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Thread: hate crimes

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    Default hate crimes

    MATTHEW SHEPARD was a cautious individual, but not, as it turned out, cautious enough. According to Laramie police, on the evening of October 6 the 21-year-old University of Wyoming student was befriended by two high school dropouts--Russell Henderson, 21, and Aaron McKinney, 22--at an off-campus hangout. Claiming that they were fellow gays, the two men lured Shepard into joining them for a ride. Shortly thereafter they started taking turns beating Shepard on the head with a revolver. They then drove him to the outskirts of town, tied him to a wooden ranch fence and proceeded to beat and torture him into a comatose state, finally abandoning him to the cold. The two cyclists who found the slightly built Shepard 18 hours later at first thought he was a scarecrow. He died October 12, never having regained consciousness.

    Kristen Leann Price, McKinney's girlfriend, claimed that "it wasn't meant to be a hate crime; they just wanted to rob him." The two men did take Shepard's wallet and shoes, but a need for cash can hardly have been the sole motive for such a vicious killing. An acquaintance of McKinney's describes him as "a total redneck" given to saying "crazy, stupid stuff about black people and gay people."

    A climate of fierce hostility toward gays was palpable in the days after the assault. While Shepard lay dying in a Fort Collins, Colorado, hospital, a college homecoming parade that passed near the hospital included a float that carried a scarecrow on which were painted the words, "I'm gay." Antigay picketers turned out for Shepard's funeral, led by Kansas minister Fred Phelps. They held posters saying, "Matt in Hell" and "No Tears for Queers," and several picketers, including Phelps, carried signs that said, "AIDS Cures Fags." (Shepard did not, however, have AIDS.)

    This kind of treatment of gays has not been confined to cowboy country. Assaults on gays have been on the rise throughout the nation, even in presumably safe places like New York City's Greenwich Village and Chicago's North Halsted area. Antigay assaults are up 81 percent in New York City this year, and they more than doubled in Chicago from 1996 to 1997. Shephard is not the only gay person who has been killed simply for being who he is.

    The antigay climate has surely been heightened by the rhetoric and activities of the Religious Right, evident in Wyoming and elsewhere. A coalition of Religious Right groups recently sponsored full-page newspaper ads across the country claiming that gays can change their sexual orientation and suggesting that they are lost souls if they don't. Ironically, although Shepard's death served to refuel the debate in Congress over the pending Hate Crimes Prevention Act and prompted the gay community to push harder for it, the focusing of attention on the bill's sexual-orientation category also reenergized the opposition of the Religious Right and its congressional allies--and made passage of the bill less likely.

    Religious Right leaders deny, of course, that they condone violence toward gays, insisting that they hate the sin, not the sinner. But such a distinction is dubious given the inflamed rhetoric often used by those on the Religious Right to condemn homosexuality-some talk of "waging war" against homosexuality, for example, or refer to gays as "sodomites"--and given the personal danger that homosexuals face. Those who delight in assailing homosexuality in vituperative terms are not entirely innocent when others take delight in assailing homosexuals with physical violence.

    In this situation, to quote Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, we have a "particular responsibility to stand with gays and lesbians, to decry all forms of violence against them-from verbal to physical--and to encourage dialogue that can, with God's help, lead to a new appreciation for their presence in the life of our church and the broader community."

    I dont know if you have read about this anywhere but I wanted to know how you feel about it???

  2. #2
    23*'s Avatar Stranger than fiction
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    sick sick sick...

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    suicidal_tendencies's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    thats a really touchy subject to me. lets just say I have some family out in Wyoming

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    suicidal_tendencies's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    *related to one of those who beat him*

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    Quote Originally Posted by suicidal_tendencies
    *related to one of those who beat him*
    really?? Im sorry if I offended you just wanted othere peoples out look on... I have been involved in a gay hate crime I was the victom I had 3 broken ribs and a black eye much more but we wont get in to it more then I have.. again I am sorry if I offende you
    Shadow

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    CarnalxKiss's Avatar Carnal Love Goddess
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    I don't think anyone has a right to cause harm or distress to a person for race, religion, sexual orientation or even for the way they look. If more people worried about their own lives and left others alone, we would all live much more harmonously. Who am I...or anyone else...to tell another how to live their life and who to have sex with...where to go, what to believe, etc.

