A Horrible Anniversary: Lawrence King Killed One Year Ago
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
February 12, 2009 2:30 PM
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/02/a_horrible_anniversary_lawrence_king_kil.phpToday is a day of sadness and reflection for me. One year ago, 15 year-old Lawrence "Larry" King was shot in front of his classmates while sitting in school.
4lawrenceking_story.jpgFor many younger LGBTQ people, this was a murder that defined their generation. While no more or less tragic than any of the other hate crimes that have happened, Lawrence's young age, his defiance of gender roles, and the shocking execution style and reasoning of the murder itself hit many like me to the core. Like Matthew Shepherd or Gwen Araujo before him, Lawrence was a person that we could see ourselves in- a mirror of many of our own experiences growing up LGBT in the USA.
The spotty coverage of the story at first prompted many of us to ask "Where's the outrage." It seemed that this school shooting was being ignored or swept under the rug due to Larry's sexuality and gender expression. Little did we know when the coverage did come, it would be like another bashing.
