++++++++++++++++ OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ++++++++++++++++
GSA Network News is a publication of Gay-Straight Alliance Network. Events,
resources, and news items listed under "Other Announcements" are not
sponsored or written by GSA Network, and do not necessarily reflect the views
and opinions of GSA Network.
Southern California
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5. NEARLY FIFTY COLLEGES COME OUT TO RECRUIT GAY YOUTH AT NATIONAL GAY-FRIENDLY COLLEGE FAIR (La Jolla)
Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Penn among the diversified list of colleges WHAT: Yale, Princeton, Stanford and Penn among the nearly fifty colleges who will be in attendance at the gay-friendly college fair hosted by Camps Pride this Friday, April 11 on the campus of University of California San Diego. The fair is designed specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and straight ally youth and their families who want to find campuses committed to LGBT people. The event is in coordination with the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index (www.campusclimateindex.org), the only online resource of its kind, which rates LGBT-friendliness at colleges and universities.
More information online at www.campusclimateindex.org/events
WHERE: Ballroom of the Price Center at University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093
WHEN: This Friday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHO: Nearly fifty colleges and universities from across the United States will be in attendance. In addition, expert presentations will take place throughout the day, which include "Finding Your LGBT-Friendly Campus" by Shane L. Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride; "The Pros and Cons of Selecting a United States Service Academy: The LGBT Experience" by the U.S. Naval Academy Out Alumni Group, "Navigating the College Admissions Process" by the UC San Diego Office for Admissions and Relations with Schools, "Point Foundation Scholarships" by Point Foundation staff, and "Financing your Education" by the UC San Diego department of Financial Aid.
WHY: According to Campus Pride, an increasing number of colleges and universities are openly recruiting LGBT students and are doing so for the first time ever. In addition, over 150 colleges and universities are reaching out to LGBT students through the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index (www.campusclimateindex.org). The fair and index are active ways for campuses to be out and proud in attracting LGBT student populations as well as increase enrollment with a seemingly "untapped" population. Even straight students are looking for LGBT-Friendly campuses. Isabel Galupo, a high school senior in Towson, Maryland who attended the first LGBT-friendly college fair this past December, said, "It was great to have my first college fair be one where I could ask important questions about myself as someone from the LGBT community. This type of college fair was also very important for me as I have two moms - I want to be at a college where I can feel comfortable about my family."
HOW: The event is free and open to the public -- LGBT and ally prospective students and their families. For more details, please visit http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events or contact Campus Pride at 704-277-6710 or mailto:info@campuspride.org.
Believe In -- Campus Pride. Campus Pride is the leading national nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. It exists to give "voice and action" in building future LGBT and ally leaders.
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6. Group for LGBT youth (Pasadena)
Pasadena PFLAG now has a monthly meeting specifically for LGBT youth, ages 12-18. We have two wonderful co-leaders, Natalie Camunas and Jason Torres-Rangel. Natalie is lesbian. Jason is gay. They are in their mid-twenties and gifted in working with youth. Jason is a high school teacher.
Our youth group meets at the same time (but in a separate room) as our regular PFLAG meeting, the first Tuesday of every month, 7:00-9:00 PM, at Neighborhood Church of Pasadena, 301 North Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena, CA 91103. Detailed directions can be found at:
http://www.pflagpasadena.org/wherewemeet.html
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7. LifeWorks teams up with Equity Project to ensure fairness in the juvenile justice system (Southern California)
The Equity Projectis aimed at ensuring that LGBT youth in juvenile delinquency courts are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. One of the main goals of the Equity Project is to learn about the interactions LGBT youth have with probation officers, defenders, prosecutors, and judges, and to find out what LGBT youth think is needed to improve the juvenile justice for LGBT youth.
If you would like to participate in a focus group where you talk about your experiences, please contact us at mailto:rsvp@lifeworksmentoring.org.
We will provide food and incentive gift cards. The date and location of the group will be arranged based on the participants' availability.
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8. Free Movie Screening at Crossroads School (Santa Monica)
As part of the queer film series at Crossroads, sponsored by FLAG
(our gay/straight alliance), we will be having our next movie screening
of the year on Friday, April 18th, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. We invite you
to join us!
