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Harassment - 2000
Harassment-2001
Harassment Survey
Violent Reactions
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What They Say
"Violent Reaction/What Do Teen Killers Have in Common?"
In These Times Magazine: published biweekly by the Institute
for Public Affairs in Chicago.The July 9, 2001 issue contains a cover story entitled
"Violent Reaction/What Do Teen Killers Have in Common?" A drawing depicts a gun-wielding youth beside a locker on which Faggot! and We Hate You are written.from the article, written by Anthony Chase:
...It was not until August 1999, fully four months after the Columbine attack, that Dave Cullen of Salon reported: "Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had endured repeated harassment due to rumors they were gay.
Jocks especially taunted the pair with epithets like 'faggot' and 'homo.' "
I read the phrase over and over and began to wonder about other boys at other schools. The details were surprisingly easy to find:
* On February 2, 1996, 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis killed a teacher and two students at Frontier Junior High School in Moses Lake, Washington. He had been taunted by school jocks who said he was a "faggot."
* On October 1, 1997, 16-year-old Luke Woodham killed two students and wounded seven others at Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi. He had often been called "gay" by classmates.
* On December 1, 1997, 14-year-old Michael Carneal killed three students and wounded five others at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. He had actually been called "gay" in the school newspaper. His mother was distressed at the lack of concern among school authorities when she complained.
* The pattern has held in the attacks subsequent to Columbine as well. In March of this year, after continuous torment by school mates, 15-year-old Charles "Andy" Williams, a boy reportedly preoccupied with Harris and Klebold, opened fire at Santana High School in Santee, California, shooting 15 students and adults and killing two.
He had been derided by classmates for being a "skinny faggot."...