bullying

Lawyer blames school in shooting of gay California student. Officials failed to defuse tensions

Deputy Public Defender William Quest said the school is at fault for not taking action when conflict began between Lawrence King and his murderer. Brandon McInerney [14], is soon to be arraigned for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Lawrence King.

“We will push on until we bring full marriage equality to New York state.” - New York Gov. David A. Paterson

NY Gov. David Paterson recently addressed the guests of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's [NGLTF] 2008 New York Leadership Awards dinner.

Lawrence King's murder has put America on alert. The 14-year-old boy was shot in the back of the head because he asked another boy to be his Valentine. The accused shooter - also 14 y.o. - has been charged with premeditated murder and will be tried as an adult. If convicted, he faces 50 years to life in prison.

Current estimates indicate there are more than seven million LGBT parents with school-age children in the United States.

A new report called: Involved, Invisible, Ignored: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Parents and Their Children in Our Nation’s K-12 Schools, examines and highlights the school experiences of LGBT-headed families - using results from surveys of LGBT parents of children in K-12 schools and of secondary students who have LGBT parents.

The AP reports that some Kentucky legislators want an anti-bullying bill for their schools.

The House Education Committee unanimously approved such a resolution, but conservative Senate President David Williams is concerned that the bill could be - in his words - "an excuse for the addition of curriculum dealing with aberrant behavior." Williams admits he has not yet read the bill.

In a victory for Garden State Equality and the Anti-Defamation League, progress in the form of legislation is being considered to help curb high school bullying in the state.

Morris County's Daily Record found that anti-gay language "was rampant in local schools, with some students and teachers saying not enough was done to stop it".

Pennsylvania's Patriot-News is reporting on a remarkable story in Dauphin County.

An openly gay teen has been harassed in his high school to a point where he dropped-out in the middle of his senior year because he couldn't withstand the abuse. This prompted a group of classmates to petition for his return. Three hundred students signed the document.