Anonymous Lesbian, Michigan, June 2008

On June 10, 2008 two female students at Wayland Union High School — Crystal VanderLaan and Sydnee Rae Longhurst — attacked a third female student, who was identified as a gay rights activist. Video of the attack was recorded on cell phone by another female student.

Wayland Union High School

The three students who planned the attack were cleaning out their lockers at about 1:30 p.m. on June 10, the last day of school. They surrounded the victim, and the fight broke out.¹⁾

Witnesses said the two attackers grabbed the victim's hair and clothing from behind.

The video shows the victim, a freshman, having conversation with another student when the two other female students attack her. Wayland Police Chief Dan Miller said that investigators knew the attack was planned from looking at the school's videotapes, and that other students knew the fight was coming. Witnesses told authorities that the suspects had changed clothes and pulled their hair back just before the fight started.²⁾ The suspects also approached other students and asked if they wanted to take part in the fight. The other students declined.³⁾

The 14-year-old victim identified herself as lesbian.⁴⁾ Chief Miller told the Kalamazoo Gazette, “We were told by the two subjects that it was over the sexual-orientation issue they don't believe in.”⁵⁾ The alleged attackers told police that they did not agree with the victim's advocacy for gay rights.⁶⁾

The victim told her father that she had gotten into an argument with one of her attackers with one of her attackers a few hours earlier.⁷⁾ The incident was precipitated by several verbal spats and incidents of name-calling between the suspects and the victim. Fellow students said the victim was often the instigator in the verbal spats.⁸⁾

The victim suffered multiple cuts and bruises to her face, and a possible broken nose.⁹⁾

Video from the fight was posted to popular web video sites hours later.¹⁰⁾

Reports of the attack raised concerns among gay rights advocates, and re-ignited calls for the passage of an anti-bullying bill and a hate crimes bill. The anti-bullying bill passed the Democratically controlled Michigan House a year earlier, but has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee.¹¹⁾

Because the two alleged attackers were younger than 18, the FBI did not investigate potential hate crime charges.¹²⁾

On June 30, 2008, the Wayland school board decided to expel Vanderlann for her part in the attack. Longhurst had moved out of the district by then, and could not be disciplined by the school board. The board met in closed-session for more than two hours for hearing and debate, before voting unanimously for expulsion.¹³⁾

On July 9, 2008, Miller announced that no charges would be filed against the student who recorded video of the attack. Miller had had asked the Allegan County prosecutor's office to determine if the student's actions showed that she was part of a conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The prosecutor's office decided there was not enough evidence to charge her.¹⁴⁾

On July 2, Vanderlaan and Longhurst were charged with aggravated assault. If convicted, they face a maximum of one year in juvenile detention and a $1,000 fine.¹⁵⁾

In response to the attack, a group of Wayland area residents forged ahead with forming the Wayland Area Diversity Coalition, and plans to educate other area residents about diversity of all types: racial, religious, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or physical and mental disabilities. The coalition organized monthly public forums, to be led by professional speakers.¹⁶⁾

• Cell Phone Video
• School Security Video

• Wayland Area Diversity Coalition