Note that this is our first ever movie night on a Friday night and
probably our only one this year. So for all those of you who can never
attend our movie nights on a "school night", this is the one to come to!
We'll be showing Beautiful Thing, one of the best and most entertaining
movies about young queer love ever made. Set in Southeast London,
Beautiful Thing is an "urban fairy tale" about Jamie and Ste, two 16
year-olds who discover what it's like to fall in love with the boy next
door.
All students and faculty from Gay/Straight alliances and their friends
are welcome. It's a great way to meet new friends, or see old ones.
We've been getting a lot of students at our movie nights this year, and
we expect students from many gsa's will be attending--come meet them!
The event is FREE and there will be free pizza, drinks, giveaways, and
prizes! RSVP and let us know if you are coming, so we have an idea of
how much pizza to get.
**When you reply, make sure to include your name and the school (if
any) you are from, as well as how many people you are bringing-this
helps a great deal.
Directions are below. Please email us at mailto:flag2@xrds.org
Beautiful Thing has won many awards, including:
- GLAAD's Outstanding Film Award
- Best Film, London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
-"Audience Favorite" at many LGBT film FestivalsDirections:
Crossroads is at 1714 21st St. in Santa Monica, at the corner of 21st St. and Olympic Blvd.
The screening room we're meeting in is on the 2nd floor of the Arts Building.
Here's what you do--when you turn onto 21st from Olympic, take an
immediate right onto a driveway-looking street and find a place to
park.
You'll see our "quad" which looks like a parking lot or an alley, and which we call (of course) the alley.
Walk to the end of the alley to the tall building on the left, enter and climb the stairs to the 2nd floor.
Central Valley
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9. Fresno City College Pride Day (Fresno)
On behalf of the Fresno City College Diversity Club. The FCC Diversity Club cordially invites your high school GSA to attend our annual Fresno City College Pride Day Celebration. We appreciate your students' interest in our event, and we would love for them to experience the festivities of this year's celebration.
This is a social, cultural, and educational event seeking to enhance awareness, understanding, and acceptance of the GLBT+ community.
This year's Pride will be Friday, April 25th from 10am- 2pm in the college's free speech area.
The celebration this year, like previous years, will be home to informational and educational booths of various organizations within Fresno's GLBT+ community. Food will also be sold at some of these booths. Students will also have the opportunity to watch a scheduled line up of dynamic entertainers as they perform, and be able to participate in educational workshops pertaining to the subject of GLBT+ issues.
Your high school GSA's are among a number of high school GSA's we are hoping will be able to attend our Pride Day Celebration.
Please let us know if you are able to attend, by phoning me at 1(559) 285-0795 or e-mailing me at
mailto:zoyer_zachary@yahoo.com by Friday, April 11th at 5pm.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Northern California
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10. Youth Screening of "Ask Not" (San Francisco)
Dear GSA members,
My name is Keith Zwolfer I'm from the Education Department of the San Francisco International Film Festival and we thought that you might be interested in our special Schools at the Festival youth screening of the film Ask Not, a documentary about Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell and the young activists trying to fight the policy. The screening is being held exclusively for Bay Area youth and educators, GSA's, as well as LGBTQ youth organizations.
The screening's on a Tuesday afternoon, so for students and teachers it would be a field-trip opportunity. The filmmaker will also be attending to lead a Q & A after the film. All of the ticket information is included below. I've also included a little blurb below about the screening along with a longer description of the film for your information.
If you are a student reading this please encourage your GSA teacher/advisor to bring your group. We look forward to hearing from you!
To learn more about our education program check out our site http://www.sffs.org/education/index.html
SF International Film Festival Presents a Special Youth Screening of "Ask Not"
The 51st San Francisco International Film Festival Education Program presents a special Schools at the Festival youth screening of Ask Not, a documentary about the U.S. military's "Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell" policy and the people trying to change it. November 2008 will mark the 15th anniversary of this policy and more than 12,000 service members, from new recruits to senior officers, have been discharged since its inception. Despite the fact that recruitment goals are consistently unmet in this time of war, highly qualified men and women are unable to enlist. Directed by an Award-winning Bay Area filmmaker, Ask Not features, among others, a gay San Francisco soldier's retreat into the closet as he heads off to Baghdad.
