NEWSWEEK's cover story provoked a fierce debate over homosexuality, harassment and a school's obligation to police its students.
Comment: If all the females who have experienced unwanted sexual/romantic attentions from males killed those males in response, the streets-- never mind the middle school hallways-- would be littered with corpses.
Comment: Excellent coverage and a very sad story tjhe last paragraph about the donating of
the organs really brought me to tears, coverage like this is needed
Comment: What a tragedy. Brandon should never have been pushed that far, but obviously Brandon should not have gone near the point of murder. I do truely believe though, that if Brandon could not get this harassment stopped through the proper channels, than he should have just slapped Larry around a little bit. I know i will get criticized for that comment, but if the proper authorities would not do anything, maybe an ass kicking could have stopped a murder. Sad story all around.
Comment: Affinity/Affectional orientation and gender identity are, probably, the result of a complex interaction of certain biological and sociological factors that are set (in stone) long before someone enrolls in middle school. Yet, most gay or transgender kids/young adults are too afraid to do anything but an extending acting class in heterosexuality and conventional gender roles.
When it comes to affectional orientation and gender identity we really do have two separate and unequal Americas; regretfully middle and high schools often become obvious examples of this. While the 'coming out age' process is rarely easy for anyone, kids/young adults who do not fit into that 3 - 10% (depending on who and how the question is asked) minority, probably never think twice about expressing their orientation/identity through endless verbal and non-verbal communication.
Some one once remarked that a "***" is a Jewish gentleman who has left the room. Well, it would seem that a "***" is a homosexual or transgender person who has left the room, to avoid being shot in the room. As long as prejudices and stereotypes guide our words and deeds when it comes to affectional oreintation and gender identity, the relationship between gay and straight people, young or old, is not going to be based on a respect for universal human rights and dignity.
Bigotry seems to be offering certain kids two choices; portable closets or red bull's eyes.
Comment: Obvious the players involved are carry some level blame for this situation. Our present day society that promotes the gay agenda more everyday also can take some as well. In my day nothing like this would ever happen, but in the liberal society we now have, here you are. In my day if a kid flaunted like Larry, which would never happen, he'd would've taken a beating first at home and told to knock it off or he would of gotten jumped at school. But not the society we live in now, no, no. Larry has the right to express himself, embarass others, himself with no penalties up until some kid put 2 bullets in his head. Larry didn't deserve to die, but he learned how to push everyones buttons by what he sees everyday and was taught his behavior would have no boundaries and everyone had to be tolerant of his behavior. I hope the kid that killed him is treated as a juvenile. I do wonder why this story wasn't national news though. I never heard about it until seeing the magazine while in a waiting room. This story has everything that's wrong with society in one story. Too much tolerance allowed, parents unable to discipline their children properly, a gay school administrator promoting a kids rights (as if he should have any), and lastly how far society is falling before my eyes.
Comment: THIS IS A STORY ABOUT : # 1) LACK OF CONTROL OF A LARRY BY HIS PARENTS, ..#2) REFUSAL OF THAT PARENT TO ADDRESS LARRYS' GENDER ISSUES.....#3) THE SCHOOLS' CHOICE TO STAY POLITICALLY CORRECT OR ABILITY TO BROACH THE SUBJECT WITH LARRYS' PARENTS...#4) BRANDONS FAMILYS' LACK OF FIRE ARMS TRAINING AND SUPERVISION.....#5) BRANDONS FAMILYS' COLLECTIVE ISSUES WITH HOMOSEXUALITY..........#6)A SCHOOL WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF METAL DETECTOR IN THESE DAYS IS ASKING FOR A TRAGEDY
EMBARRASMENT, SHAME,TEASING OR JUST PLAIN HARRASMENT....................................................
