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Chelisa Grimes
Undated 2012 photo of Darnell "Dynasty" Young with his mother, Chelisa Grimes.
An openly gay Indianapolis teenager who was expelled after firing a stun gun at school to scare away what he said were bullies is suing the school district, accusing it of failing to stop “relentless, severe harassment” by other students.
A lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis on behalf of Darnell “Dynasty” Young, 17, claims teachers and staff at Arsenal Technical High School ignored his repeated pleas to protect him from ongoing abuse on school grounds.
From the day he arrived at Tech, Plaintiff Dynasty Young was subjected to relentless, severe harassment and abuse by other students because he was perceived as gay and because his clothing, behavior, and demeanor did not fit stereotypical notions of masculinity. He repeatedly reported the abuse to school staff. Rather than take effective measures to protect him, school staff told him that he was to blame for the harassment because of his appearance and told him to change his dress and behavior to conform to stereotypical ideas of masculinity and to be less “flamboyant.”
The Indianapolis School District said its attorneys will review the lawsuit “and respond accordingly.” It said in a statement:
"We are pleased that last week, the Indianapolis Marion County Equal Opportunity agency dismissed its complaint against Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in the matter of former Arsenal Technical High school student Darnell Young. The agency concluded that IPS provided a sufficient response to the Complaint (it filed on Young’s behalf) and that no further action was appropriate.”
Young often wore some of his mother’s clothes to school, including knee-high boots, purses, rings and bangles. These accessories were permitted under the school’s dress code, the lawsuit says.
Young says fellow students spat at him, called him derogatory names and threw rocks and empty bottles at him because of the way he dressed and what they perceived as unmasculine behavior.
Young’s mother, Chelisa Grimes, says she eventually gave her son a stun gun to protect himself because she feared for his life.
Read the court complaint (PDF)
On April 16, according to the lawsuit, Young was accosted by six male students between classes who yelled at him and threatened to attack him. He fired the stun gun into the air, scaring off the group.
Not long after Dynasty sat down for his next class, a school security officer came into the classroom, cuffed him and escorted him out. The officer remarked, “If you did not dress like this, people would not mess with you,” the lawsuit says.
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Young was expelled for a full school year. The school district later reduced the expulsion, but on the condition that Young transfer to an alternative high school.
Young declined and eventually enrolled at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, a charter school not affiliated with Indianapolis Public Schools, where he is taking extra classes in an effort to try graduate on schedule in 2013.
“I want to make sure no other student in the Indianapolis Public Schools ever has to go through the kind of abuse that I went through. I am hoping this will get IPS to start treating kids like me with respect and really do something to protect their students,” Young said in a press release issued by the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The center and the law firms of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Waples & Hanger filed the lawsuit.
“My son is a wonderful, sweet, talented young man,” added Grimes. “He deserves a chance to attend school and learn without being terrorized by other students and told that the school will not protect him unless he changes who he is.”
The lawsuit claims violations of federal civil and constitutional rights. It seeks unspecified damages and a reversal of Young’s expulsion.
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Leave a Comment:
Keep fighting, Dynasty. It gets better. Not everyone is stupid and dangerous.
cottongin
Its called being human, it is beyond politics. Treating others as written into the Constitution, it is beyond politics. Letting people live without being told how to live, and yes that is beyond politics.
libtards??? If this were a conservative firing a real gun, you would be supporting him!
While the fairy tale world of people being able to be themselves and not be bullied is nice, its just that, a fairy tale. Im sure hes a great kid and once hes out of high school im sure it will be a bit easier on him, but the fact of the matter is, the security guard was right. If he didnt dress that way, he wouldnt be made fun of. I would say its kids being kids, but its not. Its Humans being Human. Kids, adults and every age in between shun what is different. You can deny it, but simply look around on a given day - and you can see some case somewhere of someone mocking someone else for being different.
I feel for the kid, but he is choosing to dress in that manner, and has to deal with the consequences of that decision. And while i cant disagree with him having a weapon on a personal leg, it simply cannot be allowed at the school. Inevitably, someone would kill someone else and the school would be sued into bancruptcy. Unless they do some kind of constant monitoring thing, of someone watching him every second of every day - it will continue to happen as long as he continues to be himself. While everyone should be able to be themselves without fear of attack - thats just not reality.... would be nice if someone could talk of politics and religion without hate oozing from one side or the other, but that wont happen anytime soon either. Keep your chin up kid, either conform for the rest of your high school life, or keep the fight strong, because it isnt going to change.
That is actually BS. Let's say if he chose to conform, would the bullying stop? Most likely not. For him to conform would just show the bullies that they got to him, and if they push harder they can force him to take even more drastic measures.
Are people cruel? They can be. Just as they can be kind. Traits like cruelty and kindness are learned. We need to stop teaching kids that it's okay to hurt other kids because they differ in anyway from the supposed norm. We need to teach kids that it's okay to fight back and even stand up for those who need help fighting back.
A kid who was bullied at a school in Tehachapi, CA killed himself in 2010. Right now parents are fighting over the school's new anti-bullying policy, stating that the curriculum violates their rights as parents to teach their kids their values.
This is just another case of why our public school system has failed. Here is a kid who wants an education and you would think that a student can go to school without the fear of being bullied? Not in a United States public school system. Go to a private school. Go to a charter school. Be home-schooled. ANY of these options is better than going to a public school. Our public school system is a failure and continues to be a failure. The BEST education is ANY education that does not require going to a public school.
I was bullied in school a few times due to being the new kid many times over.My mother ever time went down to the school and the problem was solved by dragging the bullies parents into the office.It turns out that these kids had been bullying other kids.Thank you Mom for being a no nonsense, proactive parent who had 4 other kids and a full time job.This all goes back to parenting.
Right on Sam - those are good words, but how do we do this? Im being serious here. You have kids grouping into packs and preying on the straglers, you have adults doing the same thing. How do you fix this? Telling people its wrong isnt going to stop it, as a society we say murder and rape is wrong - but that still happens. If you cant get people to stop raping and murdering, how can you possibly get people to stop mocking one for the way they dress? My comments are not meant to be mean spirited, they are being true.
Thank you Dynasty! Now I have the courage to wear my thong and high heels to my construction job site.
Ok, I don't doubt this kid is normally a nice guy, but guns are not allowed in any school and it sounds like he got just punishment. Sue, sue,sue, that's all we hear anymore. I hope he has a good life but that he loses his case.
@Bart Conner
If Dynasty had been a conservative firing even THIS kind of weapon, liberals would be yelling about gun control...and pointing out that even these weapons can cause severe harm. This school is being accused of not adequately protecting him. Dynasty should have taken it upon himself to do some self-protection instead of dressing as flamboyantly as he did. It's sad, but truthful, everyone of us have to do something different to fit into society. If any one of us step outside of the norm, we run the risk of being attacked in someway. The responsibility lies on us. I'm not saying the school district isn't at fault for this...but I am saying they aren't solely to blame. If a man went to work with a purse, there would be problems too. He just has to deal with the looks and whispered comments of his peers. I agree it's not fair...but then, I have a secret to let you in on, life isn't fair.
Dynasty needs to suck it up and accept the fact that he's partially to blame for what happened.
The only one dangerous is Dynasty, just because you are gay doesn't give you the right to bring weapons to school and discharge them. That should be obvious to anyone who isn't a complete moron.
Kumbaya - we ALL live in a society where the lion lays down with the lamb, and we have beaten our plows into pruning hooks.
Yes, yes, I know I will get the hate mail.
It's one thing to express your individuality, and another to dress screaming " LOOK AT MEEEEEEE - I'M GAY -I'M DIFFERENT"
He wanted the attention - he got it.
What was he expecting ? for everyone to say "WOW..POWER To YA !" ?
Were the kids wrong for taunting ? YES !
Was their behavior unexpected ? NO !!
Dynasty's actions were to put HIS agenda "in your FACE" ! The reaction was to be expected, even though wrong - but HIS actions were equally (and perhaps more) wrong. HE put others in danger.
He didnt LIKE the school's inaction ? Fine, take it up a notch. To the School Board...to the Dept. of Education - TO THE COPS (uhh, BEFORE he brought a weapon to school)
This "in your face" "I'm gonna stand out" IS his right, just as it is , in MOST states, a right to carry an unloaded gun...but you cant BLAME the cops for seeing you and stopping to harass you to see if it's loaded.
But, no matter what, you DONT have the right to say "I'M GAY and GONNA dress the way I want AND I ALSO claim the right to bring weapons to school".
Probusiness, our schools would be doing a lot better if they were allowed to do their jobs instead of being pressured by medling parents who demand everyone else follow their "values". Want to teach evolution and critical thinking? Nope, that may interfere with what the parents want their kids to believe. Want to teach about the existance of other cultures and religions? Nope, that would be seen as promoting anti-christian behaivor. Want to teach that all students deserve to be treated with dignity regardless of sexual orientation or religious beliefs? Nope that's called recruiting or corrupting (and sometimes both).
Unless you're willing to pay for Dynasty to be in a private/charter school or make it so that his family can afford to home school him, quit siding with the bullies.
If you are going to be openly abnormal (sorry but being "gay" is not normal) you are begging for humans to mistreat you. It is human (andevery other species for that matter ) nature to shun and reject oddities. I did not say it was nice, it is just a fact. It is simple math a + b+C. If you are openly different then you can expect to be treated like you are openly different. While not "gay", I was openly different (often I tried to be so) and got what I asked for more often than not.
This kid had no right to bring a weapon to school, but now hip hip hurray he will get rich out of it.
Was HIS AGENDA to be himself? What an agenda!
Why do we teach natural selection in school, then force people to do what goes against their nature. Kids have been picking on other kids since before established law's and politics. You can't force someone to go against their nature, just like you can't force gay kids to not be gay, you can't force bully's to not bully. Suck it up, fight back, and get on with life. Highschool is only temporary and odd's are gay kids, you will make more money than your bully's will in adulthood.
Furthermore, giving a male a name like Dynasty is inhuman.
yeah.... sue the taxpayers for bad parenting of a few kids.... wtfffffff I'm sick of all this lawsuit crap. Since he's expelled for having a DEADLY WEAPON other parents and kids can sleep well at night!
If "being yourself" is calling attention to the fact your different, then your going to get treated like your different.
Stun guns don't kill, they'll just ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPP the bangles off ya!
If the school has ban on stun guns, then the ban applies to all students.....period.
The school and other parents should be suing his mother for admitting to giving a weapon to her son to take to school. I would also think the police and child protective services should be involved.