The screening takes place on Tuesday, April 29th at 12:45 PM at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco (Post Street at Fillmore). Educators and students receive a significant discount on admission to this screening, just $2.50 per ticket. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Keith Zwölfer at 415.561.5040 or mailto:kzwolfer@sffs.org. Schools at the Festival tickets cannot be purchased through the regular Festival box office.
Ask Not
Tuesday, April 29, 12:45 pm
Directed by Johnny Symons (USA 2008, 73 mins)
http://www.asknotfilm.com
November 2008 will mark the 15th anniversary of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, with very little to celebrate. More than 12,000 service members, from new recruits to senior officers, have been discharged since its inception and, despite the fact that recruitment goals are consistently unmet in this time of war, willing, able and highly qualified men and women are unable to enlist. Award-winning Bay Area filmmaker Johnny Symons (Daddy & Papa, SFIFF 2002) presents a stinging examination of the policy's failure and injustice, approaching the issue from three perspectives: following an upstart group of young gays and lesbians promoting a Right to Serve campaign in which they attempt to enlist as openly homosexual candidates; documenting the efforts of former soldiers to expose the policy's flaws by sharing their personal experiences with military and civilian audiences; and creating a video diary of one San Francisco soldier's retreat into the closet as he heads off to Baghdad. Referencing Harry S. Truman's controversial military desegregation act of 1948, Symons reflects on what many considered to be President Bill Clinton's failure to do right by the gay community when he signed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" into law, placing the issue squarely back before the American people. Warmly personal, politically incisive and straightforward, Ask Not should be required viewing this election season.
Program Note: Brief nudity and profanity during footage of a gay pride parade
Suggested Subjects: American History, Journalism, Peer/Youth Issues, Political Science, Social Science
Grades: 9-12
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11. Gorgeous: A Journey of the Body (San Francisco & Northern California)
YouthAware Educational Theatre at the New Conservatory Theatre Center Proudly Presents:
Gorgeous: A Journey of the Body
By Anna Furse Directed by Rebecca Longworth
A Play About Body Image - Appropriate for Grades 6-8
Touring Northern California
Mondays through Thursdays
May 6th - 22nd 2008
Gorgeous by Anna Furse is an innovative one-woman show that examines women's relationships with their bodies through the ages, and how the media and our peers influence the way we view ourselves. Appropriate for guys and girls grades 6-8, this touring play is presented by the YouthAware Educational Theatre program with the New Conservatory Theatre Center based in San Francisco. Gorgeous highlights healthy choices and the importance of a strong sense of self for young people. The dangers of eating disorders, beauty fads, cosmetic surgery and media and peer influences on body image are also explored.
Each 65-70 minute includes a facilitated discussion/Q&A with the cast, and handouts are provided for teachers to continue discussion in the classroom.
YouthAware touring program may be performed in any theatre, gymnasium, cafeteria, or other multi-purpose room. We travel with our own set and sound equipment and do not require any special lighting. We prefer to see between 100 - 300 students per performance and can do the play up to two times a day at your site. We do ask for a donation per performance to cover our production costs (FREE for SFUSD), but that donation may be negotiable for low-income schools.
Email today with any questions or if you'd like to book a tour date for your school.
You may also download a copy of the script to preview from our web page:
http://www.nctcsf.org/gorgeous.html
National
********************************************* 12. Join The Jump-Start 2008-2009 National Student Leadership Team
GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) is searching for it next team of student leaders!
The Jump-Start 2008-2009 National Student Leadership Team will be a group of middle and high school students who will support student-organizing efforts across the country - whether its starting gay straight alliances/student clubs, developing campaigns or training teachers- these students should be dedicated to safe schools for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Jump Start students represent various regions across the country, and receive training on strategic action planning, coalition building, leadership skills, and up to date information on safe school policy and legislation.
We are currently accepting applications from students who have prior leadership experience or seek to develop these skills.
Students must fill out a brief application form and provide 2 letters of recommendation one from a school faculty/member and a letter of support from a local organization.
Students can access the application and more information at
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2040.html
Applications are due May 9th.
