Hundreds of students in Missouri left their high school in protest Monday after a gay teenager who allegedly faced weeks of bullying was suspended after a physical fight with the alleged bullies. Danny Lillis, an openly gay senior at Lee’s Summit High School, told The Kansas City Star that he and his friends have been bullied by another group of students since the beginning of the school year. Bullies attacked Danny because of his sexual orientation and because he was not afraid to express himself or wear makeup at school, according to Melanie Davies, Lillis’ mother, Malani Hohlbaugh.
The students are also accused of yelling hateful comments and throwing food at Lillis and her friends.
The senior reported going to administrators at least four times crying and telling them he didn’t feel safe but nothing changed. One of the students reportedly had to visit the emergency room with bruises and vomiting after the altercation.
Because of this fight, everyone involved was suspended, but when the young gay man denounced his bullies, the school did nothing. Most of the school’s students went on strike outside the school demanding safety and protection from these types of actions.
“Today they beat you and mistreat you because of your sexual orientation, tomorrow it could be for anything, we have not felt protected at school. School should be a place to learn and meet friends, not to be afraid of being yourself,” said one of them.
it is the third altercation that requires medical attention in the last two years in this school. In 2019, a group of students attacked another student from Costa Rica who had recently entered the school. The student ended up with two broken ribs and spent almost a week in the hospital.
