Call for tolerance courses following teen murder

California which has some of the most gay inclusive school legislation in the country could get mandated tolerance classes in the wake of the slaying last week of a 15-year old student. Assemblymember Mike Eng (D) says he will introduce a bill that would require schools to implement a mandatory tolerance class as part of the curriculum. The legislation also would provide training for teachers to help them identify "symptoms of hate." The move follows the shooting of Lawrence King on Feb. 12 during a class at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard. More than 20 other students were in the room at the time. King was pronounced brain dead at St. John's Regional Medical Center and removed from life support. A 14-year-old classmate, Brandon McInerney, has been charged with premeditated murder. King had been constantly teased after coming out and frequently wearing female clothing. On the weekend more than 1,000 students and parents held a march to pay tribute to King. Last October Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation requiring the Department of Education to monitor the way schools adhere to the state's anti-bias laws and specifically mandates the department to ensure the protection of LGBT students. But Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill last year that would have offered tolerance training in diversity, race, ethnic background and sexuality. Eng said that the King tragedy might have been avoided if the bill had become law. "I was shocked when I heard about Larry King," Eng told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. "I thought if our legislation would have been enacted, perhaps there would have been a different result." His legislation would earmark $150,000 to develop a pilot programs and put it in place. "No matter where people fall on the gay rights issue, they have to feel extremely shocked and saddened by this," Eng told the Tribune. "As one student put it, `I don't advocate the gay lifestyle, but you shouldn't be shot for who you are.'"