More about Larry King and that Newsweek article which I wrote about before:
John Corvino, who teaches philosophy, says that King's actions did contribute to his death, something the Newsweek article discussed at length, but that is quite a bit different from blaming the victim. That doesn't mean the Newsweek article was balanced. It implied that if King's actions had been reined in he wouldn't have been murdered, but it doesn't talk about harassment of King by other students (including his killer) which was also not reined in. Other contributing factors were discomfort of the faculty in discussing LGBT issues (which the Los Angeles School District, 50 miles away, manages to do quite well), and getting caught between false choices of encouraging expressive behavior or preventing disruptive behavior.
The letters column in Newsweek for last week (alas, no link) was entirely about their article about King. Writers made these points:
* The schools turned down offers of sensitivity training offered by the local chapter of PFLAG.
* The article said King had "'flaunted his sexuality like a weapon.' Knives and guns are weapons; lipstick and women's shoes are not. Larry was taunted daily so he taunted back."
* The school system failed to create curriculum and expectations of staff and students that promoted diversity and respect and that violence is not the answer.
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