Gay teen settles bullying lawsuit against school district
An openly gay Indianapolis student has agreed to settle a lawsuit against school officials for allegedly failing to protect him from anti-gay bullies.
Under the proposed settlement, filed Tuesday in federal court in Indianapolis, 18-year-old Darnell “Dynasty” Young will receive $65,000 from the Indianapolis Public Schools district, the Indianapolis Star reports.
Young was expelled for bringing a stun gun to school and firing it into the air, reportedly to protect himself from bullies. He and his mother, Chelisa Grimes, who gave him the stun gun, later sued the district for allegedly not doing enough to protect him.
The agreement, which still must be approved by a judge, also calls for the district to remove all references to Young’s expulsion from Arsenal Technical High School last year from his academic record.
According to the suit, school officials responded to Young’s complaints of “relentless, severe harassment” by telling him to be less flamboyant.
Young, who now attends a charter school, said in a press release that he plans to use the settlement money for his education. “Schools should protect students like me instead of telling them to change who they are,” he is quoted as saying in a Huffington Post article.
