Matthew Shepard was attacked 13 years ago tonight

I remember the attack, over at AMERICAblog Gay. Read the rest of this post...

White teens in Mississippi took drive to beat up 1st black person they saw. Found 49 y.o. auto wkr, beat him, then ran him over, dead. And there's video.

NOTE FROM JOHN: This story comes across far worse when you watch CNN's video.  Watch the video.  These are cute little pretty suburban white boys, who did this. First they all beat the guy, a 49 year old auto worker who was coming out of a motel at 5am, then when the man stumbled away for help, the one kid gunned his engine and ran the man over, dead.  It's all on video.  Speechless.

This is beyond disturbing. From Pam Spaulding:

I caution you to think about whether you want to watch this video, since it's graphic, but honestly, if you want to see what racism breeds.

In Mississippi, young men decided that their entertainment for the evening was to go for a drive and kick the sh*t out of the first black person that they came across. (CNN):

Read Pam's full post. Seriously.

The fact that these teens were ready to kill any black person they came across is chilling; it is very hard for me not to project myself in that situation - my life is worthless to people like this. Life snuffed out in an instant.

You have to ask yourself -- what kind of home life did these teens have? Was there bold and open racist talk by their parents that sowed the seeds of hate? What kind of diversity existed in their school lives? Mississippi has to own this kind of cultural nightmare; but so do a lot of states, eve ones with diverse populations, that still deal with racism, colorism and violence over cultural differences.

We have come a long way in terms of laws on the books to address discrimination, but in other, darker corners of society, nothing much has changed at all for a slice of the population that sees people of color as expendible, exploitable, and an obstacle to their desire to remain socially segregated.

Read the rest of this post...

15 year old gay kid executed by white supremacist classmate for supposedly making flirtatious remark after being bullied

The hateful messages sent by the pedophile-enabling Catholic Church, their vindictive Catholic Charities, the hate groups of the religious right, and the Republican party all play a role in creating and sustaining a culture in this country where gays are considered an "abomination," the word used by the white supremacist who killed this kid.  And what does the Bible say?  That gays shall surely be put to death.

And I know we shouldn't take Leviticus literally, but guess what - lots of crazy people around the country do take it literally, and the Bible as currently translated feeds a climate of hate where white supremacists think they're acting on God's will.  Controversial notion?  Again, the book's own words, on their face, say to kill gay people.  How much more explicit does it have to be for folks who say you should take the Bible literally?

I've written about this before.  Check out what nearly as I can tell, practically ever English language version of the Bible says about gays.  Kill kill kill kill kill. Read the rest of this post...

Ratko Mladic arrives in The Hague

He was shown a lot more compassion yesterday than he ever showed during the war when they allowed him to visit the grave of his daughter. The Guardian:

"In the detention unit, he will be introduced to the regulations and the rules of the unit and of the tribunal, he will be give a copy of the indictment and then a medical examination," said Nerma Jelacic, the spokeswoman for the International criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague.

"He will be held in a isolation cell on his own for at least few days so that his assimilation can be monitored, and after that he will be in a cell in one of the three wings of the detention unit."

After the first few days, Mladic will be able to mix with the prison's other 36 war crimes defendants of various nationalities, including other Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims. They have an exercise yard, computers, televisions, art classes and even massage on request.

In a related story, the young boy who was photographed with Mladic during the war has recently been found. The rest of his male family were killed during the massacre. Read the rest of this post...

70 year old man stoned to death because Bible says to stone homosexuals

I don't ever want to hear anyone invoke the Bible on any political matter again. Because the guy is right, the Bible does say to stone gays to death. Read the rest of this post...

FBI (that would be Obama's FBI) concludes not a hate crime for two Marines to knock a gay guy unconscious for supposedly winking at them

Apparently the injury wasn't serious enough, the FBI and local police concluded. Mind you, they hit him in the head and knocked him unconscious. Not a serious injury. Read the rest of this post...

