Saturday, March 15, 2008

Anti-gay violence increases across the nation

There is an alarming increase in anti-gay violence across the nation.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports more than 7,000 anti-gay hate crimes in 2005 alone (latest year statistics are available), and since 2003 at least 58 people have been murdered because of their sexual orientation. 6 of those 58 deaths have happened rights here in Kentucky!

Gay/Lesbian/Straight Education Network, is advocating a countrywide vigil in protest against violence toward the gay/lesbian community. This national effort is in reaction to the Feb. 12 shooting at a California school of a 15-year-old gay student that left him brain dead. Another student shot him in the head because of his expressions of his sexual orientation.

In Florida’s Broward County, 17 year-old Simmie Williams Jr, was murdered last week, which Police are investigating as a possible hate crime based on his sexual orientation or gender identity.

In West Virginia, Ricky Williams, 45, was beaten by a man and two women forced their way into his apartment. Williams later died from brain damage.

A Metropolitan Community Church in Washington, D.C. was shot up for the second time in recent weeks and the congregation is worried that hatred could be behind the attacks because of who was worshiping. The Metropolitan Community Church in Northwest ministers to the largest congregation of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered people in the D.C. Area.

Those facts are from an amicus brief that two gay groups — Pink Pistols and Gays and Lesbians for Individual Liberty — have filed in
[District of Columbia v. Heller]. Pink Pistols is a shooting group who believes we should take up self-defense with guns).

Gun control laws in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts did not prevent Jacob Robida from acquiring a gun, and hate crime laws did not deter him from entering a gay bar in New Bedford and shooting several patrons. After learning he was in a gay bar, Robida pulled out a gun and shot one person in the face, another in the head (twice), and a third person in the abdomen.

The boundaries of queer-minded comedy also come up once again this past Friday, thanks to a gay punch line and some politically-minded video editing. Canadian comedian Harland Williams, appeared on Conan O’Brien this week and delivered a fairly recognizable joke: Brits call cigarettes “fags” and it’s confusing for North Americans. Williams stated “I’d like to smoke a fag and boil a couple of lesbians myself.”

Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern has received more than 7,000 emails and death threats after
making the statement that gays are indoctrinating our children at age two, and are "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam." “Oh and also gayness is a cancer that spreads just like life-threatening toe cancer.”

What can be done to stop this?
How does the LGBT community protect itself?


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

grab a gun and defend yourself.

Anonymous said...

Violence begets violence... I still believe in peace... I still believe in hope. We can't live in a society where the ultimate solution to everything is to kill somebody!!! Part of the reason I became involved in the KEF was because in 2006, I was attacked in a public restroom in Nashville after I had been seen kissing in my own car. My attacker had a knife and sliced my stomach from one side to the other but taking a knife to everyone who has a different opinion than mine is not the answer... Peace, education and a strong resolve for chang are!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Ted, Violence does beget Violence.If we do grab a gun to defend ourselves what is that solving, We are trying to a solve problem not add to it...We can not change the world but we can change the worlds view of the LGBT commununity...Working for Equality.

Anonymous said...

Toe cancer? That's the analogy of choice? Frankly, I don't expect much better from Christians. Why shouldn't they be violent, hateful and ignorant, just like their God? Deuteronomy 7:2 "And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them."

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