For further information please contact the Director of Student Organizing, Benny Vasquez at mailto:bvasquez@glsen.org
Benny Vasquez
Student Organizing Director
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
90 Broad Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10004
Direct Line: 646-388-8055 *******************************************13. GENIUS Survey Released
The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition is pleased to announce the release of its 2008 Gender Equality National Index for Universities and Schools (GENIUS) Survey.
GenderPAC works to ensure that classrooms and communities are safe for everyone to learn, grow and succeed, whether or not they fit expectations for masculinity or femininity.
The GENIUS Index tracks and evaluates colleges, universities, and K-12 schools' progress to ensure their campuses are GenderSAFE™ - safe, supportive and equitable for all students.
Complete the GENUIS survey and send a strong public statement that bullying or discriminating based on the race, sex or gender of a student, faculty, or staff member is not tolerated at your institution
Fill out the survey at: http://www.gpac.org/GENIUS2008survey
and help support campuses working to build safe and welcoming environments for every student. ********************************************* 14. Frameline LGBT Media
Frameline is the nation's leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the exhibition, distribution, promotion and funding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media arts. Frameline's integrated programs provide critical funding for emerging LGBT filmmakers, reach hundreds of thousands with a collection of more than 200 films distributed nationally, and create an international stage for the world's best queer film through the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival and additional year-round screenings.
Since 1981, Frameline's distribution program has been providing groundbreaking lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film and video that can be used in a variety of academic, professional and community settings. Frameline's collection includes documentary, feature-length and short fiction, experimental and animation titles representing LGBT filmmaking from around the world.
Visit their website for more information http://www.frameline.org
Scholarships
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15. COLAGE Scholarship
Scholarships for students with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ) parent(s), sponsored by COLAGE with generous support from the Horizons Foundation Joseph Towner Fund.
COLAGE is pleased to announce a continued partnership with Horizons Foundation to award four $1,000 scholarships to support the undergraduate studies of students who have one or more LGBTQ parent(s)/guardian(s) and have demonstrated ability and commitment to effecting change in the LGBTQ community and the community at large.
The application deadline is Monday, June 2, 2008.
Lee Dubin Memorial Fund
Some of the most powerful members of the LGBTQ community are the children of LGBTQ parents who have grown up being nurtured and supported by this community and are now part of a whole generation of people who have the power to create dramatic change in the world. The fund was named for the father of COLAGE founder Ali Nickel-Dubin and through college scholarships, aims to honor our collective power and celebrate the unique experiences and achievements of our families. Students who are actively working to combat homophobia and or transphobia/ gender-based discrimination and increase positive awareness of LGBTQ families are strongly encouraged to apply.
Requirements
Applicants must:
Have one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/ or queer parent(s)/guardian(s).
Be enrolled in an accredited postsecondary institution. No graduate level or higher applicants please.
Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
Guidelines for consideration
Four grants of $1,000 each will be awarded.
Awards will be granted by the COLAGE Scholarship Committee, which is made up of volunteers who are LGBTQ parents and adult children of LGBTQ parents.
Applicants of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. COLAGE does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, physical dis/ability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, immigration/refugee status, age, gender, or type of LGBTQ family.
Board or staff members of COLAGE, and their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply.
Applicants must be willing to be named publicly in association with COLAGE, Horizons Foundation, and the Scholarship Program.
Applicants with demonstrated economic need are encouraged to apply.
To learn more and download the application, please visit http://www.colage.org/programs/academic/leedubin.htm
If you are unable to download the application online, contact us for a paper copy.
Questions?
Contact COLAGE at 415-861-KIDS (5437) or mailto:scholarship@colage.org
COLAGE is a national movement of children, youth and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer parent(s). We build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education and advocacy.
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16. GALAA Scholarships
This year the Gay and Lesbian Allied Administrators (GALAA) will award scholarships ranging from $500 to $1000 to any Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) graduating seniors who have demonstrated the following criteria for eligibility:
* Academic Excellence or Progress
* Excellent School Attendance
* Participation in Extra-Curricular Clubs or Activities
* Participation in Community Service
* A Commitment to Advance the Civil Rights of the LGBT Population
For consideration of a scholarship award, please fill out the application. The deadline for submission is Friday, May 30, 2008.