McCain's meltdown over DADT and Hate Crimes

Remember that unstable John McCain we all grew to know during the 2008 campaign. Well, he was back with a vengeance today on the Senate floor screaming "Get off my lawn, you damn gays":

And, he's wrong about hate crimes. There was no secrecy around it. In fact, there were two recent Senate votes amending hate crimes to the Defense Authorization bill. In 2007, the hate crimes amendment broke the filibuster by vote of 60 - 39 (McCain was absent.) In 2009, the hate crimes amendment broke the filibuster by a vote of 63 - 28. McCain was there. The debate lasted a couple hours, not weeks. Clearly, McCain is easily confused, especially when he's being homophobic.

This is just an early indicator of what the battle will be like in the Senate to pass the compromise DADT repeal bill. It's going to get ugly. Read the rest of this post...

Vicious crime in SC: Black man shot, 'body was dragged for several miles'

I was just IMing with Pam Spaulding when she sent me an article about a vicious "possible hate crime" in South Carolina. It sounds like the James Byrd murder. Her post is here:

We must weep at how the sickness of hate still flows freely. How can we, as human beings, do such things to one another?

The shooting death of a black man whose body was dragged for several miles is being investigated as a possible hate crime after the arrest of a white man he worked with, South Carolina's state police chief said.

Gregory Collins, 19, is charged with murder and made his first court appearance Thursday. No bond was set and he did not yet have an attorney, Newberry County Magistrate Ron Halfacre said.

...Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said Collins and Hill spent most of Tuesday together and were at Collins' mobile home late Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning when Hill was shot.

Foster said Collins then attached a nylon rope around Hill's body and began dragging it behind his truck, apparently until the rope snapped several miles later.

It's horrible. Just horrible. Read the rest of this post...

TAKE ACTION: Brutal decapitation in Puerto Rico of 19 year old boy, possible anti-gay hate crime

UPDATE: Joe and I have created an online action center where people can send emails to Attorney General Holder asking him to have the FBI investigate this possible hate crime. The local police investigator, assigned to the crime, said because the kid was gay he should have expected this to happen. Please visit the action center and send your email, then tell your friends.

You can read more about the story here on AMERICAblog Gay. Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning from Maine.

The President will sign the Department of Defense authorization today, which means the Hate Crimes bill will finally become the Hate Crimes Law. There's a reception at the White House tonight in honor of this development.

So, while we're making progress on hate in D.C. in Maine, haters are in the spotlight today. Two of the worst of the worst homophobes are campaigning for the anti-gay campaign today. Louise posted Peter LaBarbera's sordid history at Pam's House Blend. He's just obsessed with all things gay -- and knows more about gay sex than most gay people. Even worse, the Catholic Bishop's campaign is bringing in a designated hate group, Mass Resistance. The hate group's Brian Camenker and LaBarbera will be holding their hate-a-palooza at the State House in Augusta this morning. I'm going. Just wondering if Bishop Richard Malone will be joining them. He's the leader of the anti-gay campaign and these haters are his allies.

If you want to help turn out the vote in Maine, you can Call for Equality.

Let's get threading.. Read the rest of this post...

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good moring.

This morning, my radio woke me up to the repeated intonation, "You can't get H1N1 from eating pork." I'm not sure who the speaker was, but she was very adamant. Now, I've got that mantra stuck in my head.

The President has a busy day, including a briefing from Afghanistan and signing the "Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act" into law. He's also having lunch with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I'm sure the President, who supports the public option, will be thrilled to know that the Speaker has the votes to pass health insurance reform with a strong public option. Now, the president has to apply some of presidential muscle in the Senate to get it done.

The Senate will be voting on cloture on the Defense Authorization bill today. That legislation includes the Hate Crimes Act. The GOPers have been playing games with this bill, hence the need to cut off debate, which requires 60 votes.

Let's get threading... Read the rest of this post...

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

The President of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is in Washington today. He's having lunch with Obama at the White House. Zapatero was elected in 2004 and one of his first acts was to take Spain out of the "coalition of the willing" in Iraq. For that, he was ignored by the Bush administration. But, he's back in the fold now.

Today, the Senate Finance Committee will vote on the Baucus health care reform bill. There will be a lot of chatter and speculation about Olympia Snowe's vote. For some reason that defies rational thinking, the Obama administration has turned her into the most important Senator on health care. I guess that's because there are only 60 Democrats.

