A Letter from Thomas Krever, Executive Director
Dear Friends, 
Earlier this month, on February 12th, a 15-year old boy named Lawrence King was shot and killed in his school in Oxnard, CA, by a fellow student. This was not another act of random, senseless violence, but rather a vicious, premeditated hate crime. Apparently King had recently declared himself to be gay and was dressing in feminine clothing and jewelry, a courageous act of self-expression that, according to another student at the high school who was quoted in the LA Times, "freaked the other guys out." This resulted in taunting, harassment and, ultimately, cost him his life.
Unfortunately, these kinds of hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are still far too common. Most of the young people at Hetrick-Martin and the Harvey Milk High School report having been harassed, threatened and abused in their schools on a regular basis. And, like Lawrence, many of our youth also lack supportive or intact families and are in the foster care system. The absence of caring adults in their lives to guide and protect them makes the role of our staff, counselors and teachers all the more critical.
It often seems that, after each new tragedy of this kind, there is a public flurry of outrage and concern which then subsides before any meaningful policy changes are enacted. We want you to know that we at Hetrick-Martin are fighting for our youth every day. We pledge to honor Lawrence's memory by continuing to advocate for the right of at-risk youth to be safe in their schools, be true to who they are and receive the same opportunity to fulfill their potential that every young person deserves. We remain committed to providing transformative, life-saving programs, services and support to the thousands of young LGBT-identified young people in New York City and beyond who come to us when they have nowhere else to turn.
Please help us continue our important work at Hetrick-Martin by donating what you can. From all of us here at Hetrick-Martin, thank you for continuing to support our mission.
Best,
Thomas Krever
Executive Director
