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Tennessee Rape Victim Told By Christian School ‘To Turn The Other Cheek’, 12-Year-Old Claims In Lawsuit

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 03:17 PST, Aug 11, 2017

A 12-year-old Tennessee rape victim was told by his Christian school to “turn the other cheek” and that “everything in God’s kingdom happens for a reason,” according to a lawsuit filed by his family.

WARNING: The remainder of this article contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some readers.

As the Independent reported, the unnamed boy was repeatedly raped by older boys, ages 14 and 15, at Brentwood Christian Academy between 2014 and 2015, the family alleges in a lawsuit. Specifically, the older boys would accost the younger boy in the school locker room, in front of other students, and would shove their genitals into his face. Some would even penetrate his mouth and force him to perform a sex act.

“Eat it, eat it, eat it, open your mouth!”

The lawsuit alleges the the boy was anally raped by an older boy. The alleged perpetrator then bragged about the assault to the school’s basketball team.

“[I] f****d that boy up the a** and stuck a Gatorade bottle in him.”

However, when the victim tried to get help from the school’s headmaster, Curtis H. Masters, his pleas were met with deaf ears. He spoke vaguely of installing security cameras in the locker room and allowing the boy to change clothes in the principal’s office. But when it came to notifying the authorities, Masters allegedly told the boy to “turn the other cheek” (referencing a verse in the Bible), and that “everything in God’s Kingdom happens for a reason.”

Several other individuals named in the lawsuit allegedly failed to help as well. They include middle school director Nancy Brasher, administrator and middle school athletic director Buddy Alexander, assistant basketball coach Lyle Husband, and sixth-grade basketball coach Mike Vazquez, who is also Masters’ son-in-law.

Similarly, though not named in the lawsuit, school counselor Chris Roberts, a member of Christian counselling ministry Daystar Counselling, allegedly told the boy’s parents that “this isn’t how Christian institutions handle these things.”

In a statement made public via WKRN (Nashville), Brentwood Academy’s headmaster issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the boy’s family’s claims. Specifically, Masters claimed, among other points, that they “responded immediately” and cooperated with authorities as soon as they became aware of the allegations; that faculty and staff are trained in mandatory reporting; and that the school tries to foster a “culture of respect” among students.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services has confirmed that they have opened up an investigation into the case, but provided no further details.

The boy’s family is seeking $30 million in damages.

[Featured Image by 271 EAK MOTO/Shutterstock]

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