On February 12, 2008, 15-year-old Lawrence King was murdered by a classmate in a classroom at their school.  Friends and peers reported that the motive for the murder was hate - based on Lawrence’s perceived sexual orientation and gender expression - because Lawrence was gay, sometimes wore makeup and didn’t conform to gender stereotypes. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is holding a vigil tonight, Friday, April 25, from 6-8pm at Christopher Street Park, to commemorate Lawrence and other victims of violence and harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, gender non-conforming and questioning youth.  Lawrence, like so many LGBTQT-S youth, was in foster care.

If you are in NYC, you should come to the vigil.  If you are not in NYC, take time on this Day of Silence to commemorate Lawrence by remembering him and bringing together your friends and family for your own vigil. 

A great way to address harassment and to foster a culture of tolerance in your school is to start a gay-straight alliance (GSA). If your school won’t let you start a GSA, call the NYCLU at 212-607-3300 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

You can also show your support for the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), New York's safe schools bill! This state bill would:

• prohibit harassment and discrimination on school grounds;
• mandate training for school staff on how to recognize harassment and to stop it; and 
• require monitoring and reporting of bias-harassment incidents. 

The New York State Assembly passed DASA earlier this year so it’s now up to the Senate to make New York schools safe for all students.  Call and ask your state senator to co-sponsor Senate Bill 1571 and pass DASA now!  If your senator is already a co-sponsor, thank the for their support. Click here to find the the senator representing you.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein refuse to enforce a local version of DASA that would apply in NYC public schools. The NYCLU is collecting stories of bias-based harassment to include in a report to be used in the campaign to enforce DASA-NYC. To share your story, visit www.nyclu.org/DignityProject or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

---

Matt Faiella joined the NYCLU as a staff attorney in 2007. His work focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, as well as police surveillance and other civil liberties and constitutional issues.