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Hate crimes committed against gays
Hate crimes committed against gays
Homophobic hate crimes, essay
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The murder of Matthew Shepard who was gay and only had 21 year’s old, happened in the state of Wyoming in 1999. Just before Matthew was murdered, he was in a bar and ask Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney for a ride home. These two agreed to take Matthew home, however they had different intentions. “Subsequently, Shepard was robbed, severely beaten, and tied to a fence in a remote area” (Burns & McNamara, 2008, p. 182). Unfortunately, the attack on Matthew left him with a fractured skull and severe brain damage. This cause death of Shepard four days after the attack occur. There was no doubt this was a hate crime that Aaron and Russel committed against Shepard just because of his homosexual orientation. This author believes that the killing
On May 7th 2000, fifteen year old Brenton Butler was accused of the murder of Mary Ann Stephens, who had been fatally shot in the head while walking down a breezeway of a hotel with her husband. Two and a half hours later, Butler is seen walking a mile away from where the incident occurred, and is picked up by the police because he fit the description of the individual who shot Mary Ann Stephens. However, the only characteristic of the description that Butler featured was the color of his skin. Police then brought Butler to the scene of the crime in order for Mary Ann Stephens’s husband, James Stephens, to confirm whether or not Butler was the individual who had shot his wife. Almost immediately, Stephens identifies Butler as his wife’s killer.
Most of the time when hate crime happen in the society, everyone got feared and questions the environment they living in. Same happened in the case of Matthew Shepard's, when everyone in Laramie got the news of the inhuman behavior incident happened with him. Due to Matthews nice and cheerful personality it was hard for his family and friends to believe on that news. This mishap left a feeling of distrust and insecurity in the society which can be conducted by the way many people used the phrase, “Live and Let Live”in the project. If we interpret this phrase
In his article, “The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three”, Rich explores how the people of Memphis drew horrific conclusions about people based on the lifestyle they chose to practice. The article highlights the trials and tribulations faced by the accused three young teenagers. Rich does this by citing the popular documentary series “Paradise Lost” which is an in depth analysis into the lives of the accused, the victims’ families and members of the community. This paper outlines how the belief system of that time superseded the inconclusive evidence, which ultimately led to an unfair trial. By “othering” and “marginalizing” those three teens, the society and police created a scenario that aligned with their belief system at the time. Lastly, this paper highlights the influence of the media and celebrity in changing the course for these boys.
Shepard was a homosexual man, and his murder was labeled as a hate crime, a murder which, in the late 90's, dominated the airwaves: “Matthew Shepard” was the name at the tip of everyone's tongue, but what made his murder special? JoAnn Wypilewski points out in her essay “A Boy's Life” that, “Gay men are killed horribly everywhere in this country, more than thirty just since Shepard – one of them in Richmond, Virginia, beheaded” (609). When so many men are killed in a similar context why do we specifically care about Matthew Shepard – or why don't we? Searching simply the name “Matthew Shepard” in the Google database yields thousands of results in the form of articles, news periodicals, and videos. The media exposure of the Matthew Shepard case is overwhelming. The overload of information can leave us clueless. As college students of the twenty-teens who are fifteen years removed from the incident how do we care about Matthew Shepard?
On television, I watched characters such as Marco del Rossi and Paige Michalchuk on the Canadian teen-drama Degrassi. These were the first positive experiences I had of what gay culture was like. Of what I saw, I did not feel like I fit into that lifestyle/group. On the other hand, the movie The Matthew Shepard Story shared the violent side of homosexuality’s history in the retelling of Matthew Shepard’s murder.
Facts: Twenty one year old, University of Wyoming college student, Matthew Shepard, died October 12, 1998 at 12:53 a.m. after spending five days in a comma due to massive injuries and head trauma in a robbery and hate crime assault (Matthew Shepard, 2000 [on-line]). Matthew Shepard met Aaron McKinney (22) and Russell Henderson (21) of Laramie in a local bar called Fireside Lounge. McKinney and Henderson had been drinking. The two led Shepard to believe they were gay and lured Shepard to their truck. McKinney pulled out a gun and said, Guess what- we’re not gay and you’re gonna get jacked. McKinney then told Shepard to give him his wallet. When Shepard refused, McKinney hit him with the gun. With Henderson behind the wheel, McKinney continued to strike Shepard. McKinney then told Henderson to get a rope out of the truck. McKinney allegedly tied Shepard’s beaten body to a wooden split-rail post fence, robbed him of his wallet and patent leather shoes, continued to beat him and left him to die for over 18 hours. Chasity Vera Pasley (20) and Krista Lean Price (18), the suspect’s girlfriends, hid the bloody shoes of Henderson and provided the suspects with alibis. Shepard’s shoes, coat and credit card were found in McKinney’s pick-up truck; his wallet was found in McKinney’s home. A .357 Magnum was also found in McKinney’s home (Matthew Shepard, 2000 [on-line]).
