FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 10, 2008
RESCHEDULED: THURSDAY, MARCH 20 - RAIN OR SHINE!
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL TO BE HELD MARCH 20 AT KINGSTON HIGH
IN MEMORY OF GAY STUDENT SLAIN AT CALIFORNIA SCHOOL
LGBTQ COMMUNITY AND ALLIES UNITE TO DENOUNCE HATE CRIME
KINGSTON, NEW YORK (Mar. 10) – A memorial candlelight vigil for slain gay California high school student Lawrence King will be held Thursday, March 20, in front of Kingston High School, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.
On February 12 of this year, King, 15, was shot in the head by a classmate in an Oxnard, California classroom, simply because he was gay. King died two days later, on Valentine's Day. The hate crime has attracted national attention and condemnation from such media figures as Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres. Thursday's vigil will mark the first public response to the tragedy in the Hudson Valley region.
The event is expected to draw scores of people from the area, as well as members of prominent human rights and educational organizations. The vigil is co-sponsored by the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center and the Hudson Valley chapter of GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network).
"The murder of Lawrence King is an American tragedy that cannot be allowed to go unnoticed," said Ginny Apuzzo, president of the Center. "Every student has the right to be safe at school. This vigil is intended to honor the memory of a courageous young man who was killed simply for being himself, and to call attention to the deadly results of looking the other way when homophobia makes itself known in our schools."
The evening program will include addresses by representatives of the Center, GLSEN and the Kingston High School Gay-Straight Alliance, as well as the Rev. Ralph Merante, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Kingston. Among the still-growing list of organizations that have joined to support the vigil are PFLAG (Parents, Friends, and Family of Lesbians and Gays) of Kingston, YWCA of Ulster County, the Ulster County Mental Health Association, and Planned Parenthood of the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Calendar Listing: Candlelight Vigil for Lawrence King, in front of Kingston High School, March 20, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Sponsored by the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center and GLSEN Hudson Valley.
The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center is working to build tomorrows infinitely safer, saner and healthier than our yesterdays. Learn more at www.lgbtqcenter.org.