    I say Live and let Live...those who are so hateful towards those unlike themselves, must have really low self esteem or severe inner issues..with themselves...and I feel sorry for them.

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    CarnalxKiss's Avatar Carnal Love Goddess
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    Oh by the way...I'm not gay...but I am proud to be a Sodomite....*winx*

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    Morning Glory's Avatar Apathetic Voter
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    yeah, god forbid we should offend a murderer by saying that them beating someone to death wasn't very good.

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    adorn_shadow's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    I have many a gay friend, and all of them are exremely nce. Most of them party harder than anyone else, and I certaintly dont think they are the "devils creation" LOL I :Hearts: Gay People!

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    adorn_shadow's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    Damn stupid emoticon didnt work meh!

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    CorporateGoth's Avatar Devout follower of Bob
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    I have family that teaches at UWYO, and I went out to Laramie about 2 1/2 years ago, and I met alot of people there who are as apalled as anyone can be. There is a real fear that everyone in the community is going to be labeled as homophobic. Now this area is pretty much cowboy country, but it is also a college community and there are a lot of educated people there who are very tolerant and open minded.
    Also, I don't think ST said that SHE was involved at all. I'm sure everyone here has a relative that has done something that they aren't proud of....

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    Amelia G's Avatar chick in charge
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    I used to do contract design work and one of the jobs I did was the scanning and formatting etc. of the photos of that poor kid's grieving parents and such for a big feature The Advocate did on the story. The haunted look in his parents eyes was so heart-breaking.

    I think what suicidal_tendencies was saying, and please correct me if I'm mistaken, is that imagine how painful it must be to be say the father of someone who did such a horrible thing to another man's son. I'm sure it was a horror for the families of all those involved, both those of, of course, the victim, but also those of the ignorant mislead dupes who took his life.

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    One Eyed Cat's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    Hate Crime *Legislation* is an interesting topic. In this instance, the young man was killed. Both of those degenerates should thus be put to death. It begs the question of whether we should punish all crimes equally, or should the thoughts behind the crime have a bearing on the punishment? I believe they should, but I see a lot of room for abuse when trying ascertain the motive behind certain crimes.
    Also, should utterances of hate be a crime? It is a more complex issue than one might think.

    OEC

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    Amelia G's Avatar chick in charge
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    Quote Originally Posted by OneEyedCat
    Hate Crime *Legislation* is an interesting topic. In this instance, the young man was killed. Both of those degenerates should thus be put to death. It begs the question of whether we should punish all crimes equally, or should the thoughts behind the crime have a bearing on the punishment? I believe they should, but I see a lot of room for abuse when trying ascertain the motive behind certain crimes.
    Also, should utterances of hate be a crime? It is a more complex issue than one might think.

    OEC
    I totally agree with you. In my personal life, I know that intent really counts to me. What someone meant to do is a big factor in how I interpret what they actually did.

    I think murder in general is a toughie because there really are degrees of horrible that murder can be. Does a pair of people who beat someone within an inch of his life deserve a lesser punishment than the guys in this case because the person actually died? Was their intent to kill or just injure and hurt? To a murdered person, their life is 100% over, so it perhaps makes no difference if they were tortured first or ***** or were a cop or any of the various factors our judicial system tends to take into account. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. But when actual people are involved, not just ideas, it sure does get messy.

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    One Eyed Cat's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    Quote Originally Posted by AmeliaG
    I totally agree with you. In my personal life, I know that intent really counts to me. What someone meant to do is a big factor in how I interpret what they actually did.

    I think murder in general is a toughie because there really are degrees of horrible that murder can be. Does a pair of people who beat someone within an inch of his life deserve a lesser punishment than the guys in this case because the person actually died? Was their intent to kill or just injure and hurt? To a murdered person, their life is 100% over, so it perhaps makes no difference if they were tortured first or ***** or were a cop or any of the various factors our judicial system tends to take into account. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. But when actual people are involved, not just ideas, it sure does get messy.
    That's true. There are instances where taking a life would not truly be murder. We do have gradations of first degree, second degree etc. I guess I should qualify my other statements to say I have purely premeditated murder in mind. If say a fight breaks out and one person is killed that would be a different story. Constitutional law tends to rely on codification. For many crimes, you may get a mandatory minimum or guidelines which disable a judge (or jury) to even be able to take into account the circumstances. I actually love law despite it all, but I tend to wonder if a system such as Scottish law (based more on discovery and having more flexibility i n sentencing is actually better.)