Granted he should be able to go to school without being bullied but instead of giving him a weapon get a lawyer to start. Let them handle it. He deserved to be suspended for what he did. BTW Alverant Charter schools are free to attend...they are also paid by the state.
He's sure not wearing his skirts and thigh highs in the publicity photo above, now, is he ?
ok you idjits want conformity???
Obamacare is now the law of the land. Conform. Shut up about it and put your head down and deal with it. :)
To all of those who are saying "guns aren't allowed at school" and "kids will be kids" - keep in mind, BULLYING isn't allowed at school, either.
Yes, he dressed differently, but bullying isn't allowed and he wasn't protected. Is it okay that he had a stun gun? No. Do I understand it? Yeah. But what about the 6 boys who confronted him? Were THEY expelled or even suspended for breaking school rules? I bet not.....
And yes, he's suing - because unfortunately, that's often the ONLY remedy institutions understand - it's the ONLY way to get them to actually change their behavior.
If I was gay, I would use the same excuse to get back in school after openly firing a stun gun at school. I would say they were picking on me. Just like the blacks do, the muslims do and every other none white in the world doe's. It would be everybody elses fault! But NOT MINE!!!!
Where can I signup to be a gay minority? I want something for nothing and to blame something on someone other than myself. Sounds like a good gig if you can get it.
BoBo the Clown et al
Here's the thing - you say if he wouldn't have dressed that way he wouldn't have been picked on therefor he should deal with the consequences.
The people he stun-gunned wouldn't have gotten a jolt if they would have left him alone - shouldn't they deal with the consequences?
Our problem in this culture is simply one of manners and a cultural shift. People today react harshly and often violently against anyone that is perceived as different. Do any of you ever ask why? Why is 'difference,' so unfathomable.
Fascism is a political state where all members are the same. There is one leader and the rest fall into a clearly defined type. For the last 12 to 13 years, the US has become increasingly fascist in its politics and culture. Difference is unacceptable in this environment and violent reaction to difference is supported.
Mass shootings, school shootings, politically motivated shootings, violence in schools and in public - these are all symptoms of a cultural shift away from diversity which is the promise of this nation.
Was the kid right to bring a weapon to school? Right or wrong, it is the next logical step in this progression.
just a cleaning lady....best post of the day...I was bullied also by being the new kid as I was a Marine Corps kid and we moved a lot. In my day the parents were called in and the bullies got thier ass kicked...by the parents...never see that any more. Now days ALL kids a 'special' and 'gifted' and never have to own up to their own actions. Yes...parenting...a lost art.
So just to get this straight it was natural and ok for bullies to pick on him because he was different (which btw is his fault according to those above) but his right to defend himself which is EVEN MORE of a natural instinct is not allowed?
And bringing a gun to school to shoot at people is against the rules and bullying is against the rules but somehow one is acceptable as "natural" but the other is not?
I'm a white guy so how about this: redo the story and substitute white for gay. Then read it again and tell me he wasn't justified. If a person dressed "flamboyantly" white instead of "flamboyantly" gay would you still be saying its his fault that the school system didn't help protect him while he was in their watch? I would think not.
"If you didn't dress that way you wouldn't be bullied"? Is that like blaming the rape victim for wearing her skirt too short? What's the difference here? Was this young man really expected to be in charge of controlling the way others behaved by dressing the way they wanted him to? I don't see it that way at all. The students bullying him need to learn self control. I spent my children's entire childhood teaching them "you can't control others" because it's true, you can't.
I grew up and wen't through school right the middle of the "civil rights" movement. Was a white child in the rural south during a time of great upheavel at home and abroad and witnessed nearly the entire range of moral and cultural iniquity that humanity has to offer,i also witnessed some of mankinds greatest triumphs,aspirations fullfilled,people once rejected beginning to experience acceptance. I witnessed these things from individuals and from collectives,i saw old ways redressed and others perpetuated. I watched carefree young boys fade into that meat grinder in Vietnam and return troubled and confused old men though only a year or two had passed between.
I watched starch shirted unwavering conservatives go west and return to the east... tie,dyed,bell bottomed progressives and saw many a staunch progressive turn conservative,the socialist free thinking hippies of yesterday, become the closeted capitalist yuppies of today.
I saw so much change it was hard to process it all,I witnessed such complete reversals in attitude and belief from some that it was hard to recognize them as the same people and others the years passed by them completely unchanged and left me wondering how anybody could haved live in that world unaffected by it. It was a time of hope and confusion,denial and acceptance that seemed to most back then to be the gateway into a completely new era for mankind that we all would have walk through willingly or otherwise.
And... now in this new era,these long decades past... these times that were supposed to bear the fruits of all those labors and asperations... and after reading the seemingly countless headlines of constant intolerance and ridicule of the differences in the people on this earth...all these instances of disassociation that are still emergent in this supposedly highly evolved society we live in... i realize that nothing has changed! That as individuals we may grow to become what we never thought we were,but as a collective... humanity has made no significant gains since we crawled out of that primordial ooze,stood on our own two feet and exclaimed "i think therefore i am"!
Mankinds techincal and mechanical evolution continues unabated,but spiritually....we are hopelessly trapped in the sludge of our own existence! I don't know where we wen't wrong,but wrong we wen't... to the point that "right" sometimes seems to have always been no more than a fantasy!
Patycamoure3... Dream on. This is a nation with more than it's share of bigoted, biased, homophobic idiots.
"Don't overestimate the decency of the human race." H.L. Menken
@Alverant: So when liberals use school to promote there agenda it's doing their job but when conservatives do the same thing it's forcing values on people?
Maybe our schools would do better if they were allowed to teach kids the difference between right and wrong and actually enforce discipline and punish bullies. But due to our notions of tolerance, we can't do that.
And by the way, regardless of what their "values" are, private schools are currently outperforming public schools.
Liberals have given increased control of our public education for the past couple decades. Interestingly enough, quality of education has also been declining in that time.
Keep defending liberal rights at gunpoint... Guess, what: You're the bully. You're the walrus. Goo goo g' joob.
Couple of caveats: I'm as conservative as they come. I wholeheartedly DO NOT agree with this young man's lifestyle.
With that being said, he had a right and a duty to protect himself if the authorities wouldn't.
The other kids have the right to their opinions and actions just as he does, but it passed that when the assaults started. Yes, throwing a bottle at someone is definitely an assault.
Although he should have realized his actions had consequences, those consequences should have never included violence or threats of violence.
He used a stun gun, not a hand gun, which logically means that his intentions were for less than lethal force. He also supposedly fired into the air, and nobody disputes this.
BUT, here's the kicker: kids have been suspended under the zero tolerance weapons policies for far more ridiculous stuff and at far younger ages. The school was right to suspend him, but they should not have made it necessary for him to defend himself.
It's a wash. The kid learns about consequences of radical nonconformity and the school learns about tolerance.
Nobody was right here.
Everybody go home and start over.
Gay or not you don't bring a weapon to school period.
Patsycamoure3:
And I dream of the day when people are secure enough in themselves and have the self-confidence to not need to make spectacles of themselves. More often than not it is the insecure who dye their hair, get multiple piercings and dress strangely because they have no personality outside of the "persona" that they have adopted. As for originality, every town in America has at least one fat woman with purplish-black dyed hair, lip rings and multiple tattoos and a guy who walks around with a snake around his neck. These are the "uniforms" of today.
The school failed to protect him, and he felt it necessary to find a way to protect himself. It's not his fault for having his own identity, and while I don't agree with bringing a weapon to school, the school certainly isn't blameless in this situation.
At least it was only a stun gun. Had it been a real gun, thing would be quite different. I feel for the kid, fight the fight where it should be, in the courts. Best wishes Dynasty.
If my children were in that school, I would sue the school and this kid for firing a dangerous weapon on school grounds. My children deserve protection from people who think guns of any kind will solve a problem.
The school is at fault for not listening to the complaints about bullying.
This kid is at fault for creating situation where he would be bullied to the point of needing a weapon.
This kids parents are at fault for letting him have a stun gun.
The bullies are at fault for not being more compassionate.
The bullies parents are at fault for raising bullies.
Did I leave anyone out for the blame game?
Oh wait, President Obama is at fault for not creating more jobs which would allow the bullies parents to take better care of their kids.
Michelle Obama is at fault for closing the fast food place which causes the bullies to be mean becuase of a lack of junk food.
I don't care if the kid is gay but he brought the teasing and the bullying upon himself by dressing as he did. He knew damn well what he was doing and what it was going to get him. Gay's may not have control over their sexual identities but they do have control over how they dress.
So you must also believe that if a female dresses a certain way and she is raped, it is her fault.
I hope I missed the sarcasm in your post.
Gil, he absolutely brought the teasing upon himself.
Name calling/teasing is sadly protected free speech. The kid should get used to it because while adults are more accepting than kids, it will happen throughout his life.
Spitting, and throwing rocks and bottles are criminal offenses. The fact that the kids participating at that level weren't disciplined disgusts me.
The way he dressed is irrelevant. He may be able to control how he dresses - but those that bullied him have control over whether they bully or not. They are 100% to blame for the bullying (if they did, indeed, bully him). The school is 100% to blame for not taking steps to stop the bullying.
Don't get me wrong, I don't condone bringing a stun gun (or any other weapon to school). However, to say that he brought the bullying on himself is blaming the victim. The victim is never responsible for the actions of his or her attackers.
No, D, harassment is NOT protected free speech no more than threats are.
"I'm black and get harassed, and I don't think the school is protecting me, so I'll bring a gun".
"I'm Jewish, and were a Yarmulke, and I get harassed, and I don't think the school is doing enough to protect me so I'll bring a gun."
"I'm Muslim and were a head scarf and I get harassed and I don't think the school is doing enough to protect me so I'll bring a weapon."
"I'm gay and wear ladies clothes and I'm harassed and I don't think the school is doing enough to protect me so I'm bringing a tazer to school."
"I'm white and straight. I'm bringing a gun to school to protect myself from all the others who are armed to the teeth."
Stun guns can be dangerous to those with heart conditions. Dont say "at LEAST is was a stun gun" that stuff is dangerous! If I were a parent, I'd sue the parents of Young!!!
What BS. If a straight guy goes into a gay bar and gets his rearend stomped does he have a right to go back there with a weapon? No way. He was begging for trouble and got it.
Summer I submit that the treatment he got was absolutely normal. It is beyond a doubt natural to snub and shun and reject and mistreat those who are different. That is human nature.
The new math:
Moms clothes + stun gun = $$$$$$
The school's actions were already investigated and found to have been sufficient (read the article) They admonished and punished the bullies and asked Dynasty to stop antagonizing/ dressing innappropriately.