. Spaid argues that hate crime laws, sometimes referred to as “reform laws,” are ultimately ineffective, harmful, and maintain an oppressive and violent system in which it claims to resist. These laws “include crimes motivated by the gender identity and/or expression of the victim,” (79) implicated in seven states across the country, such as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, created after the hate murders of these two men fueled by bigotry and hate. Proponents of these laws argue that they would work as “preventative messages,” and increase the regard in which these crimes are considered, under the terms of preserving the humanity of these victims, often trans women, while increasing their visibility. These
The Oakland County Child Killer task force didn't determine who murdered four children, but it did lead to a child porn ring being busted. Interestingly, Chris Busch was part of the arrest for the North Fox Island porn ring. Busch was found with eight rolls of undeveloped film that contained disturbing images of children. After being arrested, Busch was bailed out for a mere $1,000. He was never prosecuted, and the Oakland County Child Killer's last victim was abducted three weeks later.
The famous Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bed but was it suicide? It was a murder that was unsolved at the time of the death and spread through the news to become one of the most talked about murder mysteries. Was it really a mystery? Through an enormous amount of research and the analysis and synthesis of the victim, crime scene, suspicious behavior, and evidence, it is clear that the murderer has been identified.
Hate crime legislation is needed. Crimes are on the upswing, becoming more public, more violent, and more acceptable in certain places of society. Without the proposed laws there is little chance that this shall become any less prevalent. As NGLTF, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a well-respected agency who fights for equal rights for homosexuals, stated in their December 1997 article, the exclusion or removal of sexual orientation from hate crimes legislation by law makers is morally indefensible at a time when anti-gay violence is widespread. Failure to address this critical problem sends a dangerous message to law enforcement and the public that anti-gay violence does not exist, or worse, is somehow less reprehensible than violence against other minorities.
In 1998, the town was shocked to the event that eventually changed the perception of the people of Laramie as well as the places where the gone far. The brutal, senseless murder of Matthew Shepard, who was gay, threw the quiet, laid-back community into the center of a media feeding-frenzy; broadcast and print journalists from across the country seized on the "hate-crime" aspects of Shepard's death (Lincoln). Wyoming, Laramie became a center of attention of many human rights groups particularly the LGBTQ community. According to the crime description, this was a deadly gay-bashing, in a lonesome, rural place, without much of a visible gay community and a political establishment not only opposed to that community’s needs, but even hostile toward its existence (Marsden). The Laramie Project was created to convey the comments of people in Laramie about the crime and how similar these comments are to the point of view of other people from different states or countries. The attack’s historical impact on Wyoming, and Laramie, and those places’ broader public identities to strangers worldwide, were powerfully shaped by the shocking first impressions of this vividly remembered crime; there are not enough laws about this kind of thing, in Wyoming or anywhere (Marsden). The death of Matthew Shepard encourage the creative and media industry to promote the fight against violence and
The film Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine, is a true story based off of the life of a young homosexual man who was the victim of a hate crime. The victim, Matt Shepard, had been brutally beaten to death by two men, McKinney and Henderson, who claim themselves to be homophobic. When this case was taken to court, the two assailants used the gay panic defense. This is a legal defense in which the defendant claims they acted in a state of violent temporary insanity because of a psychiatric condition called homosexual panic.
Ever wondered if there is a serial killer in your community? The characteristics of a serial killer may shock you or be surprisingly familiar to some of you. It is important for society to get informed about the various types of serial killers that are out there. It is essential for families to educate their children about strangers, to be careful with everyone they encounter on the streets, store, and even in their neighborhoods. A serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more people in at least three separate events, with a "cooling-off period" between the kills. The big question is, what makes a person do these atrocious killings? We will analyze personal histories, categorized serial killers,
The killing of this trans-gender woman is not a hate crime at all. Its more of a sad senseless murder that had nothing to do with the fact that she was trans-gender. It was mainly all about money. However, Keisha Jenkins was found to be a prostitute.
Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, the BTK Killer. The names and assumed names of these cold-blooded serial killers are forever branded into the cognizance of people everywhere. This is mainly due to the mass media coverage, including newspapers, movies, television specials and books. This media coverage brought to light that these killers were, on the surface, normal, successful, attractive, productive members of society – that is, until the time that their heinous crimes came to be discovered.