Uppity lesbian high school student gets what’s coming to her

In Wayland High School, Michigan, two 14-year old girls viciously beat a third girl because, as they told police, the girl was an advocate for gay rights and “was trying to in their words ‘impose her views on them.’” A third girl captured the assault on film (and the video was subsequently posted to several Internet sites), suggesting, as police suspect, that the attack was pre-meditated. Because of the age of the perpetrators, the FBI has stated that it will not be investigating potential hate crime violations; and the state of Michigan does not have any hate crimes based on sexual orientation.

Melissa Pope, a spokesperson for local GLBT advocacy group Triangle Foundation, argues that the attack underlines the urgency for the Michigan legislature to pass “Matt’s Law,” an anti-bullying and hate crimes bill:

Matt’s Safe Schools Law [is] a law that would require every school district in Michigan to have a bullying policy in place to protect all children. The bill has been passed by the House and sits in the Senate Education Committee awaiting a hearing.

The chair of the Committee, Republican Wayne Kuipers, opposes the bill in its current form.

The notion that in a healthy, functioning liberal democracy (and whether the US meets the criteria is another matter) you ought to be able to attend an educational institution without being physically assaulted by those who disagree with your views or sexual preferences, should be a no-brainer. But “refcoach,” a commenter at The Grand Rapids Press, disagrees. In his view, the bitch had it coming:

Well its obvious that if your a loud mouth little girl and your always in somebody else’s face all the time its going to come back to haunt you.
Yes you have the right to free speech, but you also have the right to having consequences for your actions. If this girl treated others with a bit more respect she would have not had this happen.
Hat to say, but she got what she deserved.

For refcoach, then, liberal democracy is a boot stamping on the faces of those with whom you disagree, forever. And I doubt very much that he “hats” to say it.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the perpetrators are facing expulsion. As for “Karol,” the victim:

she says she’s not angry about the fight.”Sure my bumps and bruises will go away, but they’re going to get expelled… they’re in trouble with the courts… whose the real loser.”, said Karol.

(Via Dispatches From the Culture Wars)