US: Kentucky teen reports being bullied because of perceived sexual orientation

Lawyer files order asking school district to protect him

A 13-year-old Louisville, Kentucky, student alleges that his middle-school classmates continually bullied him because of his perceived sexual orientation, WDRB News reports.

According to the report, an attorney for the teen, referred to as BB, has filed court documents asking that the school district protect him from all harassment. They also provide a list of the homophobic slurs that fellow students reportedly aimed at him.

The school district says it has done what it can to support the student — including changing his schedule, accompanying him around school premises from time to time, and talking to other students’ parents — but contends that it would be impossible to protect him all the time.

BB now goes to another school but says he’s still the target of harassment, Gay Star News reports.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

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