Stop Gay Hate Crimes!

The gay community has come so far in their fight for equality and freedom. But they still have a very long way to go, because there are still states that haven't legalized gay marriage and there are still rights that they are denied as a result of this. The main problem though, is that even with all the equal rights and freedom there are still instances of gay intolerance and homophobia. Throughout history the gay community has been attacked and criticized for their sexual orientation by nearly every group of people on Earth. The main reasons for the intolerance are because people are taught to hate gay people, whether by their parents, religion, peers, or role models. In this post I am reviewing the topics of gay intolerance, gay hate, and prejudice. Here are instances of violence against the gay community:

• On February 12th, 2008, 15 year old Lawrence "Larry" Fobes King  was shot twice by fellow student 14 year old Brandon Mclnerney for being gay, he died two days later. What made Brandon snap and do the shooting is still unclear.
• On October 6, 1998, 21 year old Matthew Shepard was offered a ride home from Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson after meeting them for the first time at a lounge. The drove Matthew out to a remote, rural road where they then robbed, pistol-whipped, and tortured Matthew. Afterwards they tied him to a fence and left him to die, 18 hours later a cyclist finally found Matthew, who he thought was a scarecrow at first. Matthew died 6 days later while in intensive career.
• On July 19, 2005, two homosexual Iranian teens were publicly executed in Edalat Square in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. Mahmoud Asgari, 16, and Ayaz Marhoni, 18, they were publicly hung after being accused of sexually assaulting a 13 year old boy, it was never proven that they committed this crime, it is believed to be propaganda used against the gay community to further the belief that homosexuality is wrong and people should be punished for being gay. 
• On March 21, 2000 Steen Keith Fenrich's acid washed skull and foot were found in a tub near Oakland Lake Park in Queens. On his skull was a carving of a social security number, along with a racist, anti-gay slur. It was later revealed that his stepfather was responsible for his murder, and he shot himself during a standoff with police.
• Ronnie Antonio Paris Jr. was a three year old boy who was heavily abused by his father until he finally died on January 28th, 2005 from his injuries. His father forced him to participate in boxing matches because he felt that the boy was going to grow up gay, and wanted him to be more masculine.
• On February 19th, 2006, a transgender woman in Portugal, referred to as Gisberta, was tied up, beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted by a group of 14 boys between the ages of 10-16. They entered the abandoned building she lived in and proceeded to assault her for days before finally throwing her in a pit where she drowned to death on February 22nd. The boys were raised to hate "faggots."
 

 

(Gay Hate Crime Faces & Stories, taken from www.youtube.com by robb2233)

Here is a great video with the stories that I talked about in the earlier posts, as well as many others that have happened up until 2007. I highly recommend that everybody watches this video and educate themselves on the extent of gay hatred. This video only has some, of the many gay hate crimes that happen all around the world, there are many more that have happened since this video was made. Stories like these are the reason why I am so against prejudice of any kind, and I believe that hurting or killing someone is wrong, especially for reasons such as sexual orientation. These kinds of events could be avoided if people are properly educated on the wrongs of prejudice, and are taught from a young age that hate is bad. These are necessary steps to not only make the world a more accepting place, but make it a more safe and caring place for people to live in.