There was no safe haven for 15-year-old Lawrence King. The eighth grader, who identified as gay, was taunted and accosted by classmates at E.O. Green School in Oxnard, Calif.

When the bell would ring, signaling the end of a school day, King would head home to Casa Pacifica, a foster-care center for abused and neglected children.

At his public school, King should have been safe.

Instead, on Feb. 12, King was shot in the head during class by 14-year-old Brian McInerney. He was declared brain dead on Feb. 13, and was removed from life support.

McInerney faces premeditated murder charges and an added hate crime charge.

According to King’s classmates, who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, King sometimes wore makeup, high heels and jewelry to school. His feminine attire made him unpopular with classmates, particularly boys, and he became a target for ridicule.

Oxnard police said there seemed to be a dispute between King and McInerney. Students painted a more detailed picture.

King’s classmates told parents that students exchanged text messages discussing McInerney’s plans the day before King was murdered. Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach said several students heard “comments, statements and threats” but did not report them.

Nearly 10 years after Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered, GLBT Americans, in particular our youth, are still vulnerable to discrimination and violence.

King’s murder is a tragic reminder of why legislation is necessary to protect the GLBT community.

In California, Senate Bill 777 added the terms “gender” and “sexual orientation” to the California Education Code and expanded the existing term “sex” to include “gender identity” which means a person’s self-identified gender.

On Dec. 13, though, a lawsuit to strip SB 777 of protections for GLBT students was filed on behalf of the California Education Committee in the Federal District Court of San Diego.

“Family advocates,” including members of the Grossmont Unified High School District in East San Diego County, have voiced opposition to SB 777. Board president Priscilla Schreiber and four fellow board members are named as supporters in the lawsuit. Schreiber said, “Adding [gender identity and sexual orientation] as a special sub-group for discrimination protection to a law that already protects everyone is unnecessary, and an insidious motive to destroy marriage between a man and a woman, and to destroy marriage as God ordained it.”

Schreiber’s fear-mongering tactic undermines the safety of every student. She entirely misses the mark. The legislation, which is aimed at protecting students, has no hidden agenda or insidious motive. It promotes diversity, tolerance and safety, things, we assume, are not priorities for Schreiber and her board.

We thank Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing SB 777, and we thank California Assemblyman Mike Eng, who announced plans to introduce a diversity education bill this week. In the wake of King’s murder, Eng’s bill would require mandatory classes on diversity and tolerance in all Cailfornia school districts.

“We need to teach young people that there’s a curriculum called tolerance education that should be in every school,” Eng said. “We should teach young people that diversity is not something to be assaulted, but diversity is something that needs to be embraced because diversity makes California the great state that it is.”

We also call for our elected officials to pass the Matthew Shepard Act, vital legislation that will allow the federal government to adequately prosecute hate crimes.

Memorials are scheduled in the coming weeks all over the nation for King, a young boy who lived his truth, and whose life and potential were cut short by an act of hate.

On Thursday, Feb. 28, from 6-8 p.m., we urge the community to attend a memorial and candlelight vigil for King. The Gay Lesbian Straight Alliance Education Network (GLSEN) and San Diego Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays will sponsor the memorial, which will be held at The San Diego LGBT Community Center, located at 3909 Centre Street.