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News & ArtsThursday, March 1, 2012
LGBTQITSLFA Mother's Rejection Leads to Gay Child's Death
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Another life lost to hate:
Jason Mattison Jr., a standout high school student, had gone to stay with his great-aunt because he was not welcome in his mother’s and grandmother’s house because he was gay. But Hastings described the house on Llewellyn Avenue as a drug den with transient traffic, and she said on the day Jason was attacked both his great-aunt and her brother had passed out from heroin and could not hear his screams for help.
The suspect, Parrish, had came to the house just after getting out of prison after winning a new trial on a conviction for murder in 1999. Prosecutors said Jason was suffocated with a pillowcase, and cut 15 times on the head, neck and face, three times so deep that it cut the artery in neck in three different places.
Jason's mother and grandmother should be on trial too.
2
Man, that is just horrible, I'm sure he will be missed. He did deserve better, just terrible.
I suppose that perhaps a charge of abandonment might be a reasonable course of action against the mother, but the grandmother is not his guardian. Grandparents do not have any rights when it comes to their grandchildren, and therefore they have no responsibility to them under the law, that, has been settled by the high court. The grandmother should not be charged with anything.
But as far as his murder is considered, that, has absolutely nothing to do with his mother, she didn't kill him, and being a disgusting bigot isn't akin to murder, and kicking your child out of the house isn't murder, and it isn't rendering assistance to a murderer. The murderer is the only person that needs to be charged with his killing, anything more than that, and we're a different country.
All that being said, the mother is terrible, horrible, disgusting person. She probably thought she was doing what a decent person would do, but I don't think that decent people abandon their child because they're gay. What a shitty cunt.
I suppose that perhaps a charge of abandonment might be a reasonable course of action against the mother, but the grandmother is not his guardian. Grandparents do not have any rights when it comes to their grandchildren, and therefore they have no responsibility to them under the law, that, has been settled by the high court. The grandmother should not be charged with anything.
But as far as his murder is considered, that, has absolutely nothing to do with his mother, she didn't kill him, and being a disgusting bigot isn't akin to murder, and kicking your child out of the house isn't murder, and it isn't rendering assistance to a murderer. The murderer is the only person that needs to be charged with his killing, anything more than that, and we're a different country.
All that being said, the mother is terrible, horrible, disgusting person. She probably thought she was doing what a decent person would do, but I don't think that decent people abandon their child because they're gay. What a shitty cunt.
3
Assholes will argue that this is the sort of fate a life of sin will lead to, or some other variant of a self-fulfilling "he deserved it" judgment.
4
Here's the thing: while a parent can get pissed off and say that he or she doesn't want the child in their home, they cannot legally evict the minor child and claim no responsibility. Depending upon the state of residence, that parent can be charged with child abuse, child neglect, child endangerment, or some similar charge. Each state varies a bit, but unless full emancipation of the child is achieved through the court system, the parent is legally responsible for the child's well being. So, the mother should be charged with the neglect that led to the death of this child. And she should rot in Hell.
5
Is there an organization that arranges for safe homes for these high school/college age kids who are turned away from their families for being gay? Whether the homes are near or far from the kid?
6
Bloody hell . That's the sickest thing ever. I don't think she deserves to be called a mother.
My mum said she would consider herself a failure as a portent if I want able to tell her I'm gay. Their failures at being human beings.
I hope he's in a better place.
My mum said she would consider herself a failure as a portent if I want able to tell her I'm gay. Their failures at being human beings.
I hope he's in a better place.
13
RIP, Jason. That is what the word "tragic" is for. Rejecting your own child! Ugh. Why aren't there any repercussions for his mother? She denied him shelter & he died as a result. That poor young man. He was murdered for *who he was*, not anything he did.
I have empathy for anyone stuck in that position. Due to various unhappinesses w/ my home life, I moved out @ 17. Moved back in @ 22 when my dad died, to help take care of my 2 younger brothers. When we'd started making inroads into fixing up the house a year + later, my long-before moved out mom showed up & wound up kicking my bi, "bad influence" self out of "her" house. *eyeroll* Right, 'cause leaving Rutgers to take care of her sons was immoral. I was already politically aware/active, but after spending a few weeks homeless I vowed to not shut up about equality until we had it.
I have empathy for anyone stuck in that position. Due to various unhappinesses w/ my home life, I moved out @ 17. Moved back in @ 22 when my dad died, to help take care of my 2 younger brothers. When we'd started making inroads into fixing up the house a year + later, my long-before moved out mom showed up & wound up kicking my bi, "bad influence" self out of "her" house. *eyeroll* Right, 'cause leaving Rutgers to take care of her sons was immoral. I was already politically aware/active, but after spending a few weeks homeless I vowed to not shut up about equality until we had it.
14
Actually what led to the gay child's death was the justice system letting a psycho back out on the streets. If it hadn't been that kid it would have been someone else, someone else that would have doubtless escaped Dan's notice.
15
Quoth @5:
Is there an organization that arranges for safe homes for these high school/college age kids who are turned away from their families for being gay? Whether the homes are near or far from the kid?This is a really good idea. Is there an organization that matches kids who were kicked out of their homes-- whether gay or otherwise-- with folks that have a spare bedroom and wouldn't mind having the kid stay with them for a while? Obviously there would need to be a lot of screening on both sides, but it's better than having abandoned kids sleeping on the streets.
16
Gorgeous young man. RIP.
Hopefully this story will lead to the building of a safehouse for LGBT youths in Baltimore.
Hopefully this story will lead to the building of a safehouse for LGBT youths in Baltimore.
18
@5 there is - DSHS. There are lots of GLBTQ kids in foster care who need caring, accepting homes. And it's not terribly difficult to be a foster parent, even if you're single, even if you're Gay, even if you're a godless heathen.
Also, just a note in case it's not clear, the boy was sent to live with his great-aunt, not his grandmother. As his de facto guardian, she could be charged with criminal neglect, I think.
Also, just a note in case it's not clear, the boy was sent to live with his great-aunt, not his grandmother. As his de facto guardian, she could be charged with criminal neglect, I think.
20
Outrageous. This family is fucking unbelievable. What's the difference here between Jason's family and the murderer? If you force your kid to live in harms way it couldn't have been much of a surprise.
22
Its the 21st century but were still living in the dark ages. How much smarter are we when so much stupdity happens?
24
Maybe I missed reading something, but I still don't understand WHY any of this happened in the first place. Was the killer related to the kid? I just don't understand WHY Jason was targeted.
25
@24,
Wrong fucking place, wrong fucking time.
Kicked out, living in drug flop house, murderous retrialee...raped and murdered.
Wrong fucking place, wrong fucking time.
Kicked out, living in drug flop house, murderous retrialee...raped and murdered.
26
HuffPost readers: Did you know Rick Santorum in college? Were you a member of his fraternity? We'd love to hear from you. Tell us your stories by emailing jason.cherkis@huffingtonpost.com. Please include your phone number if you're willing to do an interview.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/01…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/01…
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