Cops Cleared In
Threatening to Out Teen and His Suicide
Nov 8:
Three Borough of
Minersville, PA, police officers were accused of violating a teen's
constitutional right to privacy in a lawsuit. The officers threatened to
disclose that Marcus Wayman, an 18-year-old high school
football player was gay. The teen so traumatized by the officers threat to tell his
grandfather he was gay, killed himself after being released at
his home. Marcus had left
a note that read, "'I'm
sorry grandpa,
I found my future, I
won't let everyone's life be ruined by mine." After a two day trial a federal
jury cleared
three small-town police
officers of violating the teens right to
privacy or responsibility in his suicide. David
Rudovsky, ACLU volunteer lawyer representing Madonna Sterling, Marcus's
mother, called the verdict'
heartbreaking injustice. It is so difficult for me to believe, a jury could find
the officers completely blameless
in Marcus's
decision to take his own life
considering the facts. The treatment the teen's had to endure at
the hands of those
charged to protect them, called the teens queers, ridiculed, condemned with
references from the Bible, as if this was not torment enough they threaten to
tell Marcus's family he was gay, "What the hell were they thinking". How
could they be so insensitive and ignorant to the number of gay teen's that
commit suicide due to the exact type treatment they imposed on these two teen
boys. Although, they may not of supplied the gun Marcus used to end his young
life, they most certainly supplied the ammunition. To not find the slightest
shred of blame on their part, goes far beyond comprehension, on the part of the
jury. If it were a couple of straight teens to came upon? They called a
young girl a slut, a
young man a sexual deviant and threatened to expose this to their parents. One
of them kills themselves. I
have to wonder if the outcome would remain the same? I believe this tragic
situation called for condemnation or blame placed on these officers and their disgraceful
and intolerant
actions.
TBC Responds to
Verdict
Nov
8: Calls for Teens to be
Supported and Protected from enduring such treatment as Marcus. The
jury decides to clear
officers of financial responsibility. It does not change the fact, their actions
were homophobic, intolerant and not acceptable treatment of our gay teens. Most
importantly, by no means
Cops Cleared In Outing
Suicide
Nov.
8: A federal jury Wednesday night cleared three
small-town police officers of allegations that they violated a teen's
constitutional right to privacy by threatening to disclose that the teen was
gay, causing
him to commit
suicide.
Cops Outing Suicide Suit
Begins
Nov.
6: A wrongful death
suit began today in the suicide death of a Pennsylvania teen who had been
threatened with outing by police. In 1997, Marcus Wayman an 18-year-old high school football
player
and
a 17-year-old friend were stopped by police after leaving a party. Police charged the boys with
underage drinking and, after finding the younger one with two
condoms, took them to the station, where
they
were lectured on the Bible and homosexuality. The arresting officer, F. Scott Willinsky, allegedly
asked if they were "queer"
and threatened to tell their families they were
gay.
Lawsuit Over Teen-Ager's
Suicide Raises Issue of Gays and Privacy
Nov 6:
In 1997, an 18-year-old high school football player in
Minersville and a 17-year-old friend were stopped by police after leaving a
party. Police charged the boys with underage drinking and, after
finding
the younger one with two condoms, took them to the station, where they
were lectured on the Bible and homosexuality. The arresting
officer, F. Scott Willinsky, allegedly asked if they were "queer" and threatened
to
tell their families they were gay. Marcus Wayman, the football player, told his
friend he was going to kill himself. A few hours later, he did just that.
Trial Starts in Suit
Against Police Who Threatened to Out Teen, Causing His
Suicide
Nov. 3:
A federal court trial will begin Monday in the American
Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against small-town Pennsylvania police officers
who threatened to tell a teenager's family that he was gay, causing him to
commit suicide. "This tragic case is an extreme example of
something that happens far too often all over America," said James Esseks,
Litigation Director of the ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights
Project. "With this
case, we've already established a milestone victory for youth -- that their
sexual orientation is constitutionally protected from this kind of forced outing
-- and now we'll get a victory for this family."
American Civil Liberties
Union Press Release
Nov. 7,
2000: Court Rules Tragic Police Outing of Gay
Teen Violated Constitutional Rights; ACLU
Sees
Broad Impact.