    OEC

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    suicidal_tendencies's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadow
    really?? Im sorry if I offended you just wanted othere peoples out look on... I have been involved in a gay hate crime I was the victom I had 3 broken ribs and a black eye much more but we wont get in to it more then I have.. again I am sorry if I offende you
    Shadow
    dont worry you didnt. I had a girlfriend remember? I don't like that part of my family too much. He's a major asshole. I'm not too sure if he's still in jail or not but I really don't care. In my opinion we should tie him to a fence and beat him down with a gun.

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    Quote Originally Posted by suicidal_tendencies
    dont worry you didnt. I had a girlfriend remember? I don't like that part of my family too much. He's a major asshole. I'm not too sure if he's still in jail or not but I really don't care. In my opinion we should tie him to a fence and beat him down with a gun.
    yes I remember.. I really want to know why people feel so compeld to beat someone just because of how they are.. and what some people dont understand is that being gay is not a choice its just how we are.. I mean who wants to live thier life in fear and hate its not like I woke up one day a said so today I have decided that I am going to be a lesbian its stupid..
    Shadow

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    grebo's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    micheal moore harrassed phelps with his sodomy mobile. funniest stuff, phelps kept on saying "dont touch me" as though he could be infected by something with a touch.

    i read a book about mathew shepard, fucking sad story but it also talks about the how exaggerated the story got after it got in the media.

    instead of executing those guys who did it why not chemically castrate them?

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    I can't wait for the day when all the homosexual males snap and raid a church or just start beating the shit out of gay bashers. I want to see a gay chase a church protestor down in his car, get out and shove the sign up the terrified church-goer's ass. I think religion is a major problem in this world.

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    skully's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    wasn't this incident or something similar turned into a movie?
    i remember the part about being tied up to the fence and found by passing bicyclists thinking it was a scarecrow?

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    adorn_shadow's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    I must agree Organised Religion Can Propagate Organised Hate!
    Damn them!

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    Morning Glory's Avatar Apathetic Voter
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    jesus christ said "forgive them, they know not what they do." it's always been assumed he meant the pharisees and the romans, but maybe he meant his own followers! how's that for an idea? pretty fitting, i'd say!

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    Quote Originally Posted by skully
    wasn't this incident or something similar turned into a movie?
    i remember the part about being tied up to the fence and found by passing bicyclists thinking it was a scarecrow?
    yes it was turned into a movie its called the Laramie project

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    Quote Originally Posted by SindelChaos
    I can't wait for the day when all the homosexual males snap and raid a church or just start beating the shit out of gay bashers. I want to see a gay chase a church protestor down in his car, get out and shove the sign up the terrified church-goer's ass. I think religion is a major problem in this world.
    That will be the day I think I will sit on top a big building and watch

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    One Eyed Cat's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    I've already seen gay guys rise up and beat skinheads senseless in the East Bay Area. They basically policed around the punk clubs for years. A couple skins were killed and the rest fled to Portland Oregon and then Idaho I couldn't stop laughing after me and my x g/f did it on Skinhead Hill and noone was there. (above Haight Street San Francisco) There are plenty of gay guys that can stomp ass. (and plenty of back up)


    OEC

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    Quote Originally Posted by OneEyedCat
    I've already seen gay guys rise up and beat skinheads senseless in the East Bay Area. They basically policed around the punk clubs for years. A couple skins were killed and the rest fled to Portland Oregon and then Idaho I couldn't stop laughing after me and my x g/f did it on Skinhead Hill and noone was there. (above Haight Street San Francisco) There are plenty of gay guys that can stomp ass. (and plenty of back up)


    OEC
    haha fuck yeah that must have been a riot

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    One Eyed Cat's Avatar Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shadow
    haha fuck yeah that must have been a riot
    'twas indeed. The world surprises me sometimes, man.


    OEC

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    Quote Originally Posted by OneEyedCat
    'twas indeed. The world surprises me sometimes, man.


    OEC
    Wish I were there, I would take photos and have someone else take video footage. It would just be great.

  29. #29
    One Eyed Cat's Avatar Senior Member
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    Default Re: hate crimes

    We should have taken photos at least. This was back in the day tho. It was amazing to see them gone.

    OEC

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