Lawrence King, Who’s to Blame?
Dear allies and ally organizations,
This week’s issue of the Advocate leads with a cover story about Lawrence King and asks who is to blame for his death. Please read the article and join us in our effort to refocus this conversation on the important work we are all doing to change the climate for GLBT kids in their schools and communities.
If you would like to be a published signatory of the following letter send an email to info@imatyfa.org and include your name or your organization’s name along with your city and state as you would like it to appear on the letter. The letter will be updated on our website several times a day with the new signatures. On Monday morning, March 31st, we will send the completed letter to the Advocate with a request that they take the time to feature the good works of our organizations rather than writing articles which imply that perhaps our GLBT youth are safer in the closet.
Respectfully,
TransYouth Family Allies Board of Directors
Kim Pearson, Shannon Garcia, Amy G., “Just Evelyn”, Bruce Parker, Jamison Green, and Andrea James
To the Advocate:
We, the undersigned organizations, wish to respond to the article “Mixed Messages” by Neal Broverman in the April 8, 2008 issue of The Advocate. The front cover of the magazine asks: “Who’s to blame? We told Lawrence King he had the right to express his sexuality. Did we send him to his death?”
We feel the article discusses an important topic in an unnecessarily provocative way. The undercurrent of blame in the line of questioning posed to activists and administrators is unproductive and seems to be a cynical ploy to increase Advocate readership and revenue.
It’s unfair in the wake of this murder to ask those people working to make schools safer to second-guess their work. While incidents like this remind us of the climate that leads to violence against LGBT youth, that climate is where the blame lies.
Thoreau wrote, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” Rather than pointing fingers and using inflammatory language, we wish to bring focus back to the root of this problem.
As groups united in the struggle to make schools safe for all youth regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression, we say there is no “mixed message” here:
- The blame does not lie with Lawrence King.
- The blame does not lie with those working to make schools safer.
- Allowing intimidation and violence to force youth to suppress their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression will only prolong the struggle to end that violence.
Other youth will be taunted, harassed, intimidated, beaten, and even killed before this struggle ends. None of them will be to blame, either. Those who tell them it’s OK to be gay, and those who advocate for LGBT youth are not to blame. Rather than finding fault with them, we hope this incident will motivate everyone to work with us to change the climate in schools.
Our unified message: this climate of fear must stop, so all youth learn to respect diversity rather than fear and hate it. Those who wish to join us in this struggle can learn how to help by contacting any of the organizations below.
TransYouth Family Allies
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Transgender Law Center
PFLAG Transgender Network
Triangle Foundation
INTRAA (Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance)
Fight OUT Loud
Dr. Kelley Winters, Keystone, CO
Seacoast Outright, Portsmouth, NH
Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)
Ann Lorraine Jones, Tucson, AZ
The Liberal Catholic Church International, Diocese of Arizona
FTM International San Francisco, CA
FTMI San Buenaventura Reed Erickson Chapter San
Buenaventura, CA
Rabbi Levi Alter
COLAGE, San Francisco, CA
Gay-Straight Alliance Network, San Francisco, CA
Rev. Dr. Julie Nemecek, MI
Reid Vanderburgh, LMFT
Portland, Oregon
The Naming Project, Minneapolis, MN
Mercedes Allen
Terry Rhines, Lakewood, WA
Deborah Jordan, Tacoma, WA
Donna Ellis, Chandler, AZ
Al Ellis, Chandler, AZ
Legal Services for Children, San Francisco, CA
Gunner Scott, Director, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
GenderQueer Revolution
Rev. Alexander Yoo, MA
The Gender Identity Center of Colorado
Kate Bowman, Littleton, CO
The Woodhull Freedom Foundation
Ricci Joy Levy, Washington, D.C.
National Transgender Advocacy Coalition
TransFM Internet Broadcasting Network
Ethan St. Pierre
Laura Shinn, MSW, LCSW
Paula Keiser, Topeka, KS
QSquaredYouth, Inc.
Abigail Jensen, Prescott, AZ
Shawna Scott, Athens, GA
Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition
Arizona Transsexual Alliance
Outreach, Inc., Madison, WI
Madison Area Transgender Association, Madison, WI
Michelle M. Eldridge
Helen Boyd, Brooklyn, NY
Mo Lewis, Tacoma, WA
ABGender.com
TGNow.com
Gemini Gender Group, Milwaukee, WI
Emilie Jackson-Edney
Idaho Equality
Tri-States Transgender
Social Welfare Action Alliance, Ann Arbor Chapter
Chicago Area Endangered Residents
Transgender Advocates of Central Texas
Jean Chapin Smith, MA
Professor Lynn Conway, Ann Arbor, MI
Airen Lydick, Seattle, WA
Stephen Tropiano, Ph.D.
The Network/La Red, Boston, MA
Debra Soshoux, CA
PFLAG, Phoenix Arizona Chapter
PFLAG, Montgomery, AL Chapter
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