Lawrence King story
I'm doign a story on him, I'll post up my final draft in a few days. In the meantime, I found this video while doing research.
Spend the 3 minutes, and watch it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/29/ellen-chokes-up-rememberi_n_89201.html
Also, I'm going to see if they can put in a short editorial, or opinion piece, about what I have to say as well, which is what follows. You all have known me since I have be openly gay. Only one of you knew me before I was, I still smile to think of all that has passed over the years, but would you guys still see me as the same person if you did not yet know I was gay? Or if I was not?
I remember when I was 15, looking forward to turning 16. I had just came out of the closet openly, just joined the GSA, was starting my first relationship. Not much difference between Lawrence King and myself, at that age, as far as how we were dealing with being gay.
When I wrote this story, it was a lot harder to write for me than I thought it would be. News is supposed to be fair, unbiased, ethical. However, how can all of those conditions be fulfilled in the scenario of an innocent boy being killed for having the courage to not be afraid about who he was? The GSA, our only club on campus that is directly involved in this topic, was not allowed to be interviewed on this story by me, because I also have the courage to stand up in what I believe in. The Assemblyman, Mike Eng, who proposed this bill for equal rights did not have five minutes to spare for an entire week to talk about his bill over the phone, hard to believe. Not much has changed under the surface it seems.
King was shot exactly 10 years after Matthew Shepard, to the day. Supposedly society had advanced since 1998, apparently it has not.
His killer is not completely at fault either, but that does not free him from the blame. People are not born hating, and taught to love. We are born loving, and taught to hate.