The ongoing drama surrounding Lawrence King’s February murder took another twist yesterday.

California Judge postponed the arraignment of 14-year old Brandon McInerney, who’s accused of shooting fifteen year old King, who had a crush on the boy. The arraignment was meant to take place yesterday, but will now occur on June 12.

In the meantime, journalist Karen Ocamb had a chat with District Attorney Maeve Fox, who discussed the limited possibility of a plea bargain, why McInerney represents a very adult threat and, yes, took on the defense team’s claim that the school is to blame for King’s murder…
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Who’s to blame for Lawrence King’s death? That question has been rattling around for a while and will probably never get a clear answer.

Some say that the 15-year old homo deserved to be shot in the head - because, you know, we gays need to control ourselves. Others blame the shooter, 14-year old Brandon McInerney. A few blame society at large, while others prefer to pin the blame on that old fall back, God.

McInerney’s lawyer, as we’ve previously reported, has a more precise target: E.O. Green School. …McInerney’s inability to see another way to solve his problem is partly the fault of the school system, his attorney said.

“Brandon is not … Continued…

TR Knight last night spoke with students at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex’s School of Social Justice about the Day of Silence.

The Grey’s Anatomy actor opened by offering some regrets about having to even address the a subject, particularly with regard to Lawrence King, before launching into some personal reflection about feeling “wrong” as a child and discussing Simmie Williams, Jr, another, underpublicized queer teen who died this year. Williams was shot for wearing a dress, while King lost his life for having a crush on the wrong guy, his killer.

Knight uses this point to point a finger at intimidated straight men, saying “straight guys feel so threatened by us - look at me, … Continued…

Curmudgeonly journalist Larry King shows his softer side as he discusses ending violence against the gay folk.
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That’s the record number of middle and high school’s participating in this year’s Day of Silence, an annual event meant to squash homophobia from the ground up. This year’s, which will be held on Friday, honors 15-year old Lawrence King, who died in February after being shot by a classmate. [DOS]

The debate over who’s to blame for Lawrence King’s death continues to rage two months after his murder.

For those of you living under a rock, 15-year old King died in February after a 14-year old classmate, Brandon McInerney, shot him in the head. King had reportedly asked McInerney to be his Valentine, which many say spurred the violent outburst. Thus, many claim that King only invited the explosive retaliation. Journalist Neil Broverman once mulled that theory, while a Mississippi State University student took it one step further: “King… may have gone too far by imposing his sexuality on others.” A pretty distasteful conclusion - and one that will no doubt be getting heavy play during McInerney’s murder trial…
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Former boy bander and forever homosexual Lance Bass came out against homophobia for this year’s Day of Silence, which commemorates those lost to anti-gay violence.

This year’s Day - which will be held on April 25th - honors 15-year old Lawrence King, who died after being shot by an allegedly anti-gay school mate.

Bass was apparently quite touched by King, saying “I heard about Lawrence on the news, and it was just incredible to me that kids that age that would have such an issue … with the subject of being gay.”

In the PSA above, Bass insists that gays are “brothers and sisters” and that we must all work to educate the rest … Continued…

A number of gay groups are banding together to fight for Brandon McInerney, the 14-year old who shot teenaged homo Lawrence King to death. While prosecutors want to try McInerney as an adult, activists are pushing for a juvenile consideration. “We are saddened and outraged by the murder of junior high school student Lawrence King… At the same time, we call on prosecutors not to compound this tragedy with another wrong. We call on them to treat the suspect as a juvenile, not as an adult.” [365 Gay]

Floridian politician Brian Blair’s the latest voice in the outcry against Day of Silence.

The annual event, which will be held on April 25th, commemorates queers who have lost life and limb as a result of anti-gay violence. This year’s will honor Lawrence King, the 15-year old whose classmate shot him in the head soon after King asked him to be his valentine.

