Hate Crimes
Larry King Speaks Out for Larry King, Day of Silence in Schools
By Angela D'Amboise

Apr 25, 2008

Lawrence King

Fifteen year old Lawrence King was gunned down by 14-year-old Brandon McInerney earlier this year in Oxnard, CA because he was gay, and had allegedly asked McInerney to be his valentine.  

Now students nationwide are honoring the life of Lawrence “Larry” King with a day of silence, an attempt to open the eyes and ears of students and teachers to the unfair treatment LGBT students face in classrooms every day.  

And today, on his show, the late teen has found an unlikely ally in a man who shared more than his namesake—talk show host Larry King made an emotional plea to viewers that Americans must demand tolerance for LGBT students.  

The task show host vowed that he too would observe a day of silence in honor of the student’s short life. In addition to the day of silence, Lawrence King has been remembered through candlelight vigils and a march through Oxnard.  

In addition, presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama each issued statements on the death of King, as did talk show host Ellen Degeneres. LGBT activists have also urged prosecutors to charge McInerney as a minor.  

For more information on the Day of Silence, visit www.DayofSilence.org.