Background of the Case
The case took place at Green Junior High School, where a young gay was murdered in junior high. The victim was known as Lawrence King, fifteen years old, 5 feet and 1 inch tall. He would appear in the school women accessories, at times his hair would be curled like a prince bouffant. King would at times paint his fingernails with colors such as pink and on his cheeks; he would wear glittering or white foundation. On the 12th of February, King was no wearing like a girl but was shot by his classmate Brandon, who was fourteen years old. Larry was shot two times, and Brandon left the classroom and was arrested by the police, and the case became the most recognized gay-bias crime. Despite the court of California passing the gay rights and allowing gay to be open, places such as schools would still be caught in between.
The schools are caught in a dilemma on whether they should entertain such activities as the difference in sexuality. The educators are guided by a certain code of conducts, which is meant to show them how to address such cases like gays in school to avoid murder and discrimination of children with a different sexuality. The ethical codes also guide the teachers on how they should relate with the students and how they should address various issues in the school environment such as drug abuse and solving conflicts among the learners. The code also identifies what the students should be taught and what the educators should avoid teaching the students. Teachers are also required to make reports such as on murder, sexual offence, kidnapping or any situation which threatens the learning environment (The Code Of Ethics For Educators, 2018).
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Dilemma
In the case, Dilemma could result from different dimensions. The school management can be faced with the dilemma of establishing which subjects they should avoid in school. In our case, King had decided to come out as a gay from a young age, and he did not fear to dress like a woman and even wearing make-up. Since the court had legalized gays, King was not offending anyone. However, Brandon got offended and ended up killing Larry. The school can be caught up between educating the students about gay rights and the situation surrounding them, considering that learners have different perspectives and there are those who hate gay, despite being legal.
Mrs Boldrin, who was in class during the incident, might be caught in a dilemma on concealing the incident or taking Brandon to the police. Brandon was only fourteen years and committing cold murder meant that he would be locked in prison for the longest part of his life and it would destroy his education and life. Mrs Boldrin might perceive Brandon as young and not aware of what he was doing but would end up breaking Georgia ethical code, standard eight on required reporting. The educators are required to report any cases of federal or state laws being violated. Brandon, in this case, had violated several state and school laws. He had carried a gun to school and shot a classmate despite being shouted at to stop by Mrs Boldrin.
Parents are at the time caught in the dilemma of educating their children about issues such as being gay and supporting them. Depending on the background of the learner, some may appreciate gays while others will show hatred and despise.
Incident Section
Lawrence King was a young gay who did not hide his sexuality. He used to go out without fearing what other students would think of him. He embraced his sexuality to the point that he would wear high heels to school and use makeup without worrying. However, everything was different on 21st February when Larry went to school dressed like a normal boy, with baggy pants, a collared shirt and a loose sweater. Larry appeared unhappy and had not had enough sleep the previous night, and he told one of the workers in the school that he had thrown up as he was watching his weight. As Larry walked to the English class, he appeared nervous and would keep looking over his shoulder. The students then went to a near computer lab under the order of Dawn Boldrin where they would type their World War II papers and Larry sat in the middle and behind him sat Brandon McInerney. During the class time, Brandon kept on looking at Larry as a student indicated and at 8:30 a.m., Brandon quietly stood from his chair and took out a handgun and shot Larry. The educator looked and shouted at Brandon, who fired the second time at Larry, then threw the gun in the air and walked out of the classroom calmly. Brandon was arrested a few blocks from the school by the police and Larry was rushed for emergency to the hospital and two days later, he died as his brain had sustained injuries (Setoodeh, 2010).
Questions for Teaching Tool
1. Despite the court passing the gay rights and allowing them to come out freely, how can it ensure that people in the society accept gays and learn to appreciate them without discrimination?
2. What is the role of the schools in promoting gay rights?
3. Do teachers have a role to pray in educating the students about the gays?
4. Do parents contribute to the way their children turn out, such as on sexuality and violence?
5. Can gay be blamed for things that happen to them, such as discrimination or being treated with violence to the extent of murder?
6. How can schools be stricter in ensuring that no weapons access the school compound?
Teaching Notes
The court passing the gay rights is not enough since the society does not change its perspective. The next step should be educating people about the gay rights and how these individuals are no different from others, only that they have variant sexuality. The community members should be taught to accept the gay group in the society and treat them as equals without discrimination. The consequences of breaking the rights such as legal implications should also be included when creating the advocacy.
Schools have a large role in changing the negative mindset of LGBT to the students. Schools are educational centers which mean that they should educate the students about gay and show them that these individuals are no different from the rest (Pearce & Cumming-Potvin, 2017). In that way, students from a young age will learn to accept and appreciate gay, without having a mind of hurting them.
Educators have a role in creating advocacy about LGBT. According to the ethical code of conduct, the teachers are supposed to be educators by introducing knowledge concerning a new issue, such as the legalization of the gay rights by the California court. Any information in relation to it should also be shared with the students (Belinova, Bicheva, Kolesova, Khanova & Khizhnaya, 2017). If Brandon had learned gays from a young age and learnt to appreciate them, he would not have shot Larry.
Parents have a large role to play concerning the violent nature of their children, but they cannot control sexuality because it is a personal choice depending on sexual preferences and genetic makeup. In the case of Brandon, she was brought up in a home where parents were involved in violence. When Brandon was six years, his father had shot his mother using a gun. Brandon had thus seen the gun and even learnt how it could be used. The gun that Brandon used to shot Larry mostly belonged to his father (Sampson, 2017).
Gay can at time be blamed for the things which happen to them such as their dressing code. In the case of Larry, he was too much and provocative to other boys, such as using excess makeup and even wearing heels without fear. Gay should remember that even though they have rights, not every person in the society appreciates them, thus should be careful.
Schools should have no-tolerance rules for guns and weapons and expelling a learner with a weapon should be the way out.
Conclusion
Educators should be guided by the ethical codes in their work. They should report any case that may result in harming other learners. Parents should be aware that they act at home has an effect on children behaviour and should avoid violence. The society should learn to accept and appreciate those who are different in sexuality to avoid cases of murder and discrimination.
References
Belinova, N. V., Bicheva, I. B., Kolesova, O. V., Khanova, T. G., & Khizhnaya, A. V. (2017). Features of professional ethics formation of the future teacher. Revista ESPACIOS, 38(25).
Pearce, J., & Cumming-Potvin, W. (2017). English classrooms and curricular justice for the recognition of LGBT individuals: What can teachers do?. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(9), 5.
The Code Of Ethics For Educators. (2018). Authority O.C.G.A. § 20-2-200; 20-2-981 through 20-2-984.5.
Sampson, R. J. (2017). Family management and child development: Insights from social disorganization theory. In Facts, frameworks, and forecasts (pp. 63-94). Routledge.
Setoodeh, R. (2010). Young, Gay and Murdered in Junior High. 9.
