244: LGBT Bullying & a Home Invasion

When Jamie Nabozny reached middle school, several of his classmates began bullying him for being gay. They called him names. They spat on him. They tripped him in the halls. Jamie and his parents asked Ashland Middle School Principal Mary Podlesny to discipline Jamie’s tormentors, but she didn’t do shit. Naturally, the bullies became emboldened. When Jamie went to high school, the bullying and harassment worsened. He endured verbal and physical attacks. Once again, Jamie and his parents went through the proper channels. They met with Ashland High School Principal William Davis and Assistant Principal Thomas Blauert to ask that they hold the bullies accountable. They didn’t do shit, either. Nothing moved the administrators to action – not when Jamie was assaulted, not when he was beaten to the point of needing hospitalization, and not even the multiple times he attempted to die by suicide. Years later, after Jamie had time to reflect on what he’d endured, he decided to sue.

Then Brandi tells us about a double murder that shocked the community of Napa, California. On the evening of October 31, 2004, three roommates were at home, settling into bed. The young women were all in their 20s, and all active in their careers. Lauren Meanza was a volleyball coach. Adriane Insogna was a civil engineer. Leslie Mazzara worked in public relations. That night, a man broke into the little home the three women shared. He climbed the stairs and attacked Adriane and Leslie. Lauren, whose room was on the first floor, managed to escape. She hid in the backyard and watched the man escape. In the darkness, she couldn’t be sure who he was.  

And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

In this episode, Kristin pulled from:

The documentary, “Bullied: A student, a school, and a case that made history” 

The book, “From the closet to the courtroom: five LGBT rights lawsuits that have changed our nation,” by Carlos Ball

“The ballad of dad and papi,” by Chris Tarbox for Lavender Magazine

“Mother recounts gay-bashing of her son,” Associated Press

“He taught his school a lesson,” by John Tanasychuk for the Detroit Free Press

“A stand for human worth,” by Clifford Rothman for the Los Angeles Times

“The pain of growing up gay,” by Jennifer Weiner for The Philadelphia Inquirer

“School to pay gay man $900,000,” Associated Press

“Nabozny v. Podlesny,” caselaw.findlaw.com

“Jamie Nabozny: Bullied,” by Team TVS on YouTube

“Fighting anti-gay abuse in schools: The opening appellate brief of plaintiff Jamie Nabozny in Nabozny V. Podlesny,” by Patricia M. Logue and Davis S. Buckle for the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law

In this episode, Brandi pulled from:

“Nightmare in Napa” episode 48 Hours

“Eric Copple” episode Snapped

“Good as Gold” episode Forensic Files

“The 2004 Napa Halloween Murders” by Lori Johnston, Medium

“Sole Survivor of Napa Killings Speaks” ABC News

“Cathy Harrington” theforgivenessproject.com

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