Eleven years ago, Matthew Shepard died. He was 21. The brutality of his murder shocked all of us. This week, the Senate will pass the Defense bill, which includes the hate crimes legislation. The passage of that bill is due in large part to the tireless work of Matthew's mother, Judy. Here's a video I got of Judy in July. She was at the Capitol working with Senator Reid on the bill:

Let's get started.. Read the rest of this post...

Three dead from shooting during teen meeting at gay club in Tel Aviv. Seen as hate crime

Background on the horrific story here and here. Israeli authorities are viewing this as a hate crime. Pam also found video:
Read the rest of this post...

Big day: Hate Crimes passed in House; Same-sex marriage passed in the NH Senate

The Hate Crimes bill just passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 249 - 175. The House Republicans sure worked hard to prove that they are hateful and out of touch today. Witness the new Marilyn Musgrave: North Carolina's Rep. Virginia Foxx.

Also, by a vote of 13 - 11, the New Hampshire State Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill today. The House already passed the bill. The Democratic Governor, John Lynch, hasn't said what he'll do yet. Come on, Governor Lynch. Do you really want to be remembered for vetoing this bill? Read the rest of this post...

Republican congresswoman says Matthew Shepard's murder was "a hoax"

The House Republican chosen to lead the charge against including women, people with disabilities, and gays in America's already-existing hate crimes law - existing law already counts violent crime based on the race, religion or national origin of the victim as a "hate crime" - just referred on the US House floor to Matthew Shepard's murder as "a hoax."

You will recall that Matthew Shepard was the young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming who, a decade ago, was tied to a fence, Jesus-like, pistol whipped in the head some 50 times, then left for dead in the cold fall night, only to be found a day later clinging to life. Shepard died five days later. Even though Shepard's murderers admitted that they killed him because he was gay, the far-right bigots who control the Republican party couldn't resist the opportunity to gay-bash Shepard one last time. Now by referring to his brutal murder as a hoax.

Here is what North Carolina (figures) Republican had to say about Shepard's horrific murder:

If you didn't vote for this bill -- against this bill and against this rule for anything else, you could vote against it because we are spending additional money. i also would like to point out that there was a bill -- the hate crimes bill that's called the matthew sheppard bill is named afte a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. it wasn't because he was gay. this -- the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.

Now read what really happened:

During the trial, Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price (the pair's then-girlfriends) testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney both plotted beforehand to rob a gay man. McKinney and Henderson then went to the Fireside Lounge and selected Shepard as their target. McKinney alleged that Shepard asked them for a ride home. After befriending him, they took him to a remote area of Laramie where they robbed him, beat him severely (media reports often contained the graphic account of the pistol whipping and his smashed skull), and tied him to a fence with a rope from McKinney's truck. Shepard begged for his life. Both girlfriends also testified that neither McKinney nor Henderson was under the influence of drugs at the time. The beating was so severe that the only areas on Shepard's face that were not covered in blood were those where his tears had washed the blood stains away.

Media Matters has lots of links, and quotes, from the mainstream media attesting to the fact that Shepard was murdered because he was gay.

A hoax? Belittling the brutal murder of a 21 year old college student? And Republicans wonder why their angry, hateful, pathetic party is now only 20% of the US population.

Watch the video for yourself. Then feel free to call this sorry excuse for a human being and tell her what you think of her bigotry.

Phone: (202) 225-2071
Phone: (336) 778-0211
Phone: (828) 265-0240



I wonder where Virginia Foxx stood on letting blacks swim in our pools fifty years ago. Actually, I think I already know. Read the rest of this post...

Former GOP lawmaker, and KKK member, arrested in Prague

Our good friend, former Republican state lawmaker, and KKK leader, David Duke, was arrested in Prague for denying the Holocaust. It's a crime punishable by three years in prison. Too bad he didn't go to the Vatican instead. They'd have made him a Bishop. Putting that aside, it's understandable why the Czech Republic would have laws against Holocaust denial. Though I am waiting for the religious right to now come to the rescue of their poor soulmate. After all, he's a bigot being persecuted under hate speech laws. And you know how the religious right is all up in arms over European hate speech laws. Perhaps some intrepid reporter should ask the Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, and the Family Research Council how they feel about David Duke's arrest under hate speech laws. It would make a fascinating story. Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Two important events today in the world of LGBT policy. The House Judiciary Committee is holding a mark-up on the Matthew Shepard Act, which will expand hate crimes protection from "race, color, religion or national origin" to include "gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability." In the last session of Congress, the bill passed both houses (even breaking a filibuster in the Senate), but Bush said he would veto it. This year, it should become law, because that last impediment is gone.

