Teens Charged In Beating Of Lesbian Student
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Article available at:
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/06/061708school.htm
(Wayland, Michigan) Two Michigan teenagers have been charged with aggravated assault in the beating of a third girl because she is a lesbian.
Because all three girls are minors their names cannot be published.
Police said that the 14-year old victim was attacked in a hallway at Wayland Union High School because she was an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights.
A fourth student recorded the attack, including homophobic slurs, on a digital camera. That tape was posted on line and is now in the hands of police and prosecutors say it is likely to be entered into evidence at trial.
The young victim sustained bruises, cuts and a possible broken nose.
Michigan is one of a number of states which do not have hate crime laws covering sexuality.
Local police called in the FBI but sexuality is not covered under federal hate crime law.
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act passed the House last year and the White House threatened to veto it. (story)
In the Senate, an effort to get around a veto, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) attached the bill to the 2008 defense authorization bill. It passed last September (story) and then went to conference where it was stripped out.
Even if gays were protected under federal law, the Michigan teens could not be charged with hate crimes because they are minors.
Michigan LGBT rights group, Triangle Foundation, said the attack shows the need for anti-bullying policies in schools.
A study released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network in 2006 showed that homophobia is widespread in the nation's schools.
Nearly one-in-five students reported they had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression.
Three-quarters of students surveyed said that over the past year they heard derogatory remarks such as "faggot" or "dyke" frequently or often at school, and nearly nine out of ten reported hearing "that's so gay" or "you're so gay" - meaning stupid or worthless - frequently or often.
Over a third of students said they experienced physical harassment at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a quarter on the basis of their gender expression.
The study also showed that bullying has had a negative impact on learning.
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