Dynasty just didn't like their solution and wanted to dress like a girl so he did his own thing and the bullying continued - well, DUH!. Then he went WAY too far and brought a weapon to school. His mother SHOULD never have given him a weapon. Period. Pull him out and then sue the school, or file criminal charges, asked the school to provide an escot between classes or even walked him herself.
Dynasty was correctly expelled and the lawsuit he is attempting is merely cash chasing. Shame on him and his mother.
It is never normal to spit at someone, throw bottles or rocks at them - even if the person is doing soemthing odd (like a male dressing in women's clothing).
This is why we are becoming weaker as a nation, as a society, as a people, in the family and in the individual.
We have to "protect people" who get "bullied" because they run around begging people to bully them. I got bullied most of which I deserved. It is a natural part of life.
Being assaulted is not a natural part of life. Teasing happens - however, spitting on people, throwing rocks and bottles at them is not teasing, nor is it a natural part of life.
Like I said earlier, I do not condone him bringing a stun gun or any other weapon to school - and, yes, he should be punished for that. However, bullying should never be tolerated either.
So its human nature to laugh at and beat up minorities and the handicapped? Its not my nature. I always thought doing it would be "inhumane". Thanks for the update.
Sounds like a good police recruiting school to me. Society needs to find future police officers somewhere and this school sure seems to be eliciting the best in this nation's fine, young bullies.
Now go out there and bully the innocent, officers!
@Jeff.....LMAO even though this is no laughing matter.
The mom is at fault. You take care of your own by going down to the school and demanding protection for your son...not by handing him a stungun. What if they weren't scared off and then he got the crap beat out of him?
Even if its a non-lethal weapon...Thank goodness he fired it at the ceiling.
I'ma play it from the innocent students' standpoint (the ones who weren't involved in any way with the bullying):
Is it fair to reduce the quality of education for them when they didn't do anything wrong? He was bullied and it sucks, but let's not punish innocent students so that he can make a quick buck...
They go to that school to learn, and frankly the taxpayers DESERVE to have their money spent on education, not to some kid who got bullied. I think that instead they should put some money towards a school anti-bullying program. I'm a Liberal too btw...
Maybe schools need to go to dress codes. Khaki pants, polo shirts, no jewelry, no make up etc etc because these kids and their parents don't know where to draw the line-the line will have to be drawn for everyone AND don't tell me you can't afford uniforms. Lots of kids have $150 tennis shoes. No make up yada yada
Summer,
The way he dressed is not irrelavant. Wrong. People, adults and children, judge others on how they perceive them. If someone wears old, ripped, dirty clothes to someplace (anyplace) most people will make a mental snap judgement that the individual is most likely a poor, dirty individual. The same applies to this situation. This kid, right or wrong, decided to send a visual message that made some of his fellow students make a snap judgement. Dynasty was looking for a reaction. He got it. It just wasn't the one he wanted. That may not be fair but it is reality. If you make those around you uncomfortable don't expect a positive reaction.
Wakehead, yes it is human nature. You ever here of a leper colony? Many people wanted to send AIDS patient to some island. From the start of time if someone was different they were seperated. It is the very reason we have passed so many laws support the different. If were human nature to accept the oddities of the world, then we would not have so many laws. And yes I an a minority and disabled. I expect things out of people.
Wag-Net I pray that you and some of these other people don't have children. It's disgusting to me that some of you are upholding the fact that he was bullied because he was different. You ignorant people are the ones that continue to perpetuate this kind of hate. Children learn hate at home. Someone's appearance is not a reason to alienate him or her. Oh they didn't like the clothes he wore? Too effing bad, look the other way. While I don't think stun guns have a place in the school let's look at facts. He went to the school authorities, they did nothing. His mother went to the school authorities, they did nothing. Even the security guard told him it was his fault!! So what do you do when you feel backed in a corner? You make sure you can defend yourself in a 6 against 1 confrontation. I don't believe this kid is dangerous because he fired it in the air, not at any one of them. I think his mom made a bad choice by giving him the weapon but I truly believe she feared for her son.
Don't ever change who you are Dynasty! Keep your head up and you go right on bein you.
Summer, people have been spiting at (and stoning and worse) people forever it is absolutely normal. If I call attention to myself in an abnormal manner I can expect to be treated likewise. I did not say it was nice it just is. If I wear a sign on myself that is begging for trouble then I am most likely going to get it.
I am not upholding the fact he was bullied. I am saying he got bullied because he asked for it. It is normal.
Behavior that calls attention to oneself can be extremely unfortunate. When in society you need to adapt and conform. Be who you are at home. Everyone does this. Dem-Woman you do this. You are a different person in the privacy of your own home, than you are even with your closest friends. And you are different with your closest friends than you are in society. We all mask. This kid needs to Mask,
This kid is wrong. The way he was dressing is a complete distraction to the other kids at the school, which gets in the way of learning. I am sure there is a dress code, and I am positive that wearing womens boots when you are a guy, violates the dress code. The dress code is in place, to prevent distraction from learning, which is why the kids are at school. Just like prayer was ban from school, so is behavior like this. Just because he wants to do what he wants to do...does not make it right. I agree, he knew the rules and he chose to push his beliefs on everyone, and on top of it, he violated the weapon rule. Rules are rules. The school has rules, dress code policy and a no weapon policy.
Who cares if he was gay. He brought a weapon to school. If he was being bullied, he should have went to a teacher.
Yea because teachers "care".
He already tried that. We went to school officials and got nothing -- no help or protection. Shame on them.
The school should have addressed his earlier complaints. Maybe then he wouldn't have felt he had to protect himself!
Keep pressing on, Dynasty!!
He did. They told him it was his fault.
It WAS, in part, his own damn fault. He shouldn't have dressed the way he was dressing in school.
I was a glam rocker while in high school and shortly after graduating. I didn't go to school or work wearing the makeup and leather and glitz. I had my fair share of women's blouses in my wardrobe and I wore them. But I didn't wear them to school or job sites. I wore them on stage or on the street. And I only ever did the makeup for band related activities.
This is life, people are going to be mean for whatever reason. That's just the way it is, and their shouldn't be any expectation that some higher authority is going to protect you throughout your life. Fat, skinny, dumb, smart, tall, short there's something for everybody when it comes to teasing at school. (now called a federal hate crime if your of the right persuasion). So sue, that will ensure that human nature will change won't it? This liberal world of politically correctnetss is pure bull@!$%#. Throw this case out and let this kid get on with his life. The kid brought it on himself, because that's what people do now when they want to be labeld a victim and recieve large amounts of money. It's a sweet game now and easy to win.
The actions of bullies are never the victim's fault in any way, shape or form. He was dressing in a manner that was different, but within the dress code. The students that bullied him are 100% responsible for their decision to bully him.
The school is responsible to protect kids while the kids are at school. Don't get me wrong - I in no way condone his bringing a stun gun or any other weapon to school. However, had the school done their job and stopped the bullying, the situation would not have been escalated to the point that he felt he needed to protect himself with a stun gun (that he fired into the air).
First, there is a difference between teasing and spitting on someone, throwing rocks and empty bottles at someone.
Second, the victim NEVER brings it on themselves. They are NEVER to blame for the actions of their tormentors. It doesn't matter if they dress odd, are fat, skinny, smart, less intelligent, a different religion, a different race, a different sexuality, male, female, etc., etc.
Don't get me wrong - I do not condone him bringing the stun gun to school. However, it is NOT his fault that his bullies opted to bully him.
If your going to wear a sign on you that says dump on me, then don't get upset when you get dumped on. Try to fit in as best you can or wear the sign. Dynasty if you have any brains, unless you love the attention and want trouble, quit wearing a sign.
I agree with Summer 100%. The decision to harass or assault another human is made solely by the perpetrator. It is never the victim's fault. It doesn't matter if the person is stark naked, it is against the law to harass or assault them. Period.
The school is legally bound to protect children while they are on school property. They failed miserably and the situation escalated. Now the school must face the consequences of that failure.
They should just have kids wear uniforms.
Wag-net
I hate to think of what your life is like.
Wag-net, you took the words right out of my mouth.
I have a great life whoknow. Don't you?
Allison201: I actually don't have a problem with him being punished for bringing the stun gun to school. However, all of the parents at that school should be angry that the school didn't stop the bullying - the school not putting stop to the bullying lead to an unsafe situation for all of the kids at the school (including those not directly involved in this issue).
Personally, I might try to see if they were ok and if they needed a friend.
Who dress's as a women! WTF MAN!!!!
Before I go buying in to this young man/womans agenda, what are the others at the school saying what happened. Is this going to go the way the lesbian who self mutilated herself, but blamed 3 masked men, going to go? Never trust anyone with a wierd agenda. There's alwaus more to the story. Was this kid trying to pickup straight kids who didn't appreciate his gay advances and now he's pissed? Who knows???
At work we have openly gay employees. They are treated with respect, like everyone else. I wonder what would happen if they cross dressed at work.
We have policies about "appropriate" dress.
Maybe those policies couldn't stand court scrutiny. Who knows. Our employees - gay or otherwise - are professional enough to focus on work rather than on disruptive unprofessional distractions from the tasks at hand.
Free expresion is great, but..... A young man showing up to school in a dress is a distraction - even if its within his rights.
As a parent, I tell my kids to go upstairs and change if I think they're dressed inappropriately for school. They're there to learn. Not hinder learning by making themselves a spectacle.
They can wear the dress on the weekends if that's the way they roll.
I agree with you again Summer! Very well said.
Wakey — If I wore a sign on my shirt that I said "I hate N (N word)." Like Bruce Willis did in a certain movie.
Then I went to most places and got my rear-end whipped, I would deserve it.
So if your the person you claim to be you should be as tolerant of one guy wearing a sign as the other.
of course lets not overlook the obvious....
1:he is a young man wearing womans clothes in an enviroment that any idiot knows will promote tensions. I see this as another lame excuse to reap from the taxpayer.
2: get the facts strait, he is sueing the taxpayers, thru the school district. the school doesnt pay, WE DO.
3: i think medical documentation from being hit with rocks and bottles, and so on, should be presented, photos, witness aftadavids from witness or teachers.
4: knowingly doing something to provoke, warranted or unwarranted altercations is yes, by all means HIS FAULT imo.
you can call this person a victim till your lips fall off. it is ok to be different, but to know when to draw the line as ACCEPTABLE. it isnt acceptable for a man to wear WOMANS clothes, because they are for? thats right women. he is a MALE, no matter how gay he is, and i see this as a way to get payday. if you feel comfortable enough wearing your moms dress with the fu<k me pumps... knowing in advance the result and reaction from your PEERS, what would one exspect to happen? SO he knowingly dressed like he did, (a woman) knowing the reactions he was going to get.... he deserves to be paid? yet personally the pic can go... it seems like it was just taken after given the news they had free lawyers for a lawsuit.... lame.
