EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — In 1990, Dennis Schleicher sat on stage at the Sally Jessy Raphael Show’s New York studios and shared his sexual identity with millions of viewers.
“Everyone else was wearing wigs and disguises, so I was naïve,” the West Hartford resident said.
His reason for coming out publicly started inside a bathroom at East Hartford High School, where he was reportedly attacked by 15 fellow students who suspected he was gay.
“It was different. You were the first person probably at the high school who came out,” said Marilyn Dupris, a retired school guidance counselor who became one of Dennis’s only allies.
“The staff in general thought I was gay because I was defending you,” she said. “You had to contend with teachers who were not accepting."
Schleicher says he was attacked in October 1989 by 15 students while using the urinal.
“They were calling me the F-word. They were calling me every gay slang and I didn’t know it was me, Schleicher said. "And all of a sudden, a foot came and I went right into the wall. They shut the bathroom door. There was a security guard that was monitoring the bathroom and they’re not supposed to shut the door and he didn’t stop them.”
Schleicher recalls being thrown at the door and blacking out.
“All the kids started to chant kill him, kill him, kill him. They were saying kill that [expletive]," He said. "They picked me up and my feet were off the floor, and they were taking turns punching me.”
Schleicher says it wasn’t until he sprayed mace given to him by a gay friend for protection that the attackers backed off and he escaped to the principal’s office but wasn’t treated for his injuries.
“Blood’s coming out of my mouth, my nose, my teeth and they did nothing,” he said.
Police were called and his attackers saw the school nurse.
“They charged me for five counts of assault, two counts risk of injury to a minor. I didn’t realize this at the time but that was a major felony,” he said.
The wounds from that day would shape the rest of his life. The attack inspired teenage Schleicher to come out.
“There was no hate crime bill to protect me so nothing happened to the people who attacked me. Nothing. Nothing. But they came after me,” he said while fighting back tears.
In 1991, Schleicher testified in front of state lawmakers in support of a Hate Crime bill.
He fears he would have died at East Hartford High if not for the mace in his pocket. Adding, “I would have been killed or paralyzed without a doubt.”
East Hartford Police only retain archived files for major cases like homicides and sexual assaults. Cases like Dennis’s are destroyed after 10 years.
Schleicher says he was expelled, homeschooled, and given enough credits to graduate early in January of his senior year. The charges were eventually dropped.
“All of this was illegal. They were supposed to provide education, special education classes for you, which they did not. To a certain extent they did,” Dupris said.
Telling the story of the attack on national television didn’t help.
“I was told that because you went on national television we’re cutting your homebound tutoring from 10 hours a week to 1 hour a week,” he says.
In a statement, decades after the attack, a spokesperson for East Hartford Public Schools said,
“East Hartford Public Schools recognizes and celebrates the diversity of our students, staff, and community. We are always striving to make our schools safe, inclusive spaces to fulfill our mission of delivering a high-quality learning experience for every child, every day.
“Some examples of our efforts to cultivate a welcoming learning environment for all students include having staff and student equity groups at each of our secondary schools and recently hosting a full day of professional development for all middle and high school teachers on Intersectional LGBTQ+ Inclusive Education, which featured an LGBTQ+ student panel. Our Board of Education policy on Bullying Prevention and Intervention specifically prohibits bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.”
Connecticut Department of Education tracked 822 cases of bullying during the 2021-22 school year. Those numbers and a spike in hate crimes are why Schleicher —a former Procter & Gamble VP, published author, and West Hartford-based self-proclaimed influencer—is sharing his story again at 50 years old.
“I feel like we’re back in 1989 again. When is it going to end?” Schleicher said.
Schleicher's message to bullying victims today:
“Use that to turn into power. However, don’t be silent about it. Bring it to your school officials. If they don’t listen bring it to your parents, bring it to your aunts, your uncles. Keep telling people about that situation until somebody listens.”
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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