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| Lawrence King was shot to death in February, allegedly by a classmate who had been offended when King asked him to "be his Valentine." |
A vigil in memory of Lawrence King, the 15-year-old gay student at an Oxnard, Calif., middle school who was murdered by a classmate on Feb. 12, will be held Sunday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road.
The event is free and open to all.
According to reports, King was shot to death by a boy in his class who was offended when King asked him to "be his Valentine." The suspect in the case has been charged with murder and a hate crime.
A total of 15 community organizations have joined together to sponsor the vigil in an effort to educate the community about school violence and the need for safe school policies that serve all youth. Several members of Youth First Texas, the only nonprofit organization in Dallas exclusively committed to providing social services, education opportunities, and recreational activities to LGBTQ youth through age 22, will sing and speak about their personal experiences with harassment and discrimination in schools.
Participants also are invited to join Cathedral of Hope for a Sunday evening Vespers service at 6 p.m.
Vigils in memory of Lawrence King calling for an end to violence and harassment directed at LGBTQ people in schools are being organized in communities across the country.
For more information regarding these vigils go to www.rememberinglawrence.org.
Sponsoring organizations in Dallas are Cathedral of Hope, Collin County Gay and Lesbian Alliance, the Dallas Bears, Equality Texas Foundation, the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network, Hope for Peace & Justice, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 4871 The Dallas Rainbow Council, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, OUT TAKES Dallas LGBT film festival, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the Resource Center of Dallas, Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, the Turtle Creek Chorale and Youth First Texas.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 7, 2008