So when he/she wins the suit, I guess he/she wont have to worry with school or work. Just a way to get money for perceived wrongs. We are only getting one side of the story in this article. Of course we all know the gay's never call names, or taunt people hoping to get an ass kicking as grounds for a suit. It happens every year in the K.C.'s Gay pride parade when they berate straight folks as they flounce down the parade route in Westport.
I have Asperger's Syndrome and faced the same exact treatment Dynasty faced, especially with the school blaming me/treating me as the problem/not wanting to deal with it...all because people like us are "different" - whether the difference be by disability, sexual orientation, race, or whatever.
No matter how Dynasty dressed, he would still get bullied.
It is not "his fault" that he got bullied just like it was never my fault that I got bullied.
School officials not only refuse to help or don't bother nowadays, but they make things worse by blaming the victim because they A) don't want to understand, empathize, or help because they think they are "wasting their time" and B) discriminate themselves against, or turn against, the victim. Both of the latter happened to me due to my Asperger's.
Wag-nut: So you don't see a difference between wearing a sign that openly espouses hate for an entire segment of the human race and "wearing a sign" that says "this is who I am" and in NO WAY impacts others or reflects hatred? You are failure as a human being and I'm willing to bet you are a bully as well.
You know, the article never mentioned he asked for help from the school. I wonder if he did or if he decided to take care of it himself?
If you dress, act or initiate actions to bring attention to yourself, you will get it. If it just so happens to be negative than you deal with it. There have been bullies in schools for as long as they have existed and the bottom line is we are deal with alien adolesents
Apparently, Gneisenau, you did not read the article: it clearly states that he "reported the abuse to school staff" who "...told him that he was to blame for the harassment because of his appearance and told him to change his dress and behavior to conform to stereotypical ideas of masculinity and to be less 'flamboyant'".
I do not see a difference your right. Maybe the guy who hates is being who he is. If you wear a sign people will react. It is a fact. No I was not a bully I was different and got bullied, and deserved most if not all of it.
In society we all wear masks to co-exist, or we do not conform. If we do not conform then we get results. Some of those results are very unpleasant. So spiritdance, I know (if you are a successful human being) you mask. You are not the same person in public as in private, not many of us are. You behave differently depending on the situation. If you go to a church wedding then you don't cuss like a sailor, whereas if you are so inclined and go to a wedding on board a ship for example you very well might cuss like a sailor. Maybe cussing is a part of you. But you know that at a time in place you do somethings and you do not do somethings. Actually screaming "this is who I am" is begging for trouble. Why can't a girl wear a short skirt and no underwear to school? Maybe it is who she is. What difference does it make if it is disruptive and leads to unwanted advances. It is not her fault she was just being herself. It is not her fault that a teenage boy has raging hormones. So she ought to be able to take a stun gun after him. It is my belief that what she must do is wear appropriate clothing and underwear. Even if it is not her. Heck she may belong to a nudest faith are family. However, what she does in one place could be acceptable but not in another. Christians for example knew they would get killed for practicing their faith so they went into the catacombs to worship. The better part of valor.
Erin in NJ of course he needed to conform. Not conforming is begging for trouble. He was trying to get attention. He got some. Maybe it was not what he wanted. But to some any attention is good.
His mother should be bish slapped ,,HARD, what mother without a agenda like a motive to cash in on a lawsuit would let her boy dress in her clothes she was enabling his victimization if that's what it really was..
I smell a setup by these two in a desperate attempt to cashin at the expense of the taxpayer's ...the stungun was to draw attention to the situation because he wasn't bullied enough to draw attention otherwise..she should be charged with endangerment, and child negelect...we all have the right to wear only a shirt in winter....BUT if a mother sends you out in winter without a coat and let's you wear her summer dress ,,,,that's negelect
Of course since you are so intolerant, spiritdance, I should not have replyed.
does anyone realize that assault and battery are crimes and that if the mother knew that other kids were assaulting her child, she could call the POLICE and file a complaint and get the perps ARRESTED. why go to someone who does not have the authority to arrest someone, all the schools can do is discipline and make phone calls, they do not enforce laws. this kid should have never brought a stun gun to school and put everyone in danger, being gay does is not an excuse.
bullying is also highly subjective, pretty much anything someone construes as bullying can be called bullying, teasing is not bulling and kids need to learn how to ignore words. it looks like these kids were committing crimes by throwing objects but i guess bullying is easier to say.
bullying is intimidation to change or prevent action.
Just just the nigga and put him out of his misery. Oh wait can't use a gun so use a bat.
Yes... he got attention for the way he dressed but that should not be the issue. The school did not hinder his dress. They let him express himself within the dress code that was not intended for his gender but prob did so to avoid a lawsuit of another kind. He made a personal choice and it became a disruptive nuisance. The school can attempt to address bully concerns but realistically the monies and time that districts have are budgeted for a learning environment and often these altercations are he said/ she said as there is not an adult witness. The comments made by the staff are more likely not saying it is his fault but an expression of the best way to fix this problem with limited resources. School is a privilege as far as I am concerned as is freedom... follow the rules and you don't get punished. What he deems as his right in the likes of ... every girl who acts with seductively and/or may wear provocative "see me" clothing not expecting for some neanderthal to hit on her, whistle, brush up too close etc ... and then later she's complaining about it? It does not give a man the right to physically assault that girl because she is dressed sexy anymore than this kids bullies being physical... yet she can't stun-gun the guy later because he says something about getting physical ... even most law says defense must be a response to imminent physical danger. These gals don't expect special protections. They live with choices and understand that a authority figure isn't everywhere, all the time. Make changes or live with your choices.
The sad part about it is, is that adults, some anyways, (not the ones on here of course) think differently than children. I believe that he should have been able to wear whatever he wanted to school. Peer pressure is the reason why people have to buy their 8yr kids $100 pairs of shoes every year or risk them being bullied. Yet, on the flip side, if I were in that school I probably would have made fun of him. Not spit or throw things at him, but probably wouldn't have anything nice to say to him. The school districts in my state have all gone to uniforms and I'm thankful for that. School should be about learning, not a fashion contest.
Bulling in school is a problem. But when you wear your Mom's clothes to school what did he expect?
WTF is wrong in this world? People make the stupid comment he would have got his azz kicked so he had a right. WTF is wrong with getting yor azz kicked. I got my azz kicked severl times in scholl. Most were deserved. But I never even dreamed of taking a weapon to school. This kid had no right to use a weapon. He belongs in jail.
Just because you're on the YMCA team does not give you the Right to take a weapon to SCHOOL>>>PERIOD> YOU SHOULD BE IN A Juvenile detention center right now.
So, if there were going to beat him to a pulp, he should have no defense?
Bart Conner and cottongin:
Bart Conner: So, if there were going to beat him to a pulp, he should have no defense?
Its called FISTS pal, I uses to get beat up on in school too and it was not one on one. I learned how to fight and once I started to win or it was a draw they left me alone.
cottongin: He should run away while flapping his arms.
Well if it made him run faster why not>>>>
Sorry, but my last statement stands.
This guy has a choice learn to fight or RUN, but being bullied/Teased gives him no right to bring a Weapon to school.
Leatherneck - You should be ashamed of yourself. This kid clearly would have gotten his butt kicked if he had of taken on the bully with his fists. Could have even ended up in the hospital because this kind of bully often isn't satisfied with merely beating you down - these days they have to create significant injury. This way, the kid stood a chance.
The school officials ignored his requests for assistance in getting the bullying stopped. He had to defend himself somehow.
The Marine Corps had to have taught you that you have to step up and do the right thing when it comes time to do so AND to not take fools risks when going into battle. That's what He did. He wanted to continue his education AND was getting no help from the schools. ON TOP OF THAT he took the least dangerous path by using a stun gun vs. a real gun - AND by not pointing it AT the aggressors.
This kid did what he had to do because the school district was too wrapped up in thier 'eww your gay and show it' mentality.
So, anytime one is harassed, be it for the way they look, dress, act, or because they're black, or gay, or..whatever.....and you don't like the school's administration's response, you should be able to take a weapon to school, right ? Can you IMAGINE if everyone who was bullied took weapons to school ?
Dynasty had it RIGHT - FILE A SUIT.
But you do that BEFORE you resort to bringing weapons...not AFTER.
I suspect cottongin's a rereg. Either that or he tool a class in trolling before he registered.
SO...should the 92 year old vet who shot a burglar and killed him with a single shot have took on the burglar with his fists? :)
those kids at columbine were bullied too. They defended themselves by bring guns to school and murdering classmates.
Bullying is bad. Guns at school is a recipe for death.
Bullying does not justify guns - even stun guns.
It seems we shouldn't have a moral equivalency scale that says guns to school are ok if you're gay.
What in the heck is wrong with getting your butt kicked once and a while. I got mine kicked for sure. The way we treated the Columbine incident has actually tended to give license to poor mistreated types to take weapons to school.
Danelle was the 92 year old in a school or was he in his own house? What are the laws of the land? Is he allowed to own the gun? Is he allowed to protect his home? Depends on what state he is in. But no civilian is allowed to bring a weapon to a school.
doesnt give a crap where he was. He was minding his own business and some jerk comes up and tries to deprive him of something. His money. He taught the jerk a lesson. That lesson took a life. Bravo I say.
In this case, a kid going to school minding his own business trying to do his own thing. A BUNCH of jerks up and try to take something even more dear...his DIGNITY. He taught those jerks a lesson. This lesson didnt even cost a life, nor could it have.
Im just sick and tired of hypocrites. As long as people are standing up for what YOU believe in...more power to them. They will take your gun when they pry it from your cold dead fingers.
However, if they are standing up for something you DONT agree with...then they just need to cower down and let others dictate their lives.
Bull@!$%#.
I fully support anyone who has decided thay have taken enough bull@!$%# from other people and decide to stand their ground. :)
He should be put in an instituion and not let out til he was cured.........or just shot to relieve the public of his exsistance
If it's all about equal rights, (as these LGBT'ers claim), he's got them, and he's paying the consequences for bringing a weapon to school. Period! If it's about him being a bloody fruitcake... No Special Rights! The rules MUST apply equally. Fend for yourself just like everyone else. Even the peacemakers have to stand their ground once in a while.
