Trial begs classroom killg of 15-year-old gay stunt | CNN

Contents:

• CALIF. TEEN BRANDON MCINERNEY SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS FOR POT-BLANK MURR OF GAY CLASSMATE
• DOCUMENTARY EXPLOR 2008 MURR OF GAY TEEN IN OXNARD CLASSROOM
• AT TEEN'S TRIAL, BULLYG OF GAYS IN FOC
• CALIFORNIA TEEN ADMS KILLG GAY STUNT, TO SERVE 25 YEARS
• MATTHEW SHEPARD: THE LEGACY OF A GAY LLEGE STUNT 20 YEARS AFTER HIS BTAL MURR
• TRIAL BEGS CLASSROOM KILLG OF 15-YEAR-OLD GAY STUNT
• TEACHER TTIFI THAT SLA GAY CALIF. TEEN TNTED CLASSMATE
• TEACHER OF MURRED GAY STUNT SAYS SHE RELAT TO HIS KILLER

CALIF. TEEN BRANDON MCINERNEY SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS FOR POT-BLANK MURR OF GAY CLASSMATE

- California teenager Brandon McInerney, who plead guilty to send-gree murr the killg of a gay stunt, was sentenced Monday to 21 years prison. Green had told his iends that he was gay and started wearg makp and heels to class. The trial of a teen acced of killg a gay classmate is brgg natnal attentn to the problem of gay bullyg.

Prosecutors Southern California say the fendant murred 15-year-old Lawrence Kg out of his hatred of homosexuals, but fense attorneys say their client snapped after beg repeatedly harassed by the openly gay teen. Talk show host Ellen DeGener and gay rights advot around the untry took to the airwav.

Gay teens, they said, were facg an epimic of bullyg schools. "It is OK if you are gay. Fox said that McInerney killed Kg out of his hatred for homosexuals, somethg he learned as an avid follower of whe supremacist, Nazi teachgs.

DOCUMENTARY EXPLOR 2008 MURR OF GAY TEEN IN OXNARD CLASSROOM

What matters is what the fendant thought was, and whether the fendant killed him bee he was agast gays, " Levenson says. Levenson says the prosecutn may also not want to open the door to Kg's sexualy se there are jurors who don't approve of gays and lbians.

Attorney Stt Wippert told jurors that Kg was openly gay, wore makp and girls' clothg to school and nstantly harassed his client.

AT TEEN'S TRIAL, BULLYG OF GAYS IN FOC

But, he says, the issu of bullyg and gay teens is still not beg aquately addrsed lol schools. Media outlets reported that Brandon had killed Larry "allegedly bee he intified himself as gay. "You wouldn't have looked at him and go, "Oh, he's outwardly gay or somethg.

CALIFORNIA TEEN ADMS KILLG GAY STUNT, TO SERVE 25 YEARS

— Hundreds of mourners gathered at a church here on Friday to remember an eighth-gra boy who was shot to ath si a junr high school puter lab by a fellow stunt what prosecutors are llg a hate recent weeks, the victim, Lawrence Kg, 15, had said publicly that he was gay, classmat said, endurg harassment om a group of schoolmat, cludg the 14-year-old boy charged his ath. It also drew a strong reactn om gay and civil rights groups. ” Jay Smh, executive director of the Ventura County Rabow Alliance, where Lawrence took part Friday night group activi for gay teenagers, said, “We’re all shocked that this would happen here.

“He’s a victim of homophobia and hate. ” The law center is workg wh Equaly California and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network to ph for a legislative review of anti-bias polici and outreach efforts California schools. That fdg is reprentative of schools across the untry, said Stephen Rsell, a Universy of Arizona profsor who studi the issu facg lbian, gay, transgenr and bisexual youth.

It is the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, not the Gay-Straight Alliance.

MATTHEW SHEPARD: THE LEGACY OF A GAY LLEGE STUNT 20 YEARS AFTER HIS BTAL MURR

(The work ordat clubs California schools that operate unr the name Gay-Straight Alliance. Months after a jury uldn’t ci his fate, a Southern California teen has agreed to plead guilty for gunng down a gay classmate three years ago their junr high classroom.

Friends said Kg, an eighth grar who lived a group home lled Casa Pacifi, was proud of beg openly gay. Twenty years ago, Matthew Shepard was a "smart, funny" 21-year-old, no different than any other young man that was an "ordary kid who wanted to make the world a better place, " his parents October 1998, that all changed, when the openly gay llege stunt was abducted, beaten and tied to a fence life end a few days later, and wh me a wispread awarens of the dangers that members of the LGBTQ muny face every day.

The homophobic btal killg also served as a talyst for progrs Ameri's laws and the two s that have passed, however, remas batable how far the untry has e sce the shock of that crime. They later nfsed they had "veloped a roe which they'd pretend to be gay to w Matt's nfince, " Marsn said. (MORE: 'Gay panic' fense still ed vlence s may be banned by new feral bill)McKney h Shepard about 20 tim the head and face wh the end of the pistol, Marsn said, before the two stole Shepard's sho, got their tck and drove back to town.

TRIAL BEGS CLASSROOM KILLG OF 15-YEAR-OLD GAY STUNT

Agast the gay muny until after he grew up to bee very terted ternatnal human rights, particularly women's rights the Middle East and Asia, and he studied polil science, said Marsn. "He said, 'Mom I'm gay.

"Everybody he met, he said, 'Jt to let you know ahead of time, I'm gay, '" Dennis Shepard said. Agast the gay muny until after he died, " he said. "The natn mournsThe shockg homophobic crime the sparsely-populated state garnered natnal sympathy.

TEACHER TTIFI THAT SLA GAY CALIF. TEEN TNTED CLASSMATE

A ndlelight vigil is held for Sla gay Wyomg stunt Matthew Shepard, Oct. Members of the Wtboro Baptist Church protted the funeral, picketg wh anti-gay Fred Phelps and his parishners traveled om Kansas to Laramie for the funeral and trial, prottg wh brightly lored signs and spewg hatred.

TEACHER OF MURRED GAY STUNT SAYS SHE RELAT TO HIS KILLER

McKney went to trial, and fense attorneys argued his vlent actns were "gay panic" -- a reactn to Shepard makg a sexual advance. "When the fense gets out there and starts talkg out of, the victim's flt, you know, 'gay panic, '...