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(Farmington, Missouri) The mother of a
teenager facing up to 120 days in jail after admitting to firing a shotgun in
school says the boy had been the victim of constant anti-gay harassment
Joshua Minks, 17, is awaiting sentencing. On October
11th last year he put his father's disassembled single-shot shotgun into a duffel
bag, dressed in black clothing and hood and headed off to school.
In a washroom at the school he assembled the gun
and when confronted by three other students fired a hole in
the ceiling before a principal and teacher were able to subdue
him.
Under a plea agreement which must be agreed to by
a judge Minks would be sentenced to 120
days of what prosecutor Wendy Wexler Horn calls "shock incarceration"
He then would be prohibited from living in a home where there are
firearms, from going on any school property, and be required to undergo mental health
treatment.
In an interview with KFVS television, Minks
mother, Amanda Minks said he faced harassment from fellow students daily.
"Josh was being called gay names every single day. He was
being harassed every single day," she said.
The teen is 6' 5" tall, weighs more than 400
pounds, and is autistic. Amanda Minks gave the station documents showing the
school promised to examine its safety and harassment guidelines to assure the
boy was safe, but she said it was never done.
"A young man came up to Joshua and tried to set him on
fire twice. The school did not contact me like they were supposed to," she
told KFVS.
She also said that she believes the teen wanted
to commit suicide.
"Joshua wanted the officer to shoot him. I know that in
my heart. He did not have the courage," she said.
The school has not commented on the case.
All it is believed Josh is not gay the homophobic
bullying he experienced is indicative of the way gays are vilified in the
nation's schools.
In a study released in April to coincided with
the National Day of Silence it was found that three-quarters of students
surveyed across America said that over the past year they heard derogatory
remarks such as "faggot" or "dyke" frequently or often at
school, and nearly nine out of ten reported hearing "that's so
gay" or "you're so gay" - meaning stupid or worthless -
frequently or often. (story)
Over a third of students said they experienced
physical harassment at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a
quarter on the basis of their gender expression.
Nearly one-in-five students reported they had
been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth
because of their gender expression.
©365Gay.com 2006
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