Latisha King: Queer Confusion, Aggression, and Correction

Authors

Hannah Bollin

Abstract

Latisha King was a 15-year-old biracial and transgender student at E.O. Green Junior High who was shot and killed by one of her peers on February 12, 2008. Latisha’s untimely death was followed by a court case during which she was blamed for her own murder due to her gender identity and sexual orientation. Through a thematic analysis of scholarly work alongside public media sources surrounding the case, this study argues that the transphobia that Latisha faced in her classroom was continued in the courtroom and media. More specifically, this article argues that the classroom, murder trial, and public media surrounding Latisha’s case all exhibited instances of queer confusion, aggression, and correction in regard to her queer identity. Such findings imply a culture around LGBTQIA+ issues which are ill-informed, intolerant, and unsafe for those who exist outside of gender and sexual norms. These findings underscore the need for LGBTQIA+ programming, resources, and policies to protect the safety and dignity of youth like Latisha.

Keywords: LGBT youth, transphobia, queer, school, violence, popular media

Recommended Citation

Bollin, Hannah (2026) "Latisha King: Queer Confusion, Aggression, and Correction," Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education: Vol. 4: No. 1, pp.6-13.
Available at: https://commons.emich.edu/impact/vol4/iss1/3