If the teachers failed, go to the faculty. If the Faculty failed, go to your parents. They can then go through the chain of command at the school. If the school then fails to deal with the problem, the parents can bring in law enforcement and the courts. What's good for the normal, is good for the bent...
throwing objects at someone with the intent to harm is a crime and depending on the severity, a felony. did anyone bother to call the PROPER authorities, schools cannot enforce law.
If the abuse was really abuse he would have stayed in the closet..a little,,like if he was in a islamic country I bet you his azzz would comply..people like him even when society tolerates, they will PUSH and in turn they make this country more extreme I see him as a gay terrorist and believe me the worse thing that could happen to gays and many of them know it is to be totally accepted..they like and want the outsider attention, and the drama..and only accepted when it suits them and their interests...
Danaelle: He taught those jerks a lesson. This lesson didn't even cost a life, nor could it have.
Hmm You do know that stun gun are non-lethal, but if you do use it on someone there is always a chance you can kill them. RIGHT.
Why if they have a heart problem known or unknown using a stun gun on them can stop there heart. Yes he did not use the stun gun on someone, but that does not excuse the FACT he BROUGHT A WEAPON TO SCHOOL. PERIOD. What happened if he comes back to the school later and people know he had a weapon so they bring there own? HE IS **** and will get the bulling and teased now 1000% worse. WHY, he will be seen as a ****ys.
That taser could have killed a kid or a staff person; any bystander was at risk here, not just a targeted bully. Tasers are deadly force for a person with epilepsy. Tasers are weapons and should never be brought into a school.
Its possible the other students could have complained about his disgusting attire, maybe they could have told the school principle about the kid having a weapon on school property, or about how he flaunted his views and life style on them, or simply complained about how disgusting he was to the bulk of the student body while acting out his sexual feelings publicly, as a realist I can only say he was asking for trouble! maybe someone should file a grievance against the kid and put a end to the BS. we are going over the edge of a cliff.
stun guns do kill people it happens all the time, now if a kid carried a shotgun to school would that be OK, or is it that in this situation the kid is exempt from the law because he thinks he is gay, or is sexually confused because his mother dresses him funny? maybe all we need to do is have some form of a dress code and end that part of the problem. but then that would not work either because his mother would take that to court as well. how much money is at stake on this deal, or is it just to make the system work in a different way. its BS.
He deserved to be protected from physical harm, but he should expect other people to make fun of him if he acts so out of the ordinary. I suspect he and his mom are looking for $$$$$$$$$$.
Having and using a weapon at school is a HUGE NO-NO.
its clearly about a gays right to be gay in a school in america and not to be attacked for it
Interesting. All the right wingnuts who think people should be able to carry a firearm into a crowded theater to "protect" themselves from whatever, suddenly have a different opinion when an abused child tries to protect himself from the bullies at a school, after being offered NO help for the bullying; and, while using non-deadly force! Just because the kid is gay. SHEESH!!
Gay or not you don't bring a weapon to school period.
Boys clothes would be a good defense.
Got no problem with dude being gay, but when you cross dress at a school full of a bunch of kids finding their own sexual identity just to draw attention, some attention (probably most) will be negative.
Yeah, kid just needs to conform. Sort of like that kid Romney beat up and cut the hair off of. So he too can commit suicide one day! (sarcasm)
Hmm, as a young male I dress in my Mothers clothes for school and can't understand why other boys mock and harass me.? Holy Carp! If he is really gay why doesn't he have his own clothing. Are they so poor they have to share? Sounds fishy to me.
He S H O U L D have hijacked an 18-Wheeler Gas tanker loaded with 8,500 gallons of Premium - and crashed it into the school at 75mph.
I am a staunch believer that people have the right to wear whatever they want and should do so without fear of ridicule or reprisal. I don't care if your male or female, you have rights. This is what makes America so great, we fought for these rights. This kid did everything right, he went to to the proper authorities, which is what they tell you to do. Did he get help from the adults? NO! He was subjected to more ridicule from so-called grown-ups. What else can he do? His mom was right in trying to protect him. If the school can't or won't protect him, then who else will? I remember as a young teenager, we had gay kids at our school, (this was in the 70"s) and no even so much as batted an eye. We had a Lesbian couple who made out constantly and even though they were laughed at and made fun of, nothing vicious or cruel was ever done to them. Live and let live people. He wasn't hurting anyone with his clothing and he sure as hell wasn't trying to convert anyone. What are you so scared of? Afraid it's contagious or something?
Folks, let's face reality. We are ALWAYS judged by our first appearance. I do it, you do it, everybody does it. It's not right, but it is reality. You can shout about "your rights" 'til you're blue, but it will NEVER stop people from having that first impression. Wearing mommy's dress to school is just asking for trouble. This country is in turmoil over homosexuality, and is very divided. Not a smart time to strut your stuff.
Deborah, you live in a fantasy world. The school told the boy to stop wearing mommys' clothes, and fit in with the rest of the kids, so he wouldn't have constant trouble. That's hardly ridicule - it's telling the boy to accept reality. School kids are not adults, and don't make adult decisions - our school did not tolerate that - sent the kids home if they didn't wear the school clothes requires (and no, I don't mean uniforms). There was a standard of dress, which was designed to prevent this very problem. A school is not the proving ground of Democracy - we're supposed to learn that once we're adults.
The article doesn't state that the school told him to stop wearing these clothes. It says the officer said if you didn't dress this way you wouldn't get bullied. It does say a complaint against the school was dismissed and that they handled the situation appropriately according to the board that dealt with the complaint (however, this doesn't automatically mean they actually did handle the complaint appropriately, imo). Per the article, this student was not violatng the school dress code when he wore his mother's clothing.
Also, according to the article, it wasn't just verbal ridicule (which is bad in and of itself), the students involved in the bullying spit on him, threw rocks and bottles at him. If this is true, they assaulted him. On the day of the incident, they threatened to attack him and surrounded him - at which point he fired the stun gun into the air.
Don't get me wrong - he was wrong for bringing the stun gun to school. However, the school obviously didn't take adequate steps to stop and prevent further bullying - otherwise he wouldn't have been surrounded by the group in a threatening manner. He should be punished for bringing the weapon to school. However, the other students should be punished for assaulting him.
You point out that school kids are not adults and don't make adult decisions. You are 100% correct about this. Which is where the school's fault comes into play. Had they done a better job of stopping the bullying, and guiding the kids to make better decisions to begin with, then this gun incident most likely would not have occurred. The school failed not only the kid being bullied, but every other kid that was at school and could've been potentially harmed by the stun gun.
"What in the heck is wrong with getting your butt kicked once and a while. I got mine kicked for sure. The way we treated the Columbine incident has actually tended to give license to poor mistreated types to take weapons to school." Well Wag Wet - have you ever heard of Mathew SHepphard - he was a gay college student who was found dead/dying on a barbed wire fence in I think Montana (maybe Wyoming), thats the kind of beatdown gay kids get. There is alos a difference between Coumbine and this incident - this kid did not aim hiw weapon at anyone no one was killed, it wasn't an ambush or mass attack it was a direct confrontation with some bullies. This kid had reported incidents and asked for help there is no evidence that the kids at COlumbine ever raised an issue with the school. The Columbine kids were sociopaths, this kid at least had tried to get help and was ignored.
He should probably never had taken the stun gun to school and never used it on school grounds and for that he did deserve some punishement, but the bigger villans here is the school and school district who by telling him he had to change was condoning the bullies actions.
This kid is a sick, disgusting pervert, plain and simple. The security guard was right, he brought this on himself by wearing his mother's clothes. Even more irresponsible was his mother. She should not have allowed him to cross dress, especially in HER clothes. And she should not have provided him with the stun gun. The mother should be arrested.
This is one case where, as the saying goes, you can't fix stupid.
This reminds me of the scene in Die Hard 2 (or is it 3) where Bruce Willis is stripped, put in a sandwich board saying "I hate [blacks]" and dumped into a lower income black neighborhood. Would the people who beat him up have been guilty of a hate crime, yeah. Would the police likely have helped, no they would have laughed and maybe added a few punches.
This guy is an idiot and I hope the judge quickly throws this case out and sanctions the attorney.
Can you blame the kid, no doubt the he was harassed non stop by these future dregs of society while school employees no doubt watched it happen all school year and did nothing about it. Top it all off they have the nerve to expel the kid, notice there is no mention about the bullies at all. This type of cra p is allowed and even encouraged in our high schools, while teachers and staff do nothing and pretend to care when a kid who has been bullied his entire time at high school comes in and opens fire. Blame the teachers, and the staff they are the ones responsible as much as the kid who opened fire. Oh and the school security employees are the same pea brains who work mall or best buy security. You know the ones that bend over backwards to "holla" at a 5'3 225 pound fat chick and act like they are with Bo Derek.
Teachers have better things and MORE things to do then to protect you from the bullseye you paint on your azzz...the idea of school is education NOT a stage for attention seeking, based on where one wants to put their sexual appendenges or lack of them or other's fashion taste or lack of it...
teachers have a responsibility to these kids, to all kids. no one deserves to be bullied for being different. the only onbes who think different here are all the bigots posting.
Thank you for calling me a bigot, fedup. Yes, when you cross dress, you deserve to be mocked. Maybe not physically attacked, but mocked, definitely!
Gay people are the meanest mother f ers out there. They will make fun of anyone at the drop of a hat. Kids are evil little bastards and need to learn what it takes to make it in the real world. Not everyone is going to be nice to them, not everyone is going to smile and get out of the way when confronted, our society needs to let children experience adversity as to teach them survival skills for the real world.
Awwwww you must of been that kid that got picked on for being different? Sorry to hear that your parents didnt teach you how to stand up for yourself and now you think its ok. I do agree with you on the tough love and real world skills, but not by letting you child be a sissy and picked on. this is why Most of our cities schools are so damn @!$%#ty. people like you with dumb ass mentalities like that.
Seriously NJK85? First of all, I was an ARMY Ranger for several years..so ask some of the unmarked graves about me and standing up for you and all the rest of the broke dick, slack ass, lazy bitch#s out there. Don't speak ill of something you know nothing about. When I was in HS, I worked with homosexual men and they were some of the meanest people I've ever met, funny, but mean.
First off Ranger Wanna Be. I've spent the last 9 yrs in and out of the desert, so don't give me your macho ask the dead guy crap. And thank you for coming out of the closet and admitting most soldiers are homosexuals, this is something we all figured a while ago. Dont get me wrong, I've fought right along side soldiers in Iraq and some were worth the bullets they fired but some would rate to brush my boots. But lets stop bashing on gay soldiers and get back to the article. Everyone one, Dynasty, the bullies, and the school screwed up and should all deal with the consequences. Point Blank Ranger Patty!
