Michigan Boy Beaten for Being Gay

Steven Harmon, a fifteen year old boy who told his parents only weeks before that he was gay, was beaten on August 17 in the parking lot of Walnut Trails Apartments, where he lives.

While he was talking with a friend, two older boys, aged 15 and 16, approached and attacked Steven, calling him several gay slurs. Steven suffered a skull fracture, bruising and swelling, and a busted lip. One of the attackers, the sixteen year old, has already pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in September

The County Prosecutor originally stated that they would prosecute the assault as a hate-crime, however it turns out that Michigan has no hate-crime legislation. Steven's story has caught national attention, however, and a push is now on to change that.