the school was walking on eggshells before this incident, what will they walk on now? Faberge eggs?

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talloulou

Piece from a story run in The Advocate which apparently brought lots of criticism for seeming to have any sympathy with the killer at all:

Issue Number 1005 | Mixed Messages | Advocate.com

Apparently the killer, Brandon, had a horrible home life and history. It's unlikely that another child would react in a similar manner. But that said how can we really expect any 14 year old child to handle an open out loud in your face crush with advances like Larry pushed on Brandon during school hours? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that type of attention would be a hard thing for any 14 year old to handle. Right?

Then again how would you regulate such a thing even if you had the common sense to see the mental anguish it was causing? You can't forbid children their crushes. You can't really require they not make a spectacle of themselves. So assuming there was a problem with how all this was handled what could be done differently?

Obviously sexual harassment can be stopped but it's hard to define. Just because you are the loudest most flamboyant heel wearing over the top gay boy in school doesn't necessarily mean you asking anyone to be your valentine constitutes sexual harassment. It does seem clear the entire school was aware of Larry's crush and this must have wrecked havoc on Brandon mentally but again how would or should a school deal with such a scenario?

talloulou

The adults really screwed this situation up in my opinion. On the one hand Larry was living in a group home that seemed to encourage him to really act out or at least embrace his inner flamboyance. He apparently began to dress even more outlandishly while living there. But then he was sent off to school where administrators refused to put their foot down despite teacher complaints. They had no backbone. I'm sure it's one thing to be a 14 year old boy and have another 14 year old boy crushing on you. But when the boy who's crushing on you comes to school with a full face of make up and stiletto heels and crushes on you loudly creating an amusing spectacle for everyone to talk about it's a bit different. Some adult should have noticed what was going on and did something, anything to sort of intervene and help take some of the pressure off. My opinion, of course.

Reverend_Hellh0und

Did I read that right? Stilletto heels in middle school?

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talloulou

I know right? How crazy is everyone when we start equating protecting gay rights with allowing any kids to come to 8th grade classes in stilettos?

Lightdemon

Not to divert attention away from this topic, but this is one of the effects of over-sized classrooms. How can any teacher know all of thier students well enough to make that kind of judgement call? How can an administrator (in over-populated schools)?

talloulou

This school wasn't a big one. And the boy, Larry, was well known. And his crush on Brandon was well known. And many teachers from what I can tell complained about various behaviors that they felt were over the top and distracting to class. One teacher even went so far as to complain that whatever else the stilettos were they were arguably dangerous to be walking around in during school hours. So teachers were seemingly aware of what was going on. They just never agreed on how to handle it all.

I have to assume, from what I've read, that much of the outlandish behavior on Larry's part was for shock value. He apparently took more than his fair share of teasing so he decided to meet it head on, "Give 'em something to talk about..." so to speak. Rather than hide his gayness away he bravely chose to be loud and in your face with it. He would tell guys who bullied him they were "hot" in gym. That sort of thing. He supposedly "chased" boys and what not.

He was incredibly brave but I fear he was also misguided. I honestly feel the school could have taken some of the pressure out of the entire situation by refusing to allow Larry full access to a self defense system based entirely on shocking the hell out of his enemies. Instead they let him create a one man circus excusing his distracting over the top behaviors and dress in favor of being PC about protecting his rights to sexual expression, in school, in 8th grade.

WI Crippler

I try to think back about when I was that age. The thought of a flamboyant gay coming up to me, in front of all my friends and proclaiming his crush on me most likely would have ended in an ass whipping. Nowdays, I'd probably feel complimented . I didn't have the troubles growing up that this Brandon kid did, so I doubt I would have found it within myself to shoot him dead. But for boys that age, its really a time when social groups are forming, and testosterone is raging through your veins. I would think its probably the most dangerous point for any gay male to come out, since the males in their peer group don't have the judgement skills to really know how to deal with that kind of situation. Its an emotionally turbulent time for kids, and there's really no telling what they are going to do. The only thing I think the school could have done, is adopt a more clear language for dress code and enforce it. I don't know for sure if that vice-principal did in fact encourage Larry to throw his sexuality in everybodies face, but if she did, then she definantley shares in some of the responsibility for this situation ever coming to the head that it did. She obviously would not have been showing concern for Larrys safety, and I doubt she doesn't know how volatile kids are at that age. If a different vice principal doesn't encourage Larry, he's probably not dead.

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talloulou

Actually I read a story that claimed that "out" gays in high school have far less difficulty today than "out" gays in jr. high. So I think you're right. The jr. high kids are less equipped mentally to deal with it.