No bullying. No exceptions.
hang in there dynasty. your abeautiful person and good for you for sticking up for yourself. the teachers didnt do their job and good luck with your future. there are folks like me who are gay and dont put up with dumb ass people.
cottongin banned , re-reg of multiple accounter post613.
buttsniffer and truthis999, also banned. Multiples.
Hey, Sally -
What's wrong with "multiples" ??
i'm just waiting for all the attacks on this thread against this young man..
the religious will be here i'm sure
.. *sigh* ... he defended himself and he didn't hurt anyone in the process.. i give the kid credit
I see bigotry is alive and well. Keep the hate strong Phoenyx, keep the hate strong!
BoBo,
i'm going to assume you are much smarter than you just showed me. I am glad the kid didn't hurt anyone and I think he should have defended himself against the bullying.
in other words, i'm not against the child, i'm for the child.
hatred ? try again. thanks
Phoenyx,
See, i wasnt saying your hatred was for the kid. Im saying you clearly hate religion, as noone here brought it up, yet you felt the need to attack, preemptivley, just in case someone brought up religion. Your bigotry against religion didnt have to wait til soon, and as far as i have read at this point, still waiting for the religion to attack the kid - which you said should be soon. Your correct when you say your hatred has nothing to do with the child, it has to do with yourself.
Hatred? yup. Try again, thanks.
not hatred, simple fact, its brought up every time there is an article about someone being gay and in the news. its inevitable that people will share their opinion and if they are religious - it will be an opinion based on that religion since that is their belief.
and in case you haven't been paying attention -- most of the religious comments (if not all) condemn a person for being a homosexual.
my comment was simply that i was just waiting for it, it inevitably happens.
i made NO comment one way or the other on my personal view on religion. when i do, i will gladly let you know immediately if you'd like.
hatred ? nope. try again, thanks
Simple fact? Where is the religious comment? And even if people do condemn a person - isnt the whole point of this article to point out a persons individuality, and Dynasty's plight to be himself and be attacked? Isnt the whole point to say view people as individuals and see them for they are? Yet for some reason, that only holds for gay people? Religious people are OK to be groupped together and stero-typed but no other group is what im getting from you then. Thats good to know.
Hatred? yep. Try again. thanks
wow.. calm down there BoBo, ok ? if there end up being NO religious comments whatsoever on this thread, i'll concede your point.. but as i had commented, religion has already been brought up.. and will continue to do so as this thread continues... of that i'm quite sure.
sure, the point is that Dynasty is allowed to be an individual, why not ?
i made NO comments one way or the other about stereo-typing or grouping people together. I just simply stated that those people who are very religious will inevitably be here and since their religions dictate that homosexuality is wrong - they will attack Dynasty.
i'm sorry for your luck, that is a simple fact, not a grouping or stereotype, and if you'd like to prove me wrong.. watch the thread and let me know how it turns out.
hatred ? no, wrong again. wanna give it another shot ?
I am religious and not once did my beliefs pertaining to that enter my mind when reading this story...my first thought was a lawsuit? for what? he choose to wear things to bring himself attention and he got it..unfortunately it wasn't the attention he wanted so maybe he should have cooled down wearing the womans cloths and pocket books unleast until he got out of highschool, its highschool for crying out loud gothic people and kids that have bad hygene or shy get picked on also should they sue also I guess if thats the logic here but bringing a stun gun to school should never be the answer...its like walking in central part at 2 am and getting mugged shouldn't we make smarter choices sometimes even though its not what we want to do? I am sure he is a great kid and all but what if he killed a bully protecting himself who would we sue then? do I think the school system should do more about bullies, Yes teachers turn their backs on most but in this case I think the parent and student should have taken a little common sense and worn appropriate cloths to school wouldnt we be saying the same thing if a highschool girl liked wearing lingerie to school because it made her feel good about herself? lets have some common sense people.
My luck? Whats wrong with my luck? And what does luck have to do with this discussion? Your stereo-typing. If you call it "fact" to hide behind your bigotry - rock on with your bad self. All bigots have their shield that they hide behind to justify their hatred. You justify your stero-typing as facts. Whatever helps you sleep at night my friend.
Hatred? Yep. Try again, thanks
And Lisa - clearly you arent religious - or you would have been condeming the young man for being gay. Sorry, you must be wrong that your religous - as its fact that they all hate.
Bobo, you do know that religion is the cause of most homophobia in the USA right? You do know that all the anti-gay legislation was justified using religion right? It makes no sense to deny religion's role in what happened here. If religion doesn't want to get grouped in, maybe it should behave better.
Lisa,
Take your own advice, use some common sense here. Why shouldn't a person be able to wear whatever they want without being teased? Thought this was the land of the free? Open to ALL religions and different views. The way a person dresses gets you picked on? Immature on their behalf and the schools for showing ignorance.
John - but how do we do this? Im being serious here. You have kids grouping into packs and preying on the straglers, you have adults doing the same thing. How do you fix this? Telling people its wrong isnt going to stop it, as a society we say murder and rape is wrong - but that still happens. If you cant get people to stop raping and murdering, how can you possibly get people to stop mocking one for the way they dress? Seriously - how does one fix it? The only solution i see, is for him to conform during school hours, then be himself outside of school. People do this for work. But seriously, besides people saying its wrong, and it shouldnt happen - how do you fix it?
Parenting is a BIG key. The way they raise their kids as a self reflection of themselves. That's what I do with my son. Show him the difference between acceptable and not. But, most parents are too busy for their own family and don't take the time to sit down and REALLY talk with them. I do that for my son. I tell him about all my mistakes and outcomes so he will have an advantage. I care so I take the time. I want him to be better than I am.
look. guns at school = death of children. Even a-hole children are still children - there is yet hope for them. Plus the dead are usually just there - neither bullied or bully.
If violence escalates, they will be just as dead regardless of whether they are gay or straight, bullies or bullied.
So you want to support the kid in his struggles - wonderful. I agree.
Don't Justify his actions.... You are condoning behavior that leads to the death of children.
Watching the news after a school shooting, empathising with a parent wondering if their child is alive or who just lost a child, gay or straight is not a salient point.
So say what you want. If you find yourself saying "but what choice did he have", then imagine your children at this school when shooting starts.
Yea yea ... stun gun only. What does the orher kid have when threatended with the stun gun. No tolerance for guns in school. No exceptions.
PS: I'm a gun owner, and a hunter and avid target shooter. So I'm not anti-gun, but I know what guns do very well.
How about offering that same advice ("don't justify [their] actions") to the wastes of skin on here defending the bullies? Its amazing how some people can rationalize their own base impulses by resorting to the totally subjective idea of "normal." How do these people look their kids in the eyes after working to make the world an uglier place?
again BoBo, sorry for your luck, it just doesn't seem to work out for you.
I have no problems with religion quite honestly, it serves its purpose and provides a great structure for people who desire that kind of structure in their life. I have no problems with it.
But, the fact remains. religion is in fact - Alverant is correct - one of the main causes of homophobia and plays a very key role in the hatred towards homosexuals.
now, obviously its not every single person who is religious, there are quite a few exceptions, but in the grand scale, the exceptions do not outweigh the rule..
i do not hate religion nor did any of my statements pertain to me hating religion.. so again.
hatred ? NO. and you should really just deal with it. I'm tired of giving you more chances, you seem to think that you may speak for me on my personal views on topics and you don't have the right or the knowledge to do so. I know my viewpoint on religion and didn't discuss it. My point simply was that religion would be brought up and that a lot of it would be hateful towards this young man since he is a homosexual. Get over it.
Now, how to fix it ? good question ! and i don't have a solution either, nor am i offering a solution.
I do see a valid point in conforming during school hours, but i also see a valid point in not having to conform during school hours.
so, in the end, nothing is really solved.
and you may sleep better at night thinking i hate religion and am bigoted towards it, when its actually not the truth.
thanks!
Phoenyx I'd like to correct something you just typed there.
"But, the fact remains. religion is in fact - Alverant is correct - one of the main causes of homophobia and plays a very key role in the hatred towards homosexuals."
If this religion exclusively includes Christianity, then religion plays no role whatsoever in the hatred of homosexuals, but rather homosexuality. It is not the job of the Christian to hate the sinner, but rather the sin.
Bobo, you seem to have some pent up frustration with religious people when you stated, "Sorry, you must be wrong that your religous - as its fact that they all hate."
No true Christian would hate this young man for, as they might say, falling into the temptation of sin, homosexuality here. A true Christian knows everyone falls short, including themselves, therefore it is not the place of them to hate anyone.
Definition of "homophobia" - fear of homosexuality. What idiot thinks all religious people are AFRAID of homosexuals? I am a Christian. I was born that way. I should be allowed to keep my beliefs, even though you don't agree with them. I won't carry my Bible around you, so don't wear mommy's dress around me. Why do homosexuals have rights, and no one else has? What makes them special, thinking that the Constitution was written just for them? I don't hate them, I just don't agree with them. If you can't live in this world accepting the rest of us, go back into your closet. And take your dress with you.
Bill, homophobia is defined as an irrational fear of, or aversion to, homosexuals and homosexuality. So yes, you and your christo-bigoted ilk ARE, in fact, homophobes.
My children's schools all have defined dress codes for young men and women. Does the Indianapolis school district just throw all the 'appropriate' clothing into a list and say 'this is all acceptable'? I mean come on!!!
Define "appropriate." My guess is it's what you think you want to wear.
Not yo mamma's undies though.
And let me guess, the "appropriate" dress code for young women includes everything that the young men are allowed to wear, but the opposite isn't appropriate?
Just one more reason for school uniforms.
This person is a prime example of why there should be dress codes in all schools, at least up til the 12th grade. If there was a dress code this kid would not be able to wear his mom's clothes, therefore, would probably not gotten made fun of. He had to of known what was going to happen when he put his mothers clothes on and wore them to school. I would guess that he is not wearing ladies clothes at the new school.
Bullying=Bad.
Stun guns in school=Bad
Wrong on both sides HOWEVER, I don't agree this kid should have been allowed to dress so ridiculously at school. That's like wearing a costume to school. It distracts from the reason they are there. He wanted attention, and he got it. Doesn't justify the bullying at all, but I have to say, he poked the bear.
(yeah, I heard it. you know what I mean) ; )
That is the best explanation. Yeah, bullying isn't cool, but come on. Wearing your mother's knee-high boots. The school is being too lenient on making sure that kids can express their oh so precious individuality that it the rule was twisted way beyond what it was intended to be.
