Comments on: Coverage on LGBT Youth Stirs Debate http://www.mombian.com/2008/07/22/coverage-on-lgbt-youth-stirs-debate/ Sustenance for Lesbian Moms Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:39:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Unfinished Lives http://www.mombian.com/2008/07/22/coverage-on-lgbt-youth-stirs-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-77962 Unfinished Lives Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:33:54 +0000 http://www.mombian.com/?p=2323#comment-77962 At Unfinished Lives we've devoted quite a lot of thought to the Newsweek article, and after many readings we've wholeheartedly sided with Timothy Kincaid and the Box Turtle Bulletin. While Cathy Renna and others see a benefit to the high visibility of a Newsweek article featuring Larry King's story (an opinion we respect very much, even though we see the issues differetly), there are elements which make the article a liability to the entire LGBT community. Newsweek's editorial staff, and author Ramin Setoodeh, have produced a piece about the limits of tolerance. Through Newsweek's lens, readers are led to conclude that Larry King made the mistake of overstepping a boundary that put his life in jeopardy. Essentially, the article seems to say, LGBT persons of all ages should know the limits to which they are free to be themselves or they risk Larry's violent fate. What the article fails to do is to say that murder is never justified under any circumstance. Never. No matter how much Larry King did, or did not, "flaunt" his sexuality, murder was not... and never could be... justified. The result is that Brandon McInerney (Larry's assailant) receives the larger share of sympathy in the article, while Larry himself was put under public scrutiny for his character and behavior. We're grateful that Mombian is providing a public forum in which to discuss this tragedy. Otherwise, Larry's voice might be lost amid a world of hurried days and rapid news cycles. At Unfinished Lives we’ve devoted quite a lot of thought to the Newsweek article, and after many readings we’ve wholeheartedly sided with Timothy Kincaid and the Box Turtle Bulletin. While Cathy Renna and others see a benefit to the high visibility of a Newsweek article featuring Larry King’s story (an opinion we respect very much, even though we see the issues differetly), there are elements which make the article a liability to the entire LGBT community.

Newsweek’s editorial staff, and author Ramin Setoodeh, have produced a piece about the limits of tolerance. Through Newsweek’s lens, readers are led to conclude that Larry King made the mistake of overstepping a boundary that put his life in jeopardy. Essentially, the article seems to say, LGBT persons of all ages should know the limits to which they are free to be themselves or they risk Larry’s violent fate.

What the article fails to do is to say that murder is never justified under any circumstance. Never. No matter how much Larry King did, or did not, “flaunt” his sexuality, murder was not… and never could be… justified. The result is that Brandon McInerney (Larry’s assailant) receives the larger share of sympathy in the article, while Larry himself was put under public scrutiny for his character and behavior.

We’re grateful that Mombian is providing a public forum in which to discuss this tragedy. Otherwise, Larry’s voice might be lost amid a world of hurried days and rapid news cycles.

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