Randi Foster, a 12-year-old student at Hernando Middle School in Hernando, Mississippi, was beat up by classmates because of her masculine-sounding name. Jesus.
Last Wednesday four girls and a boy surrounded Randi after a Fellowship of Christian Students meeting, “talking about me like I was a man, and like, stuff like that,” Randi says, who was teased for enjoying sports. “That I shouldn’t be in this world. And my name was a boy name.” The kids then proceeded to kick her in the legs and ribs, hit her face, and throw her into a cafeteria table. Randi’s mother Meggan Foster says closed-circuit security cameras caught the whole thing on tape, but the principal won’t turn over the footage because it involves other students. And while disciplinary action will be taken “to the fullest extent of the law,” the principal assures. But that sounds like an empty promise: the police were not involved and no report was filed, which means “fullest extent” equals suspension or expulsion.
“I’m not scared or terrified,” says Randi, a brave young woman. “I’m a little worried because I’m not sure, you know, what’s going to happen when I do go back to school.”
Which is silly: She should know what’s going to happen. She she be assured by administrators the students will be kept at a distance, forced to undergo tolerance counseling, and otherwise punished. Moreover, there’s no reason Randi’s mother cannot still go to police, who will obtain the video footage and enable Randi’s family to press charges. And the leaders of the Fellowship of Christian Students should be taking an active stand against this bullying — and kick out the students who attacked Randi.
How about we take this to the next level?
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This isn’t about kids being kids. Somehow these little brats learned it’s okay to attack their peers for even the slightest perception of gender non-conformity.
The requisite Facebook group has already popped up and includes this message from a one Randi Gurwitz: “I wanted to say my name is Randi and i am a girl. I cannot even believe this has happened to you. You are beautiful and perfect the way you are. you should press charges. It seems crazy to me that this would happen, but that is because I live in Maryland, where we are very diverse and cultural. Be proud of your NAME. i… am proud, and you should be too ! When i was younger i hated it and people teased me… now im so happy that my name is different. What shocks me is no matter what your age/ gender/ or sexual orientation is… they beat you up because of your name!!! not that any of these things are acceptable, but a name? I wanted you to know i did a project on your story about civil rights in my college level class :/ stay positive, things will look up.”
dave
Time for that baseball bat.
Faketroll
Hey look Mississippi…again…yeah.
JR
Kind of ironic that ity happenad after a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Students . Not actually a very Christ like behavior wouldn’t you say.
Oh boy
Adolescents can be so vile and evil. Anything as an excuse to gang up and torture someone else.
How many people want to bet the parents of these little demons are smug soccer-mom and football-coach-dad types who ride around in Hummers and Escalades that they park at the massive Southern Baptist church and think their putrid offspring are perfect and incapable of ever, ever doing any wrong?
That or they get a deep-down thrill that their kid is a bully…
Kev C
Gender bending shape-shifter confuses small Mississippi town with phonetic variation. “It’s witchcraft” exclaims local Christian genius.
Chim
Wow. Nice manipulation of a story to get the slant you want. Never mind the kid isn’t gay and she wasn’t beat up be Christians and it didn’t have anything to do with the meeting. There *was* a meeting and she *does* have a masculine name(among all the Billi Sues and Bobbi Jays down there) and there probably *were* some Christians around so, hot dog, let’s just apply some Spin…
Slow news week? Just desperate for some hate? Hmm, hate-bating…all you need is your own version of Jesse Jackson or Tim Wise…
the crustybastard
Can’t five good young Christians join in fellowship to love the sin out of Randi Foster?
Why are you persecuting Christians and trying to silence them? First Amendment!
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Jeffree
I hope that the parents of the students who did this to Randi are brought into the principal’s office, into local media, and their pastor’s meeting room, so they can be aware of how “christian” their offspring are.
Whoever is in charge of the Fellowship of Christian Students needs to be replaced, also.
Jack
Why does anyone live in the south?
Jeffree
@Jack [#9]
Why live in the south? Answer: Because their family & friends live there; that’s where they grew up.
I’m Midwestern, so I’m just guessing….
Adam
I don’t blame Randi for being scared, she’s probably afraid they’ll beat her up again if she returns to school and they probably will try..Possibly with more classmates this time.
Gabby
I go to this school. I saw it happen. A lot of what they just said was fake.
thematics
@Gabby:
What were you trying to say? Who are “they” and what was “fake”?
Your English teacher should be let go; apparently they don’t stress writing skills at your school.
Shannon1981
This is disgusting. They need to release the tape and arrest the little sociopathic demons.
morgan
randi lives right by me,shes a brat,she lied in the video just like gabby said and she lied and spreaded a rumor about my mom and dad smoking weed and crack,i think i wud no if they do,i live with them.!our landlord went off on her and her mom and girlfriend because they dont no how to keep their mouth shut!she and her mom and her moms gf and her little sister are lezibians
Adam
Hopefully they don’t try to beat her up again. If they do, they may give her a worse beating. Especially since the stupid principal isn’t doing anything about it this time
Adam
They beat her up for having a boy’s name…Thats stupid! They better have gotten into trouble
Adam
So they didn’t beat her up that bad?