I don't go into the woods wearing a meat necklace and then complain about wolves trying to eat me.
This guy is a dumb schmuck and I hope he learns that just because you want to be 'very different' means that people will treat him very different.
Regardless of how the kid dresses for school, that doesn't give other students the right to bully him or threaten physical harm.
As for your wolf analogy, it's cute, but humans can reason, wolves don't.
Based on some of the comments here, apparently not all of them can.
Ray and who was he to bring a stun gun to school and threaten physical harm? maybe the lawsuit before he did that would have made a little sense but his wrong is far greater then the wrong of some bullies. that is a weapon and has no place in the hands of a high school student!
Yeah, yeah, yeah..... It's all about the money for you and your contingent fee lawyer.
Get a life.
"It's all about the money for you and your contingent fee lawyer."
You sound like the insurance industry which tries to have laws passed to limit contingent fees.
How else are the majority of "the 90 %" supposed to get legal representation when they cant afford 300.00 per hour ?
Self defense. PERIOD
But its not PERIOD is it? If he were to have killed someone, the school would still be sued for allowing the weapon. So its really a catch 22 no matter how you look at it. Allow the weapon to slide, and someone gets injured - they get sued. Do nothing - they get sued. Do something but not viewed enough - they get sued. The only sure-fire way to have prevented this would be to monitor the student 24/7 while in/on school. Costs for something like that when budgets are already stretched beyond sustainabilty make that option hard to roll with. Bottom line, he basically has to find a way to deal with it, or dress normal to avoid the attacks while at school, then dress how he wishes when out of school. People have to do that at work all the time with tatoos, piercings, etc. He'll have to do this at some point in the future more than likely anyways, might as well start now.
Bart, I agree about the self defense given the school's failure to respond to the bullying, but schools should have zero tolerance for weapons.
He'd have been better off suing before he felt the need to bring a stun gun.
On the other hand, bigoted nuts like BoBo are the reason there was a problem in the first place.
I shouldnt bite, but its a slow day. How in my statement, am i a bigoted nut? Im simply a realist - in no way did i attack the kid or hate on the kid. Just curious to try to see the other point of view here.
If the school repeatedly did not act on reports of bullying, I hope the young man is victorious.
Bart Conner ?
No - more like Bart SIMPSON.
Hatred has no place or home, even though I, because of my bible trained concience do not agree with this young mans life style, anything outside the marital arragement between a man and a woman whatever the act, is consider fornication in the bible. but as a Christian I don't hate the person but I do the actions or lifestyles.
it seems that today just like the chic filet folks anyone that has moral values is looked as the enemy, I have a right to uphold and stand by what I beleive within my own borders, "love your neighbor" doesn't mean that I have to accept their choices or cheer for them, specially if they are in direct conflict with gods word.
Anything outside marital arrangement is fornication??? There must be alot of straight people who lifestyles you hate as well...
Since your conscience in Bible trained, do you also not agree with people who wear tattoos, eat shrimp, wear polycotton, shave their beards? Do you believe a marriage is only true if the bride is a virgin?
My guess is you pick and choose what you like and what you don't.
BART
Therapy just isn't working out for you is it?
he's got a valid point americanveteran,
the perception is quite popular that a lot of those (not all) who claim to be religious and preach it, pick and choose what they will or will not follow.. they don't follow it all
but of course, i'm sure they can and will justify it in any way possible so they can feel better about it.
Lord MacBethThe bible states that a man lying with another man as a woman is an abomination.Nowhere does it say that it is sinful or that God doesn't like it.I have a gay relative who is a successful business man in a committed relationship for life.They've been together longer than most married heterosexual couples.
MacBeth, you're confusing having morals with having religion. You can disagree with Dynasty's lifestyle (it's NOT a choice BTW) all you want, but that doesn't give you the right to treat him as an inferior because of it. It doesn't matter what your god says, in a free society secular law MUST take priority over religious superstition.
Alverant-
His sexual preference may not be a choice....but, his choice on HOW he expresses it sure is.
is it ok then for the straight kids to express their sexual preference?
Am I the only one concerned that his own mother gave him a weapon to carry to school? Does that really seem like the sound voice of sanity? Maybe his mom could have offered up her wardrobe to him only after the school day ended he would have learned both how to express himself and how to cooperate in a school setting. Perhaps, mom should have gone to jail for a time for providing a weapon to a minor.
As for the kids choices....they were bad at best and criminal at worst. He should be in alternative school for carrying a weapon to school and for discharging a weapon at school. It would be interesting to know if any of the students that harassed him had received consequences for their actions.
his sweetass shouldve learned how to fight or hung out with girls.
Stop wearing your mothers clothes and maybe you can get some respect. He definitely doesn't want to fit in, then wants to cry about how he's treated. What a joke
i think its bat ish crazy...but who the hell are you to tell this kid what do to???? did the GOP make you judge and jury? Or did God tell us to have tolerance and acceptance of those we dont like? The real joke is you...seems this 17 year old has more guts, intelligence, and fortitude than you do. you are pathetic.
Hey David, way to preach intelligence and tolerance, yet talk bad about the GOP and God. Typical Libtard garbage. Anyway, as a libertarian, He should be able to express himself in any way not illegal. Last time I checked, it wasn't illegal to be gay, and I plan on keeping it that way. He is who he is, leave him be regardless of his views. I don't need the Overly-Religious redneck kooks telling me what is right and wrong. On the opposite side, This is a classic example of the Obama School System in action. They teach you to tell a teacher if you are being bullied, but no one stepped up. He was only trying to defend himself, which he has a right to do.
Hey rerere, there's nothing wrong with talking about about the GOP and god just as long as you tell the truth as David did. As for blaming Obama, what did he have to do with this? He doesn't micromanage schools. The school had its chance to stop the problem but they chose not to.
"his sweetass shouldve learned how to fight or hung out with girls."
LeVar...I don't think the term "hung" is appropriate here.....
It is really sad when the only role model a boy has is his mother. Where are the fathers?
Should prosecute his mother for contributing and allowing a minor to have access to a stun gun.
Award him $50.00 and fine his mother $500.00.
the way he dresses shouldnt invite mistreatment. all the idiots here who say people deserve what they get because of who they are. the same idiots would say a girl who got raped for the way she dresses deserves it. alot of homophobes on here.
the saddest part, is that mostly its people who pretend to believe in a religion that teaches tolerance that are the harshest to those they dont accept..like gays. What this school did, or didnt do for that matter, just highlights the social issues we are facing today. We have one party condoning the intolerance, and its also the same party that falls under the above category. We need to start remembering Christianity is a religion, not our way of life! Freedom, thats what this country stands for. Lets try and live up to that, and accept that others may not dress, act, talk, etc the way we would like..but that is THEIR RIGHT!
Davidvd Saint,Excellent perspective and post on our modern society.
YES, David - let's make this about RELIGION !
(maybe we can get the blame on Bush and Israel on here, too !)
I see you have nothing really relevant to add to the discussion here, eh, Jeff?
Oh, I dont know, science - seems like my earlier comments are quite highly rated. I dont see ONE of yours with a single rating.
Did we read the same story? I read a story about a boy who wore his mothers clothes to public school. Perhaps you read a story about a boy in parochial school? For some reason this young man and his mother expected the school to make accommodations for his behavior and his behavior alone. But, that is not the real world. Most often if people actually wish to get along there are consessions on both ends.
So change up the situation, still in public school, a child insists upon being a distraction in class or in public where students are required to focus and he rufuses to alter that behavior, would a parent of a distracted child have a right to request that the distracting behavior end to the benefit of the larger community? Sure they would...each should have some right to expression but not an exclusive right over others.
The mother had no right to give her child a weapon to take to school. She should have been arrested and CPS should have been involved.
They didn't. His behavior did NOT violate the school's dress code. They did expect the school to not allow ther kids to spit at him, throw rocks at him and throw empty bottles at him - which are all, btw, assault. In other words, he and his mother expected him to not be assaulted when he went to school. That's a reason
Agreed. As much as the school should've done more to put an end to the bullying, bringing a gun, even a stun gun, to school was the wrong way to handle the situation. Just as the bullies are responsible of their behavior, he's responsible for his behavior.
Summer you say that but I am not so sure that all the details have been offered, they well may have had to address dress code issues, we just don't know.
I think spitting at a student, throwing items at a student, physically attacking a student are all wrong and should absolutely come with consequences...they well may have come with consequences for the offending students...again we don't know because the article does not cover that.
I think anyone would agree that he should go to school without being bullied or being assaulted. That is a reasonable expectation. It is also reasonable for the school to point out the obvious...each of us are responsible for our safety. If that means altering his wardrobe while at school so he can fly under the radar and get an education then perhaps he should do that. The same can be said of any child in the public school system. If there is an aspect of contention that you can control then perhaps you step up and assume the responsibility. Taking a very different situation that could equate...If a child goes to school without bathing and is pungent he will probably be teased, bullied or called out for the disruption he causes. What would be reasonable is for a school official to intervene and yes deal with the negative peer pressure but also explain to the child that hygiene is important because no one wants to sit by the stinky kid at school. If they have to kids will find a way to register their objection.
The school did what they could to support Dynasty by making suggestions on how to fly under the radar in an environment that did not support his "distracting" behavior. I am impressed that several people tried to get the point across to him about wearing women's clothes in school. There was a reaction to his action. The school was caught between a rock and a hard place. They were trusted to keep him safe inspite of himself. Then he goes and brings a weapon, provided by his mother of all people, to school.
I would think that if he had stayed in that system and gone to an alternative school he would probably eventually be sitting next to his bullies at some point. I truly hope that he has found his way to a safe environment in the magnet program. I hope that all, victim and bully, get to the point where they know they are at school for an education and not for social intercourse particularly when it turns into a power struggle.
I agree. I just think it's wrong for people to assume he broke the dress code or that the bullying was justified because of the way he dressed. (Which, I know, you don't agree with the bullying). Perhaps the dress code needs changed; perhaps he should've understood that this form of dressing could lead to others picking on him. However, he is NOT responsible for others bullying him - they are responsible for their actions, and the school is responsible for making it stop.
If there were consequences for the bullies, it evidently wasn't enough to stop it from recurring.
Actually, we don't know this based on this article. The officer made a comment about his clothing after the stun gun incident - but, we don't know what the school may or may not have said to Dynasty prior to this incident.