Social conservatives are continuing their tradition of boycotting the event, as the American Family Association made clear with last month’s hateful radio ad. And now they’ve enlisted Blair, who’s running against an openly gay man, Kevin Beckner for Hillsborough County’s Commissioner seat. So, like a good little soldier, Blair, pictured on the left sent out an email of solidarity, which we’ve included below…
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Journalist Sara Whitman lays the smack down this morning. Whitman’s absolutely beside herself over gay leaders like Joe Solmonese, Matt Foreman and even Melissa Etheridge’s respective silences on 15-year Lawrence King’s murder: Who represents the LGBT community on a national and international stage?

Is there anyone?
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Who was at Lawrence King’s funeral? Where were our leaders?

In this star struck culture, the way to draw attention to an issue is to put a recognizable face out front to draw the press out. Where were Joe Solmonese of HRC, Matt Foreman of NGLTF, Kevin Cathcart of Lambda, Kate Kendall of NCLR, Neil Giuliano of GLAAD? Ellen DeGeneres did her part, but what about the newly out … Continued…

Lil’ gay boys have it rough.

A survey out of England indicates that young men face more homophobic bullying than their female peers. This should come as no surprise. As musician Quentin Harris suggested this morning, there’s more pressure on men not to seem weak.

Yes, he was talking about the hip-hop scene, but we say that’s a pretty universal rule: men are meant to act like men, and those who don’t will face the consequences. Lawrence King’s widely covered murder perfectly highlighted the perpetual assault on feminine men.

What a perfect time, then, for homo hip-hop artist, Q-Boy, to come out against bullying. And, on an even bigger scale, the uproar against Jay Leno.
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Lawrence King’s February murder continues to garner press. And, as we saw in The Advocate last month, some wonder whether King’s queer candor and flirtation invited gun man Brandon McInerney’s ire.

Consider Mississippi State University student Lazarus Austin’s recent op-ed: By imposing his homosexuality on McInerney, he may have set McInerney off. McInerney may not have had an innate hatred of gay people. In fact, he may have tolerated homosexuality, while simultaneously thinking it was immoral, sinful or simply “uncool,” like many people do. King, however, may have gone too far by imposing his sexuality on others. Although King by no means deserved his fate, he may have unfortunately invited it. So gross.
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We really, truly don’t understand the American Family Association. And we have a feeling they don’t, either!
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Senator Gary George inspires rage this morning, readers. The Oregonian Senator, who’s hoping to repeal his state’s Equality Act told Just Out magazine that harassed gays should learn to “shut up”. Literally.

George’s argument’s a familiar one: the Equality Act, which protects queers from discrimination, simply gives gays “special rights,” which, George says, run contrary to America’s equality-for-all argument. Similar arguments are often made about affirmative action, a comparison not lost on George: If I discriminate in favor of you it automatically requires I discriminate against someone else. I was hoping with your generation we can stop calling each other ‘Asian-American,’ or ‘Latino-American’… I have dear dear friends in the legislature who are black but sometimes I really get tired of hearing about their color. Yeah, race can be exhausting. And so can right wing politicians who don’t understand the beauty of human difference.

It’s only downhill from there, especially when George offers some ill-conceived advice to gays who face occupational discrimination…
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Can being openly gay and out invited attack? Sure, yes, definitely. Should gay kids such as Lawrence King thus be encouraged to keep a lid on their lavender ways? That’s what some people say journo Neil Broverman advocates in a new Advocate article: “Mixed Messages,” which is currently excerpted on the magazine’s website.

The piece definitely packs a punch and has some readers doubled over in pain, particularly this paragraph: If they didn’t see the execution coming, most of King’s peers at school knew he was being bullied for being proudly gay and flouting male conventions by accessorizing his school uniform with eye shadow and high-heeled boots. In the months leading up to that morning, King had undergone a metamorphosis.

Guided by a welcoming support system at the group home where he lived, the teenager was encouraged to dress as he pleased and live as the person he wanted to be.

What King and others didn’t recognize was that this encouragement—and his response to it—placed him on a collision course with a culture that found him repulsive.
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