Darnell "Dynasty" Young has been bullied for months -- it has sometimes gotten so bad that he has thought about suicide.
His mother contacted the school but instead of taking appropriate action, asked Darnell to "tone down" his accessories. That is victim blaming.
Not knowing what to do, his mother sent him to school with a stun gun because he didn't feel safe. On April 16, 6 students surrounded him threatening violence. He pulled out the stun gun and raised it in the air, setting off an electric charge. He did not use it on anyone -- he simply scared them away, protecting himself.
Young was soon arrested and taken away in handcuffs. He has since been expelled.
Please tell Arsenal Technical High School to let Young return and to change their school's bullying policy to offer more protection for LGBT youth. No one should feel unsafe at school!
Please let Darnell "Dynasty" Young return to school. He brought a stun gun to school because he did not feel safe, as the school did nothing to protect him from bullies. He did not hurt anyone or use it on anyone, but simply used it to protect himself.
It is the school's responsibility to make sure that all students feel safe and are treated equally. It is time for the school's policy to reflect that -- make sure that all LGBT students are protected, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression.
