Homophobia at School

Last week, a 14 year-old-boy, Larry King, of Oxnard, CA, was shot in the head and killed by a fellow classmate because he was gay and often expressed himself in unconventionally gendered ways, wearing makeup, jewelry, and high-heeled boots.

Sadly, there are those who would probably say that Larry was asking for it by "flaunting" his sexuality, but to those people, I would say: what is it about gender expression and same-sex attraction that is so threatening? And must some people in this country continue to die for it?

Ellen DeGeneres commented on her show:



Her message is powerful, yet I have a few nits for Ellen. The first is that I realize she wants to style herself as an entertainer, but the personal IS political, and her statement IS political. To pretend that it's not is aggravating and untrue. There's no reason why she should have to disclaim an occasional political statement considering that she's probably the most famous out lesbian in the United States, and that being gay in America unfortunately comes with massive baggage (and not the kind by Louis Vuitton).

Secondly, neither Obama nor Clinton support same-sex marriage (although they do support civil unions), and they have prevaricated on whether homosexuality should be considered immoral. So, we're still second-class citizens in their eyes--separate is not equal. I have serious doubts that our vote will change that any time soon. I hope to be proved wrong.

All that said, THANK YOU, Ellen for making such an important point: it's OK to be gay and that hate crimes must end.

Remember Larry.