Associated Press, January 31, 2000

Arraignment today for teens accused of anti-gay assault on train

By Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) - Three high school students are scheduled to be arraigned today after allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old classmate they thought was a lesbian.

Three juvenile girls from Boston High School face charges including indecent assault and battery and civil rights violations during their arraignment at Boston Juvenile Court.

The alleged attack came Thursday on an Orange Line train at the New England Medical Center stop.

Six students five girls and a boy encountered a girl who had apparently been seen holding hands with another girl in the past, police said.

Some of the female students allegedly groped the girl, ripped her clothes and pointed at their genitals, shouting ''Do you like this? Is this what you like?''

When the girl resisted, the boy pulled a knife, held it to her throat and threatened to slash her, police said. He also allegedly lunged at a male passenger who tried to intervene.

The girl told police her six classmates then knocked her down and began beating her.

Three of the girls were arrested after school Friday. The other suspects had not been identified.

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Boston Globe, January 29, 2000
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Teenager holding hands on MBTA is assaulted

By Francie Latour, Globe Staff

In an episode officials are calling a hate crime, three Boston High School students were arrested yesterday after they allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old classmate on an MBTA Orange Line train because they thought she was gay.

The alleged attack, confirmed by Boston school officials last night, began when five girls, including two ninth-graders and an 11th-grader, got on the train at the New England Medical Center stop Thursday and apparently saw the victim holding hands with another girl.

Saying she was a lesbian, they allegedly started groping the girl, ripping her clothes, and pointing at their own genitals while shouting: ''Do you like this? Do you like this? Is this what you like?''

When the girl resisted, officials said, a teenage boy who was with the other females allegedly pulled a knife on the 16-year-old, holding it to her throat and threatening to slash her.

''He just pulled the knife and said, 'You'd better let them do what they want to do,''' one law enforcement source said. ''We're talking about a really bizarre and really heinous crime. It's a hate crime not just based on the fact of the traditions of where she came from, but the fact that they were harassing her because they thought she was gay.''

The girl was born and raised in an African country where school girls often hold hands, and was accustomed to holding hands with female friends at Boston High, the source said. The Globe is not naming the country to shield the girl's identity.

Initially, as the alleged attack unfolded, the source said that ''everyone on the train just minds their business and does nothing.'' But after the male suspect allegedly pulled a knife, a male passenger stood up and tried to stop the attack.

The suspect lunged at the man and narrowly missed slashing him, sources said. Then, the girl told authorities, all six students began beating her, knocking her to the floor and kicking her.

The girl was not cut, but she told authorities she believes she passed out from the beating. When she lifted her head, the girl told officials, she saw the doors opening at the State Street stop, and she then fled.

Because the students are all juveniles, no names were released.

The girl and her father reported the episode yesterday, and school authorities notified MBTA and Boston police. Both are investigating.

At the end of the school day yesterday, MBTA police arrested three of the girls, all Boston High students, who allegedly took part in the attack. They were charged with indecent assault and battery and civil rights violations. The other suspects had not been identified.

Even though the male suspect was the only one alleged to have pulled a knife, all of the teens who participated in the attack could also be charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to a law enforcement source.

Reached last night about the alleged attack, School Department spokeswoman Tracey Lynch confirmed the arrests and the charges.

''These charges are very serious and we are responding accordingly,'' said Lynch, adding that the school was working with police in both investigations. ''Separate from any criminal and civil rights charges, the schools have our own code of discipline and a very clear zero-tolerance policy for harassment or discrimination at any time.''

Lynch said although the alleged attack took place on the T, ''the ride home is considered an extension of the school day,'' and that the school will launch an investigation and disciplinary proceedings Monday. If the charges are borne out, Lynch said, the suspects could be expelled.

James Keenan, the acting headmaster at the school, said it was unclear whether all the students involved were from Boston High.

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