Please mail your application to:
GALAA
3510 Garden Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Download the application at: http://galaaonline.org/docs/GALAAScholarshipApplication2008.pdf
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17. Models of Excellence (MOE) Scholarship, Sponsored by Friends of Project
10 Inc.
The MOE competition is open to any student who is graduating from
a California senior high school and who has demonstrated a commitment to LGBTQ
civil rights. Awards of $1,000 and $500 are given at a scholarship dinner June
29, 2008. Applications are due Friday, April 25, 2008.
Go to: http://www.modelsofpride.org
to access information and the application for MOE. Contact Friends of Project
10 Inc. at mailto:project10@hotmail.com
or 626.577.4553.
Jobs
********************************************* 18. Open positions at Groundspark
We have three exciting ways for you to become more involved with GroundSpark (formerly Women's Educational Media). We are seeking candidates to fill two open positions, Program Associate and Grants Manager, and we are looking for high school audiences to screen a rough cut of Straightlaced, the latest Respect For All Project film now in production.
Information about these three opportunities is listed below.
Program Associate
The Program Associate provides direct support to GroundSpark's Respect For All Project (RFAP) programs and staff. The Program Associate has primarily responsible for coordinating the logistics of the RFAP workshop series, including overseeing workshop intake, registration, materials, travel and site coordination. By interfacing with facilitators, workshop participants, and vendors at all stages, the Program Associate ensures the smooth and successful execution of our workshop series and our outreach campaigns. The Program Associate is also responsible for managing the evaluation of the workshops.
For a full job description and to apply for this position, please visit: http://www.groundspark.org/about/jobs.html
Grants Manager
The Grants Manager plays a lead role in growing the financial support GroundSpark receives from institutional funders, corporations and family foundations. The Grants Manager is responsible for researching, cultivating and pursuing funding to support the organization's filmmaking, outreach, and community organizing efforts. The Grants Manager pursues grants that are a good fit for the organization and ensures that grant proposals communicate the vision and purpose of each project succinctly and effectively. The Grants Manager is the primary liaison between the organization and its institutional funders.
Straightlaced Rough Cut Screenings
Rough cut screenings of Straightlaced with youth will be used to gather feedback about the content of the film, which features teenagers talking about the limitations of strict gender roles and the underlying homophobia at the heart of it all. Rough cut screenings can take place in high school classes, afterschool programs, community gatherings, religious youth groups etc. If you work with youth or know of other adults who do and can help us arrange for a screening, please contact Sue Chen, producer, at 415-641-4616 ext 304 or mailto:schen@groundspark.org. Screenings will take about 2 hours, which includes viewing the film as well as time for feedback and discussion with the filmmakers. This is a great opportunity for youth to be involved in the filmmaking process and have a dialogue about gender roles and homophobia.
GroundSpark
2180 Bryant St. Ste. 203
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel: 415-641-4616 Fax: 415-641-4632
http://www.groundspark.org
mailto:info@groundspark.org
News
********************************************* 19. NEWS: Gay Youth's Slaying Spurs Call for Tolerance
By Ashley Surdin
Washington Post
Saturday, March 29, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- With his school uniform, eighth-grader Lawrence "Larry" King wore purple eye shadow, nail polish and pink lipstick. In the weeks before he died, he added purple boots with three-inch heels.
Classmates at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., mocked his makeup and slung anti-gay slurs at him in the halls. Sometimes, the words transformed the expressive teenager into a wallflower.
Still, rumor spread that King, openly gay, was trying to find the courage to ask another student, Brandon McInerney, to be his valentine. On Feb. 12, McInerney allegedly approached King in a computer lab and shot him in the head. King, 15, died two days later.
The crime -- for which McInerney, 14, has been charged as an adult -- horrified parents, educators and students in the community and across the nation. But according to gay rights groups and experts on adolescent sexuality, it is the extreme consequence of a growing but often-ignored phenomenon.
Reassured by changing pop culture and easy access to information on the Internet, the age of sexual identification has dropped over the last few decades to the early teens and as young as 10, experts say.
"For years, representations of homosexuals were deviant, bleak, living outside the margins of society. There were no happy endings. Now, we have Ellen DeGeneres hosting the Academy Awards and RuPaul on the Home Shopping Network," said Caitlin Ryan, a San Francisco State University clinical social worker and director of the Family Acceptance Project there.
