Archive | 2011

WATCH: Extreme Makeover Features Family Of 11-Year-Old Suicide Victim Carl Walker-Hoover

December 4, 2011

On April 6, 2009, eleven-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover completed suicide as a direct result of peer abuse (stop calling it bullying). Since then, Carl’s Mom has been on a mission, joining with GLSEN to bring about change in laws regarding peer abuse. Just three months after her son’s death, Ms. Walker went to Congress and challenged our elected officials to protect children.

So far, they haven’t listened.

Carl, Sirdeaner, and Gloria in happier times

Carl, Sirdeaner, and Gloria in happier times

More than most people could possibly imagine, the last two and a half years have been difficult for the Walker family, so I was glad that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featured Sirdeaner and Carl’s siblings on the show last Friday, sharing his story and perhaps giving them a tiny bit of karmic (or is it mokshic?) payback for the nightmare they’ve been through.

You’ll be surprised by the lasting effect of Carl’s death. The family has abandoned the third floor of the home where they found Carl, choosing instead to sleep on cots in the living room. Carl’s room is exactly as he left it, his backpack still tossed half-open on the steps the way 11-year-old boys do.

I was so glad to see GLSEN, The Trevor Project, the It Gets Better Project, and of course the Carl Walker-Hoover Foundation spotlighted. These important organizations are vital resources for kids like Carl.

(Sorry for the ads; they aren’t mine. Also sorry for the Kardashians.)


Death Threat To Columbus, Ohio Gay Couple: 'MOVE OR DIE, FAG'

December 2, 2011

Columbus, Ohio couple David Koch (no relation) and Chris [surname withheld] awoke Friday morning to find a death threat spray painted on the front of their home of fifteen years. They suspect that a heated debate at a Thursday night condo association meeting may be related.

Local CBS affiliate 10TV reported on the story Friday evening.

NBC4i has more details.

The couple called police who also called the FBI to investigate.

The couple did have a security camera installed at their front door which was activated by a motion detector. However the culprits managed to spray paint over it.

The incident comes just three weeks after Koch had heart surgery. Koch says he has received overwhelming support from his neighbors and friends all day Friday.

Police are checking security cameras in the area for clues of the vandal’s identity. Hopefully they catch the culprit soon so David and Chris can rest easy.

move-or-die-fag


VIDEO: New Left Media's New AIDS/LifeCycle Short Documentary

December 1, 2011

aids-lifecycle-new-left-mediaAs National AIDS Day 2011 comes to a close, New Left Media has released this short documentary of the 10th Annual AIDS/LifeCycle, a seven-day ride down the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Some stellar work from NLM, best known for their Tea Party interviews in 2009 and 2010. The candle lighting at the end is about the holiest experience I’ve seen in quite a long time, and this film communicates it very well.

For more information on the AIDS/LifeCycle, including how to donate or sign up for the 2012 ride, please see the group’s official website.

Whatever your orientation, if you are or have been sexually active, please wrap it up and get tested regularly. Enter your zip code below to find an HIV testing center or other services in your area.

Find HIV/AIDS Prevention & Service Providers

Enter your address, city and state, or ZIP Code:


For more information on this widget, please visit AIDS.gov.

(h/t Chase Whiteside)


Another Tragic Loss: Gay Purdue Student Commits Suicide

November 29, 2011

I’m sad to report that we have lost another young gay man to depression. Matthew Chance was 19 years old and lived in Hudson Lake, Indiana, not far from South Bend. He died on October 31, 2011 in what friends reported to be a suicide.

Matthew Chance May 30, 1992 - October 31, 2011

Matthew Chance
May 30, 1992 - October 31, 2011

I learned about Matt’s death on November 1, when someone found this blog by searching for his name and hometown of New Carlisle, Indiana. (I’ve written about my hometown of New Carlisle, Ohio, and obviously we share a first name, so that article popped up on their search.) A little detective work led me to his obituary.

