The seaside town of Oxnard, California, was shattered in 2008 by the shooting death of Lawrence “Larry” King, a 15-year-old biracial, LGBTQ student. The killer? His white, 14-year-old crush, Brandon McInerney. Was this a hate crime—retaliation against unwanted advances—or something more complex, entrenched in the community and society at large? Did flamboyant Larry, who liked to crochet, wear makeup and don heels, push his attacker, an emerging white supremacist, over the edge? It sure made for catchy headlines and drew attention to the plight of LGBTQ teens, as well as the overwhelmed educational and juvenile justice systems. But sensational press coverage only scratched the surface of the real story.Valentine Road delves deeper, to explore the complicated issues of accountability, sympathy and deviance at the heart of a legal defence that posited a murder victim can be the cause of his own murder.
Cinema Politica | Consever House | 180 St. John Street, Fredericton | Friday March 20, 2015 | 7:00pm | By donation