Also, the Maine Legislature is holding a hearing on the same-sex marriage bill. The hearing, which should last all day, was moved from the State House to the auditorium at the Augusta Civic Center to accommodate the crowds.

And, in other news, torture is the topic of the day. Lots of different stories and revelations.

Let's get it started... Read the rest of this post...

Tony Perkins' special rights

Hey, I appreciate an effeminate homophobe as much as the next guy, but Tony Perkins, the head of the anti-civil-rights group Family Research Council, crosses a line when he outright lies. Which is far more often than he should for someone who claims to be a Christian.

The issue is hate crimes legislation. And more specifically, why Tony Perkins already has hate crimes legislation protecting him. And why he hasn't renounced it.

You see, US has has had hate crimes law for decades. They cover race, religion and national origin. The hate crimes bill you keep hearing about, the past couple of years, isn't new legislation. It's a new amendment to OLD legislation that would simply add gender, disability and sexual orientation to the already-existing hate crimes law.

Regardless of your view on hate crimes laws, since the US already has such a law, shouldn't it cover everybody? Why does Tony Perkins get special rights that you and I don't have? When I see Tony Perkins send out an action alert about the hate crimes amendments, and spread outright lies, it still surprises me, even though I know that the religious right bigots have no honor. Here is what Perkins wrote today:

Adding "sexual orientation" to thought crimes legislation gives one set of crime victims a higher level of protection than it gives to people like you and me. [emphasis added]

ALL people deserve to be protected from crime, not just certain groups.

Well, no, Ms. Tony. It doesn't give other people more protection than it gives people like you. People like you are already covered under the "thought crimes" legislation that's already on the books. You didn't bother telling your members that fact, did you. You also didn't tell your members that in the decades that your special rights have been law, no one has been prosecuted for thinking, for example, that you're a bit fey for a real homophobe. So what makes you think that by letting other people in on your special rights, somehow, suddenly, all legal hell will break loose?

I wonder why it is that Tony Perkins thinks he has to lie to his members in order to keep them hating gay people. Perhaps Tony is afraid that if his members knew the truth, they might like gay people just a little bit more, and him a little bit less.

The media needs to ask Tony Perkins and the rest of his religious right coven why they aren't calling for the repeal of the current hate crimes laws that already protect them, if they're so convinced that hate crimes laws are bad. Read the rest of this post...

Ellen: ‘We must change’ our country’s attitudes towards gays.

From ThinkProgress:

In a segment that airs today, talk show host Ellen DeGeneras speaks about the murder of 15-year-old Lawrence King, who was killed by a classmate for being gay. Saying that “we must change our country,” Ellen urges her audience to “check on who you’re voting for” to see if they stand for gay rights:

A boy has been killed and a number of lives have been ruined. And, somewhere along the line the killer, Brandon, got the message that it’s so threatening, so awful, and so horrific that Larry would want to be his Valentine — that killing Larry seemed to be the right thing to do. And when the message out there is so horrible that to be gay, you can get killed for it, we need to change the message. Larry was not a second-class citizen. I am not a second-class citizen. It’s ok if you’re gay.

Ellen's show has posted the video on YouTube. Read the rest of this post...

Senate approves expansion of hate crimes legislation

The big hurdle facing hate crimes legislation in the Senate as been overcome. In a 60-39 vote to proceed to adoption, the Senate approved the Kennedy amendment which adds sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the existing hate crimes legislation.

Among the Republicans that crossed the aisle to move the legislation forward. (Roll Call here):

John Warner
Richard Lugar
Susan Collins
Olympia Snowe
George Voinovich
Arlen Specter
Norm Coleman
Judd Gregg
Gordon Smith (co-sponsor)

Kennedy then asked for a voice vote on the amendment and that subsequently passed.

The measure is part of the defense reauthorization bill, which is slated to go up for a vote in the near future.

As you might imagine, Diaper Dave Vitter voted no, as did Toe Tapping Larry Craig. Read the rest of this post...