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GMHC Saddened by Death of Lawrence King
Urges Mayor Bloomberg to Implement Dignity
for All Students Act
A statement from Marjorie Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of GMHC
"Gay Men's Health Crisis is saddened and outraged by the recent death of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old gay youth killed by a classmate, Brandon McInerney, in Oxnard, California on February 12. According to several of his classmates, King was often teased by other students. And on the day of the shooting, several students, including McInerney, reportedly confronted King and bullied him about his sexual orientation.
"Lawrence's tragic death underscores the need to make our schools safe and affirming places for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and for youth who are still questioning their sexual identity. Lawrence was not the first young person killed for being gay, but we should ensure he is the last. Here in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Commissioner Joel Klein have the power to make our schools safer for gay youth by implementing the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). This critical legislation has languished on the Mayor's desk since the City Council overwhelmingly passed it twice in 2004, while LGBT youth continue to be harassed and beaten up in schools.
"A growing body of research shows that gay-affirmative interventions in schools and other social institutions, feelings of connectedness to a broader gay community, family support for LGBT youth, and HIV education correlate with health and resiliency. Creating nurturing, non-judgmental environments also decrease the likelihood that young gay men will engage in HIV risk behavior. This problem is especially acute for young black gay men between the ages of 13 and 24, who have much higher rates of HIV diagnoses nationally than their white and Latino counterparts.
"It is essential that we promote health and nurture LGBT youth from adolescence onward—in their neighborhoods, faith communities, and schools. The Mayor's implementation of DASA would help us bring down rising infection rates among young gay men. We must act now, before another tragedy occurs."
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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