I absolutely agree that this was wrong of him to do - and he does deserve punishment for doing this. On the other hand, his mother was fearing for his life (according to the article). If there were real concerns about his safety, that tells me that the school wasn't doing their job to put an end to the bullying. I also find it ironic that SOME people (not saying you've done this, because you haven't), think that people should be 100% free to defend themselves from a life-threatening act (which I agree with), but somehow, this kid shouldn't be free to defend himself from a life-threatening act (being surrounded and threatened with physical violence, that as we have seen in other incidents, can rise to being life-threatening). I guess for these people, the fact that he was dressed odd means it's ok for others to threaten him and do things that can cause severe bodily harm or even death. Again, not saying you are saying that - you clearly are not.
It's my opinion, based on admittedly limited information, that the school failed to protect Dynasty from bullying, thus, allowing the situation to escalate to the point he brought a stun gun to school - which, in turn, endangered other kids. Of course, if we had more complete details from the school's side of this, my opinion may be different. But for now, it's that the bullies should be severely punished for their role, Dynasty should be severely punished for bringing the gun to school, but that the school failed everyone involved and, yes, they have a degree of liability for this incident.
Me too.
Don't get me wrong here, no one should be bullied or teased because of their sexual orientation. But, he should have expected a certain amount of it when he chose to wear women's clothing to school. I'm not saying it's right, or he deserved it, but think back to when you were in school. if you are different, you will be teased/bullied. That's the way teenagers are. I went through the same thing in the 80's because I was a punk with a mohawk.
We need to look at cause and effect in cases like this. Why did he bring a weapon to school? Because he was bullied. Why was he bullied? Because he wore womens clothes. Why did he wear womens clothes? Because he wanted to. So...all this could have been avoided if he had dressed gender appropriately.
This isn't about him being gay. I know a lot of gay men who don't dress like women, and unless they told you, you wouldn't know they were gay. Gay or straight makes no difference. He is what he is, and that's how he was born. But, gay or straight, if you wear womens clothes to school, you will be teased and bullied.
I don't care if this teen is gay. but I do care that he brought a weapon into school. One that, while not as dangerous as a gun or knife, can still hurt someone seriously. Police officers have to go through training to carry a stun gun, but this teenagers mom just gives him one and tells him to protect himself.
hey, what did you expect him to do...just sit around and get his butt whipped? They went to the school, and the school ignored/condoned it because they didnt like what he was doing either. That is not an excuse..if the school wont accept the responsibility to protect this kid, then they shouldnt be a teacher, principle, etc. I dont care what the situation is, if a student comes to them and says hes being bullied, then the onus falls on the school to act...and the only action this school took, was to tell him to change his apparel?! I think the mom was well within her rights to give him the stun gun. Granted, it was a dangerous call..but what is the kid supposed to do, if he has 6 kids trying to jump him???? Im still wondering why those kids werent charged with a crime, or suspended!!!!! (hello, hate crime anyone????)
I would have "expected" them to go to the police after going to the school wasn't effective. We have a chain of command according to the law in this country. Hence why some things go all the way to the supreme (superior) court. You can't just take the law into your own hands. The mother didn't go through the appropriate channels. If someone raped your child would you head to the school principal or to the police? I mean come on, abuse is abuse regardless and she should have been grown up enough to file charges with the proper authorities on the kids in question. THAT is what I would have EXPECTED him to do.
right..... And the cops would have sent it back to the schools because there wasn't any proof of a crime.
And btw - rape IS a crime. Bullying isn't until the victim is in the hospital or dead.
so your 'answer' isn't much of one.
Last I checked, harrassment and threatening someone elses life is also a crime. Bullying is a crime when you threaten to kill someone. My answer is a great answer. The mother's first thought was to teach her son to temporarily maim someone rather than use the proper channels to seek something else out. Here is another idea, home school him. Send him to a private school til the matter is resolved. I wouldn't keep sending my kid into the lions den expecting him to come out unscathed.
The police have little if any control on regular school bullying issues. Judging by the reactions of his school officials, had he gone to the police they most likely would have either told him that it was a school issue or had the same position as the school.
Normal citizens are not under the government/military chain of command.
Right, so the cops "probably" wouldn't have done anything, so, let's just forget about even trying, and go straight to the weapons route.
He had plenty of chances to defend himself. Using a stun gun in a school should be a felony.
And giving a Stun Gun to a minor should be a Felony.
If he would bring out a stun gun in a school here, another student would use martial arts and kick his as*.
Wearing the wrong color is reason to be bullied and he/she must have been wearing black.
so its ok to be gay, just dont act gay is what you're saying. if he acts gay he should expect to be mistreated.
This is why most public schools on the planet have dress uniforms. There is one uniform you wear to school and it makes no difference about your sexual orientation, race, religion, economic level, you wear the uniform. The U.S. is different, we want to pretend that kids want to dress as individuals and not follow a dress code. The reality is that the kids do follow a dress code. They dress exactly like the other kids and would never dress differently. In other words, they turn the school over to the kids to run.
I'm 100% with you on this. It's like the kids themselves are policing a "perceived" dress code. Would be better all around if the grownups just put one in place and save the kids the stress...
(yes I think a uniform in public schools would be a GOOD thing. And I have a "uniform code" I imose on my own kids that is far more "nuetral" and conservative than the public school dress code around here - my attempt at keeping my kids clothes more "professional" in a school environment; we treat it as a "job" that they have to dress accordingly for....)
OMG all of ya just grow up. The kid is gay. Big deal. Now everyone knows it. He dressed this way to get the attention he wasn't getting from somewhere. Mommy dearest let him wear her clothes and use her purses and jewelry and every day watched him come home crying because he was bullied by boys because of his clothes and his behavior. No one at school did anything. SHAME on them for that. For the last few years that's all that's been on peoples minds is bullying and how to stop it. This school said to hell with it. We'll expel the victim and not say anything to the bully's. Something is way wrong here that a school does nothing. What a shame. And the Mother shame on her too. She had to know what this was doing to her son. She seen it every day. But instead of sitting him down and talking to him and explaining to him that wearing the mommy clothes and carrying the mommy purse right may not be the right time. Explain that it's not his fault but that the children at school may not understand it just yet. It could have saved a lot of grief all the way around. Just saying.....
Vigilante behavior even if justified can not be tolerated.
If he had sued PRIOR to discharging a weapon I might be more forgiving.
Orientation is irrelevant, excessive flamboyancy is disruptive and can not be tolerated.
Scantily clad girls are a classic example. Boys can become almost animal like in their reaction, and all the rationalizations wont change that basic reality. Those who seek attention usually get it, but rarely how they wanted it.
You can wag your rear up and down main street, but carrying on in school should get you ejected.
1) he shot it into the air
2) He was not being excessive or disruptive. Read the article.
Yes !
He just shot a Tazer into the AIR !
Nothing disruptive about THAT !
Jeff, you can't reason with those who think this kid was right in what he did. School is for learning, not a place to distract others from learning. In fact, if anything, I think the school or parents who disagree with what this kid did, should file a counter suit for disrupting the classroom with his behavior/dress. Why should the kids who attend this school have to deal with a drama queen disrupting their studies. I'm offended that so many on here forget what school is intended for...learning...not self expression. Also, I think charges should be brought against he and his mother for bringing a weapon to school and against her for supplying it to a minor. Life is tough, I get bullied for being beautiful on a daily basis, but what am I gonna do? I could stop showering, dress in a burlap sack, etc...but I just grin and bare it because life goes on.
The way the kid dressed did not violate the dress code (per the article). He did nothing against the rules (until he brought the stun gun to school - which was absolutely wrong and deserved punishment). The point is, it doesn't really matter if you think someone is odd - you have no right to spit on them, throw rocks and empty bottles at them. That is assaulting someone. It was absolutely wrong of him to bring the stun gun to school. However, the school should've done more to stop the bullying and assault that this student was enduring. Had they done their jobs, then he wouldn't have had a reason to feel he needed the stun gun for protection. He absolutely made a bad decision and deserves to be punished for it - however, the school district needs to do more to prevent these situations from even arising.
In the original complaint the kid reported the bullying but told the teachers and staff that he was not able to identify or name the people who were bullying him. What was the school supposed to do? Arsenal is not that big of a school. The issue is the kid brought a weapon to school that has a no tolerance policy. Therefore he should have been expelled. If he was able to identify the people who were bullying him the school should have investigated that and expelled those kids as well. Just another person looking for 15 minutes of fame and wanting to make some money.
I believe this young man when he claims that he was bullied.This does not constitute a lawsuit as weapons are banned on public school campuses,which include stun guns.His mother is free to send her child to a private school if she feels that the public school is not giving her child adequate safety and an education.
If you ARE "just a cleaning lady", would YOU be able to afford sending YOUR kid to private school ?
In some places yes a cleaning lady can send a kid to private schools. Now certain people only want the rich to be able to go to private schools, but I believe everyone should have the oppurtunity.
Wag Net - You are right...but I would bet that it's for the wrong reason...
The Republicans have LONG sought a "voucher" system where EVERY student has the option of going to a private school. It works like this:
Their taxes which would otherwise go to the public school system, are "credited" through a voucher to be allotted as tuition to their chosen private school.
In each and every case, the DEMOCRATS have defeated it, because they claim that if enough students DO this, the public school system would go bankrupt overnight - and they're right !
It is, in fact, the party of the poor, who is keeping their own children from better schools and the "party of the rich" are the ones advocating the poors' ability to attend better schools.
'If you ARE "just a cleaning lady", would YOU be able to afford sending YOUR kid to private school' With school vouchers, yes, even the cleaning lady, mechanic, and blue-collar types can send their kids to private school. You want quality private schools that kids have to fight to get into, and work very hard to stay in, and where this kind of nonsense, on both sides, won't be tolerated.
....because the voucher school staff will do what? harshly discipline the bullies? Make the gay kid change his personality?
You're dreaming.
Bullies will bully until they know they'll have to pay the price.
And why aren't the NRA sympathizers arguing for the kid trying to defend himself?..doesn't fit their moldy version of of personal freedoms?
Expel him! There is no room for jerks who bring weapons to school. He could have done something about the bullying. A weapon is not the answer. Give him the death penalty!
Seriously.. There are many Cross dressers who are Straight ..Gay Doesn't mean you want to be a Woman ..God ...People can be so Stupid ....like this is the first kid ever... to do this.....He has every right to protect Himself ... The School could care Less ...Sue them... The school is no better.. than the Kids who haven't got anything better to do (really ...) than to pick on Him.
you are a moron. you should be bullied for being dumb ass.
I can understand his POV, but he could have injured people/bystanders by setting off the stun gun. Suspend both the bullies and him for a day or two or make them do community service.
So, what is he supposed to do? Report the incident...oh, wait, he did that.