.............ALL OF THE ABOVE:UNEXCEPTABLE
Comment: I was pleased that Newsweek devoted the attention it did to this tragedy, but the reporting suffered from some heterosexist bias. When Larry is said to be a "troubled child who flaunted his sexuality," for example, where is the discussion about the other children flaunting their sexuality? Why, if the child is a "normal" heterosexual, do we never speak of him or her as "flaunting" their sexuality? And the girls with whom Larry was said to be playing the Valentine game; would the school have been "buzzing with the story" of how they asked their male crushes to be their valentines had there been no connection with Larry and the boy he admitted his crush to? It seems to me that even if Larry had favored football gear rather than high heels, just for admitting his sexuality, even if discreetly, he would be branded by many as "flaunting" something buzzworthy. Newsweek, however, should find better words to describe this with.
Comment: When Larry was acting out, teacher, at least twice, told him tpoquit and he did. It seems that if this was done ,when needed, this might not have happened. More help should have been given him, so he could have expressed his differences in a more positive manner. This is a tragedy and Larry should not have been killed because anothjer student was embarassed,
Comment: I have been teaching in a middle school for over 10 years. I have seen teasing and flirting from both boys and girls. Sometimes the boys complain and sometimes the girls. They are spoken to and it ends. I have seen kids get valentine cards from other kids that they loath with the every breath they have. But in my 10 years I have never had a kid go home, get a gun and blow the other kids brains out for giving it to them. Anyone who thinks that Larry is at ANY fault here is out of their minds. Brandon was not bullied but embarrassed, his reaction to claim his manhood in a society that deems him to have to have, was to go home, get a gun and murder Larry. Brandon is not completly at fault here, you are right, but you need to blame religious fanatics that portray glbts as sick and unworthy of life, legislating discrimination, but not protection. These kids see and hear this everyday is their movies, tv, music, and churches. Brandon was EMBARASSED not bullied. I have been cursed at by both students and parents in front of collegues and other students. Both which is extremly embarassing. I have even had my family threatened. NEVER is going home and getting my gun an option. At what point as a society do we say, "well you have had enough, go get your gun and shoot!" is acceptable? What is wrong with you people? All those who say that Larry provoked this better be glad that they are not in middle school anymore. I imagine one of their victims would be happy to hear that "when you have had enough, it is acceptable to kill."
Comment: I have taught in a middle school for over 10 years. I see this almost everyday. boys and girls flirtting with each other all the time. Sometimes the boys complain and sometimes the girls, but NEVER would any of the teasing justify blowing the brains out of the other. We have all kinds of flambouyant students. Kids with multi-color hair and mohawks, piercings in every place imaginable, girls wearing short skirts and boys with pants down aslmost to their knees. Larry was just being one of those kids. For ANYONE to suggest he had ANY fault here is sickening. Brandon was not bullied as much as he was embarrassed. He felt he HAD to save his manhood and this was the way he did it. As a teacher, I have been called every name in the book by both students and parents. Still, taking a gun out and blowing them away is NEVER and would NEVER be an option. When is MURDER EVER an option. At what point as a society do we say "well ok, I guess you have had enough, go get the gun..." is acceptable. What is wrong with you people? Have you become so angry and afraid of gays that killing them is ok? Anyone who feels that teasing or even bullying deserves a death sentence, ought to be glad that they are no longer in middle school. I am sure that they would be an acceptable target for one of the kids that they bullied.
Comment: The African American analogy is telling. If other students felt uncomfortable with expressions of African Amercian identity there would not be much sympathy. Yet, if students feel uncomfortable with gay students NEWSWEEK portrays that as provocative.
Comment: Face it, if Larry was straight his behaviour would be considered bratty. Taunting, lying, in people's faces. But no one dared to get him the counseling he obviously needed for fear of being labeled anti-gay. He continued to push the envelope-- and how much of this attention seeking was a cry for help?-- till he pushed the wrong person, and we have another sad story of a young male who is harassed beyond his limit, lashes out, and someone dies. It's the adults in this sad story who failed both of these young men. Brandon was wrong in killing Larry, without a doubt, but Larry is not blameless here. But one young life ended and another ruined is in the laps of the adults who did nothing to defuse this toxic situation.
Comment: Thank you for your comments; I couldn't agree more.
