Shooting of Gay
Student Sparks Outcry
By GREG RISLING, from
the Web, 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.
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