Lawrence and His Caterpillar

Two weeks ago, on February 12, 15 year-old Lawrence King was shot to death in his school’s computer lab by a 14 year-old classmate.

A picture that accompanied the New York Times article showed Lawrence in December 2006 tenderly cradling a caterpillar in his hand. I looked at Lawrence gently sheltering his little green friend and thought, “Where was the culture of acceptance and reverence-for-life that should have protected Lawrence?” Where was the common voice to say, violence is not acceptable? Where was the common hand to take the gun away from 14 year-old Brandon McInerney with the words: We do not resolve our fear or anger by shooting people?

Tragically, there was no such voice and there was no such hand. We live in a culture that glorifies violence and spreads blatant and covert messages of homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, along with intolerance against a myriad of other groups based on religion, class, and cultural heritage. Violent media and sentiments of targeted hate do not cause physical acts of violence in a simple, connect-the-dots manner. However, we must seriously examine what overall effects a culture of intolerance and glorified violence has on all of us, especially our children.

Since last fall, Lawrence had been living at Casa Pacifica, a center for abused and neglected foster care children, and I can only image what difficulties and trauma Lawrence had already faced in the course of his young life. Yet, despite the hardships, Lawrence graced his community with a warmth and effervescence that endeared him to classmates and administrators alike. “He had a character that was bubbly,” said Marissa Moreno, a fellow 8^th grader. “We would just laugh together. He would smile, then I would smile and then we couldn’t stop.”

Not only did Lawrence have the courage to share love with others in a violent culture, he had the courage to openly love himself. According to classmates, Lawrence publicly stated that he was gay and had since been enduring harassment from a group of male schoolmates. “They teased him because he was different,” said Moreno, “but he wasn’t afraid to show himself.” Lawrence continued to wear make-up and jewelry to school and didn’t hesitate to tell people where he bought his favorite high-heeled boots, which he wore to school almost every day.

I hear many adults say that the hostile sentiments of their communities prevent them from speaking out against anti-LGBT language and sentiments. But this excuse is just not good enough. There are amazing children like Lawrence in every community who are brave enough to wear their favorite boots in the face of violent harassment. But this violence must not be acceptable and these children must have our protection and support. As long as this blog is filled with stories of children who have died because they live in a hostile world, our conviction to forge a safe world for these children must not fail.

Find out how the Ugly Ducklings Campaign is taking a stand against the harassment of LGBTQ youth, and learn how you can support the Campaign.

Read the complete New York Times article, "Boy's Killing, Labeled a Hate Crime, Stuns a Town."