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Mar 7, 2008

Lawrence King

Lawrence wore his favorite high-heeled boots most days, riding the bus to school from Casa Pacifica, a center for abused and neglected children in the foster care system, where he began living last fall. Officials would not say anything about his family background other than that his parents, Greg and Dawn King, were living and that he had four siblings. Lawrence started attending E. O. Green last winter, said Steven Elson, the center’s chief executive. “He had made connections here,” Dr. Elson said. “It’s just a huge trauma here. It’s emotionally very charged.”


Here's the whole article
I'm sure there's more articles. I couldn't look for more. It tears me up on so many levels.

First, how come this story is on the back burner? How many people have heard about this? I'll tell you what I think. This boy lived in a group home. He was in the foster care system. He was a foster child. There is no one to stick up for this boy and his story. No one to scream the injustices of his murder. No one to take it personally. He has parents, but they don't appear to be speaking out. Now perhaps they are also in the system, addicts, in prison, or maybe not, who knows?

Poor foster kid, flaming faggot I guess, killed for being gay. Could you blame the guy who killed him? Creepy kid, cross dressed I hear, asked him to be his Valentine...so sad. yeah. Did you hear Patrick Swayze has cancer?

I saw this.



She says it much better than I could. Guess that's why she gets paid the big bucks.

I don't blame the boy who killed Lawrence. How threatened must he have felt...??? Do you think he would have killed the least popular girl in his class if she had asked him to be her Valentine?

The boy who shot Lawrence was taught to hate, to fear, to feel threatened. I have no doubt about this. None. I have met many young children who, upon first hearing about our family with two moms are puzzled, but think it's pretty cool. And I can tell you, from personal experience, they have no judgment, fear, or hatred. They accept it and move on.

I haven't traveled the world. I am not experienced in many cultures or seen many things. I grew up in the same world as everyone else. I am the product of a white, lower middle class family, that was surrounded by mostly the same. I have no idea what it is like to live as a person who is not white, but I know how I feel to be a gay woman in a straight world. I know what it feels like to attend social functions and not be able to express my affection for the person I love. I know what it feels like to have the gaze of judgment pass over me. I have felt the stares, answered the queries.

I cannot imagine this little boy having to deal with all that. To try and face his classmates. To try and figure out his path. To begin to stand strong. I cannot imagine.

6 comments:

Emma said...

You said it very well in this post. What a tragedy. And he's only one of the FIVE queer youth murdered in the US in the past 45 days. Where is the news coverage?

Maia
maia-familytimes.blogspot.com

Wendy said...

I guess they figured Matthew Shepard's death several years ago was enough coverage on this topic.

It's sad in so many ways, but I guess most scary to me is the influence of hate that the person who killed him- and his family-has. The notion that gay is something to be feared ar hated or, even worse, eliminated is so very disturbing to me.

I am not gay and don't know you guys personally, but I can promise you this- gay as bad or wrong is not a notion being taught in my household. Ever.

Anonymous said...

He is the fifth gay teen killed in less than 2 months???? What???

I do watch the news and read the papers occasionally (damn studying and such leaves little time for higher pursuits....blahblahblah)

I haven't heard anything about this. I can't believe NPR hasnt' had anything. I listen everyday and nothing.

This is terrible and so sad. We are such a bully of a country that it just trickles down into a standard of belief in our people. Different people = bad.

I see it everyday on the psych ward on my clinical rotation. People prejudged before a word even comes out their mouth.

This is just sad. So incredibly sad. My husband and I have thought about when we become foster parents to do it for kids that are gay. My husband is from Ptown, MA on cape cod and I can see what happens when you grow up and people make you think you are bad. It is just so sad.

Thank you for posting this Tricia. So sad.

xx

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

I hadn't even heard this... Granted, I don't listen to news much, but still... You'd think I'd have heard... It's so incredibly sad to think of how much hatred there is in the world...

MommyNay said...

You know this kinda hits me twice. First for the obvious reason and second because Ventura/Oxnard is my hometown. Thanks for posting the link, I'm so thankful for Ellen. I was coming out right when she came out on her show, she gave me so much courage by having the courage herself to stand up and talk about it. She was a regular in a cafe I worked at in Ojai and I always wished Id thanked her. Its sad what happen to this kid, a very close friend of mine(who happened to be gay) was beaten to death with baseball bats in my driveway by gang members right out of highschool. This kids death will affect many people for the rest of their lives. My heart goes out to all of them.

Nellie said...

I just watched the Ellen video and the tears are flowing. That is just a horrible story. I just don't understand our world today. I hope my daughter (who is 2) see's major change in her lifetime. Is equality for all such a stretch?