"No mother should ever
lose her child because of an encounter with a homophobic police officer,” said
Lambda Deputy Legal Director Ruth E. Harlow
“This ruling is another important weapon in our arsenal to combat sexual
orientation bias among law enforcement.” Atty. Marvin Peguese
"Rarely does a story come along
that makes me physically ill. This is one of those stories. Damn you
fundamentalists. Damn you all to your hell." - Nick Johnson - Morons.org
We hope Marcus's family can
take some comfort in knowing his case has already affected the lives of other
gay teens," said James Esseks, Litigation Director of the ACLU L&G Project.
"We've already used the precedent set in this case to help a boy in Arkansas
whose school outed him to his parents, and we won't hesitate to use it again
whenever a government official violates a young person's right to keep his or
her sexual orientation private."
Death without justice: after their teen son committed suicide in a panic,
Pennsylvania parents sued the police who'd threatened to out him. The resulting
court case is a landmark for gay and lesbian privacy rights.
People of all walks (of life)
need to give thanks & praise to Marcus. This case has laid the ground work
for fundamental right to privacy. Our civil rights will never be the same!
"My heart has been torn out;
my arms are empty from his huge bear hugs. I NEVER want another mother to feel
that her arms are left empty," says Madonna Sterling. "If Marcus was gay, we
wouldn't have loved him any less. The fact is we will never get the opportunity
to tell Marcus that: Minersville police took that right away from us."
I just hope that what happened to us doesn't happen to anyone else EVER again -
Megin Sterling (Marcus' sister)
Trial Starts Monday in Lawsuit Against Police Who Threatened To Out Gay Teen,
Causing His Suicide
Mary Ellen Peterson 365Gay.com Newscenter
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