Following is what little I know about Matt Chance. I had hoped to share more information, but messages to several friends have gone (understandably) unanswered in the immediate wake of his sudden death.

Matt was raised in New Carlisle, Indiana by his maternal grandparents. More from his obituary:

Matthew was a student at Purdue University North Central as a sophomore. He was employed with McDonald’s in Rolling Prairie on the Indiana Toll Road. Matthew graduated from New Prairie High School in 2010 and was a member of the National Honor Society; he achieved the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award; he was active in the New Prairie Theater; and he served as an Altar Server at St. John Kanty Catholic Church for many years.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Matt was an Education Management major. He self-identified as gay on his myspace page and his now-deleted Facebook profile, as well as on several dating sites.

That’s really all I know about Matt. He was one of ours, though, and this sketch of his story seems all too familiar.


View LGBT Suicides in the United States in a larger map

If someone who knew him finds this page and would like to contribute with a story, special insight, or a photo, please contact me at matt@mattalgren.com. I would love to know more about this man who died far too soon.


Following Killer's Conviction, Larry King's Mother Blames Her Son For His Own Murder

November 23, 2011

Larry King in happier timesBrandon McInerney’s trial for the murder of Larry (also called Latisha, hereafter just Larry) King is over. In a surprise plea deal this week, the now-17-year-old killer pleaded guilty to second degree and involuntary manslaughter in exchange for the prosecution not retrying the case before a new jury. He will serve 21 years in prison for shooting his gay (possibly trans) classmate in February 2008.

It’s not the outcome I would have liked, but I suppose it’ll have to do. At least this way we won’t have to watch the judge wink at another jury and tell them to go easy on the boy. At least we won’t have to watch another jury decide that shooting a gay (possibly trans) kid twice in the back of the head at point blank range because he’s gay not only isn’t a hate crime, but also isn’t murder. At least it’s over.

Except, not quite.

Those of us who care about LGBT kids are left to clean up the mess, as Republican and religious right figures (as if there’s a difference) blame Larry’s school and the LGBT civil rights movement for his murder.

But the worst, most galling accusation comes from Larry’s own mother. She blames not the school (look deeper than her words), and not the murderer, at least not completely. Here’s a snippet from the LA Times article about McInerney’s plea deal.

The victim’s mother, Dawn King, revealed for the first time Monday that she had contacted school officials four days before the shooting in an effort to solicit their cooperation in toning down her son’s behavior. The boy had been taken from the Kings’ home two months earlier by authorities because of problems at home.

She said she was told that her son had a civil right to explore his sexual identity.

“I knew, gut instinct, that something serious was going to happen,” she said. “They should have contained him, contained his behavior.”

Larry KingOver and over we hear about kids going to their teachers and principals and getting no help. Over and over we hear about their principals telling them that it would stop if they would just stop being so damn faggy or girly or butch or different.

That is, in essence, what Larry’s mother is saying. She couldn’t stop him. The school wouldn’t stop him. So instead of blaming the person who pulled the trigger and put two bullets through the back of her son’s head, she blames her dead son because his identity didn’t match what she wanted.

Over and over our kids tell us that they just want to be themselves and be safe, and we tell them, well, you should be able to have that. Over and over they test the waters and go into hiding, or worse, kill themselves because the adults they look to for guidance say just what Larry’s mother is saying here: If somebody makes fun of you or beats you up or scares you or murders you, it’s your own fault because you won’t stop being queer. It’s a shocking abdication of a parent’s job, but I’d wager it’s something we’ve all heard before, even if it’s only been implied.

What happens next? We keep on telling our stories, letting those around us know that we are their family members, their coworkers, their classmates, and their friends. We keep on telling straight people until everybody knows, until it becomes impossible for straight people to accept the silly notion that we’re monsters to be feared and mistreated. We keep on telling the next generation of trans, bi, lesbian, and gay kids that things will get better because we’re making things get better.

As this year comes to a close, my hope is that someday very soon, Larry’s death and his mother’s accusation will be relics of a past as unimaginable to our descendants as that future is to me today.


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