This is not a story about homosexuality, gay rights, or the right to self-expression.
This is a story about the absence of appropriate adult supervision. No one dealt with either boys' cries for help, and no one was watching the guns and ammunition.
Brandon needs to be tried as a juvenile, because he is one. Too bad he won't be.
The adults who failed to act like adults need to be tried as adults. Too bad they won't be.
Comment: Face it, Larry's behaviour was that of a brat. Take away the attention-seeking gay trappings and he'd have been sent for counseling. The tragedy is that he was not. Why? Probably because the school feared it would be seen as "discriminating against gays." One's sexual orientation does not excuse this kind of behaviour. It seems obvious he had serious emotional problems. No one seemed to care enough about this young man as a human being, and not as some figure of Political Correctness, to get him the psychological help he needed. Gays can be as happy and well-adjusted as straights. Larry obviously was not; he needed help. He got more and more obnoxious-- how much of this was a cry for help?-- till it came to a tragic end from another adolescent who wanted it stopped but lacked the adult resources and judgement to do so in any effective way. It was the same story of some kid, usually male, who is bullied beyond tolerance, and no adults will stop it..
Comment: This whole situation is tragic. But the bottom line is: since when do we make ANY excuses for violence? Regardless of Larry's behavior or Brandon's home situation or any other of a thousand reasons, there is no excuse for a student's bringing a gun to school and shooting another student. Yes, the school perhaps should have taken more decisive action to alleviate the tension, and yes, perhaps Brandon felt uncomfortable with Larry's flirtation, but every kid between 10 and 17 feels uncomfortable in school at some point, and every teacher, parent and administrator makes mistakes, too. What I'd like to know is how Brandon got the gun, where his parents were in this whole mess, and why Larry is being made out to be the villain? It's bad enough when a rape victim is portrayed as "asking for it"; are we now going to permit that distortion of justice to apply to murder victims as well? Shame on Newsweek and Ramin Setoodeh.
Comment: Why on earth are middle-schoolers of either sex allowed to wear knee-high pink boots to school? How can anyone possibly conclude that such attire is not distracting in the classroom? There are so many other comments I want to make, but I'm afraid if I don't stop now, I'll never get to sleep.
Comment: UPDATE: The young killer will be tried as an adult! Thank the justice system for doing what is right. I knew what was right and wrong at the age of 15 and one of them was killing someone for no reason other than self-defense.
A gay boy who was not afraid of being who he was, had a crush on this boy, was killed because of it and having people find that to be "ok" is no different than saying a female who flaunts her sexuality deserves to be raped. I am appalled that anyone finds it ok to shoot anyone, particularly a child. For those who think Brian is misunderstood and couldn't handle the fact a gay person liked him, imagine what went through Larry King's mind as his mind told him he was gay and was going to be taunted and teased for the rest of his life, but continued to be who he was in a proud way, rather than hide in a closet and die.
Comment: It was a good article that pointed out some of the intricacies of a difficult situation. I personally know an individual who was there on that day, in the room when it happened. I think more than anything, it points to the fact that these large institutions are extremely difficult to run. I've lost faith in a public school system that is basically a form of crowd control. Some kids do OK, others do not. Commentors insist that the "adults in the situation should have been monitoring." Indeed they should have been, starting with a father who kept a weapon and ammunication within reach of a neglected and angry adolescent, who was perhaps being bullied. This has happened before, folks.... Larry got bullied also, had been subjected to years of it. Teachers and admin just don't know what to do about bullying, don't take it seriously and many times just can't due to the sheer numbers of kids in this system. If the parents aren't strong, the kids are LOST
Comment: Controversy, notwithstanding, I was horrified at how poorly the article was written. I first read it on the internet and hoped that the posted version was unedited and the final, corrected versiou would be delivered to my mailbox. Sadly, this was not the case.
Comment: The first thing I said to my husband after I read the article was "I can't believe it. A thousand words about the troubles of the murder victim; almost nothing about the murderer. I thought this kind of journalism went out a long time ago (and good riddance!).
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