"So, it's no surprise that young people would realize who they are at earlier ages," Ryan said.
But many schools do not have programs that promote tolerance among students, provide training for educators, or include policies that specifically prohibit harassment and bullying based on sexual orientation, activists say.
There is disagreement on whether even discussing homosexuality in schools is appropriate.
"The vast majority of parents believe it's their role and their responsibility to teach their kids about sexuality," said Bill Maier, vice president and resident psychologist for Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization. "The way you handle the problem is that you crack down on any sort of bullying or aggression on any child. You don't single out sexual orientation as this somehow special status."
Clubs for gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual students, such as Gay-Straight Alliances, are widespread in high schools and colleges. In California, for instance, about 650 high schools support GSAs, compared with 14 middle schools.
But in the weeks since King's death, interest among middle schools in these organizations has spiked, according to Carolyn Laub, executive director of the San Francisco-based Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
To read the full story, visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/28/AR2008032803350.html?hpid=moreheadlines
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20. NEWS: T-Shirt Ruling May Impact Day Of Silence
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: April 7, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Chicago, Illinois) Attorneys for both sides in a case involving anti-gay T-shirts are pressing for a speedy ruling from a federal appeals court, in advance of this year's National Day of Silence.
The case revolves around a Naperville high school's decision to bar students from wearing the shirts.
Alexander Nuxoll and Heidi Zamecnik had tried to wear T-shirts that said on the front "My Day Of Silence, Straight Alliance, and the back read "Be Happy Not Gay" as a protest against the National Day of Silence in 2006.
School officials ordered Zamecnik to remove the T-shirt. When she refused she was told to cross out "Not Gay" with a marking pen.
Last year, with the help of the conservative Christian Alliance Defense Fund, the students went to court seeking an injunction barring the school from taking action against them for wearing the t-shirts in the future.
To read the full story, visit: http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/04/040708court.htm
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21. NEWS: Vigil to remember killed gay teen King
Desert Sun
April 4, 2008
by Rasha Aly
The public is invited to attend a vigil at 4 p.m. April 16 at Palm Springs High School, 2401 E. Baristo Road, to remember and honor Lawrence King.
The 15-year-old transgender student was shot Feb. 12, and declared brain dead Feb. 13, according to a published report.
King, who was known as a gay teen and wore makeup and nail polish, was shot in an Oxnard school.
Brandon McInerney, 14, is charged with the crime.
He faces one count of premeditated murder with a special, enhanced allegation of a hate crime, said Denise Astillero, court processing assistant, Superior Court of California, Ventura County, Records Department.
King's death has prompted communities across the state and the country, including the Coachella Valley, to show their intolerance for such such incidents.
"We need to continue educating the community that hate crimes - they have to stop," said Greg Wetmore, executive director of the Gay Associated Youth - an organization based in Palm Desert that provides a safe haven for youth regardless of sexual orientation.
"We have to have this vigil in honor of Lawrence," Wetmore said.
To read the full article, visit: http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080404/NEWS04/804030361/1006/news01
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22. NEWS: For Slain Youth, World Wide Web Of Mourners
For Slain Youth, World Wide Web Of Mourners
Strangers Create Memorials To a Gay Teen Named Larry
By Jose Antonio Vargas
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 3, 2008
No one really dies on the Internet. A private life becomes public. Every life finds an audience. Look at Lawrence "Larry" King. The openly gay eighth-grader who was shot and killed nearly two months ago lives on.
Larry lives on Wikipedia, where we learn about his tense life at school, the name-calling, the taunts, the teasing. Larry lives on Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, where he's mourned by strangers not willing to let go. Larry lives on Web sites where the 15-year-old's photos -- Larry in front of the White House, Larry on ice skates, Larry getting a haircut -- stare back at us, as if incarnated. Alive.
The Internet, so vibrant, so potent, brings those attributes to the dead, immortalizing them in unexpected new ways. Where once there would have only been a candlelight vigil outside Larry's house or school in Southern California, now there's also a virtual vigil in real time that knows no geographic bounds. Where once people would have attended a memorial service and cried about Larry's sad story, now they can also bear witness and become the sad story's messenger -- virally.
To read the full story, visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/02/AR2008040203800.html?hpid=moreheadlines
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