Gay W.Va.
fifth-grader accused of sexual harassment

A West Virginia elementary school has its hands full thanks to a sexual harassment allegation made by a fifth grader against a special needs classmate who identifies as gay. The Charleston Daily Mail reports that 12-year-old Josh Allen says he was touched inappropriately by a fellow student in the bathroom of Marmet Elementary School. Allen told school officials his classmate said he was gay, professed his love for Allen, and grabbed his buttocks. Allen also says the boy has done it a few times before, including one time that Allen said was witnessed by a teacher, who allegedly did nothing. School counselor Ditty Markham says the other student probably didn't realize what he was doing. She told the Daily Mail, "When you're dealing with special needs kids, you might deal with situations differently than with children who have the ability to reason their choices." But Allen's mother thinks differently, telling the paper, "This boy is slow, but he knows what he's doing. He knows that it's wrong. But they just let him get away with it." Allen's family is considering a lawsuit; school officials say an investigation is under way. (Sirius OutQ News)