Newsweek Examines the Bible and Marriage for Gay and Lesbian Couples
December 8, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
The December 15th edition of Newsweek, released to newsstands this past weekend, features a cover story examining the relationship between marriage for gay and lesbian couples and the Bible. 
Written by Lisa Miller, the article deconstructs interpretations of religious positions and Bible passages on marriage, revealing a clear detachment from the present-day idea of “traditional marriage” used by some anti-gay movements.
A key tactic in the campaign for the passage of Proposition 8 in California last month, which took away the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry, was to advocate for the protection of a religiously based institution of marriage, therefore wrongfully positing the gay community against the religious community. The Newsweek article debunks this present-day interpretation of marriage, explaining that oftentimes the original context or meaning of passages has become convoluted and misconstrued with the passage of time.
The article concludes by suggesting that the larger ideas promoted in the Bible, such as love and acceptance, be given higher regard than stand-alone passages. The author states that this would prove to promote an acceptance of marriage for gay and lesbian couples:
The practice of inclusion, even in defiance of social convention, the reaching out to outcasts, the emphasis on togetherness and community over and against chaos, depravity, indifference-all these biblical values argue for gay marriage.
Most importantly, the article is demonstrative of the growing support for the LGBT community coming from religious institutions.
For example, it was recently announced by the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles that church leaders can bless the unions of gay and lesbian couples. While many Episcopal churches in Southern California have been blessing the unions of gay and lesbian couples for years, such blessing will now be officially recognized by the diocese.
Media Observe 20th World AIDS Day
December 1, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
Twenty years ago, the World Health Organization declared the first World AIDS Day. Each year since, December 1st has marked the observance of World AIDS Day, an international event dedicated to strengthening the fight against HIV and AIDS and remembering those we have lost.
1988 was a pivotal time for the AIDS awareness movement. Only seven years prior, the Center for Disease Control released a report on the discovery of AIDS. The media responded at large with sensationalized and deceptive coverage. Our organization began its work during this tumultuous time. Gay activist and author Vito Russo co-founded GLAAD in 1985 in response to the New York Post’s coverage of HIV and AIDS.
Today’s media environment has changed greatly, as international awareness has grown over the years. While there is still much work to be done, we have seen a diverse range of voices come out in observance of the 20th World AIDS Day, encouraging dialogue and informing the public. Below is a sample:
Baltimore Sun- December 1, 2008
AIDS fight is worth it
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.aids01dec01,0,7897817.story
BET.com- December 1, 2008
World AIDS Day
http://www.bet.com/Lifestyle/bodysoul/WAD08_WorldAIDSDay08_Lifestyle_BAS_main.htm??Referrer={F2038F42-FD70-4929-AF1C-981596CBCB21
Boston Globe- December 1, 2008
AIDS and the unknown
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2008/12/01/aids_and_the_unknown/
Chicago Tribune- November 30, 2008
AIDS fight requires resources, even in tough times, by Desmond Tuti
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-perspec1130tutunov30,0,350954.story
CNN- December 1, 2008
World AIDS Day 2008: Much accomplished, much to do
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/12/01/fauci.world.aids.day/
NBA.com- December 1, 2008
Magic Johnson Reflects on World AIDS Day
http://www.nba.com/2008/news/12/01/magicworldaidsday/
The New York Times- December 1, 2008
A Killer and a Cure This World AIDS Day
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/a-killer-and-a-cure-this-world-aids-day/?scp=1&sq=world%20aids%20day&st=cse
San Francisco Chronicle- December 1, 2008
AIDS: A stigma endures
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/30/EDHN14BA6N.DTL
USA Today- November 28, 2008
Take AIDS fight into black communities
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/11/take-aids-fight.html
Washington Post- December 1, 2008
AIDS: This is no time for complacency
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/30/EDHN14BA6V.DTL
Washington Post- December 1, 2008
Our Country is Failing the AIDS Test
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/30/AR2008113001691.html
Media Keeping Up With Prop 8 Protests
November 18, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
During this extremely active time in the LGBT community, people have been voicing their opinions in record numbers across the country about the anti-gay ballot measures that passed in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas and the media is taking note.
This past weekend brought a great amount of coverage, as protests occurred across the country. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, protests were organized in all 50 states on Saturday, as well as cities in Canada, England and Australia.
From Friday through Sunday, CNN alone presented at least nine segments discussing the post-Proposition 8 environment.
On Friday, November 14th, guest-host Joy Behar interviewed high-profile guests during a broadcast of Larry King Live dedicated to the aftermath of the passage of Prop 8. In addition to live broadcasts of Prop 8 protests, Behar interviewed Cynthia Nixon, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Dan Savage and anti-gay pastors Reverend Jim Garlow and Bishop Harry Jackson.
On Saturday, November 15th, CNN covered the Prop 8 related protests and issues surrounding the protests throughout the day, with multiple segments on CNN Newsroom and a segment on CNN Saturday Morning.
We have been monitoring the coverage very closely and released a set of guidelines last week to assist news leaders in reporting fairly and accurately on the flux of protests being organized. The overall coverage surrounding the Prop 8 related protests this past weekend was predominantly fair and GLAAD will continue to assist the media to assure that it stays that way.
Transgender Week of Remembrance: Reflecting Upon Those Lost
November 18, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
While last month marked the 10th year of remembrance of Matthew Shepard’s death, November brings another solemn observance in the LGBT community. This Thursday, people across the world will be recognizing the 10th Transgender Day of Remembrance. Here at glaadBLOG, we are reflecting upon the lives tragically lost because of anti-transgender hate crimes this past year.
Statistics from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Program’s report on anti-LGBT violence in 2007 showed that there was still a great amount of work to be done. The largest increase of anti-LGBT violence in any demographic category was against transgender men. 16% of total anti-LGBT reports of violence were anti-transgender motivated.
But in 2008, high profile murders of transgender people and people targeted for their gender expression reached double digits. There have been 16 transgender people murdered during 2008 in the US. But it is vital to remember that a large number of transgender murders go underreported or misreported and an accurate statistic is impossible to calculate. According to an estimate by the Human Rights Campaign transgender Americans have a one-in-12 chance of being murdered
The transgender people who have lost their lives in the past year range in age, ethnicity and geographic location, but were all victims of senseless, hate-motivated crimes. Here at GLAAD, we have worked closely with many family and friends of victims to help heighten awareness of hate crimes against transgender people across the nation. We ask that you not only reflect upon those we have lost as we approach the Transgender Day of Remembrance, but throughout the entire year, as we strive as a community to put an end to anti-transgender violence.
- Brian McGlothin. Date of Death: December 23, 2007. Brian wore gender non-conforming clothing and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brian was shot in the head by Antonio Williams, who is currently serving a six-year sentence. Very little information was released about Brian or the crime. Brian was 25 years old.
- Patricia Murphy. Date of Death: January 8, 2008. Patricia was a drag performer and an icon in Albuquerque’s LGBT community. She had won the title of Miss New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association in 2008. Patricia was working towards a nursing degree and was the caretaker to an elderly man. She was shot in the head multiple times by Dana Madsen, who was arrested for the murder. Sharon Hardin, who had known Patricia for 12 years, said: “She had a heart of gold.” Patricia was 39 years old.
- Stacy Brown. Date of Death: January 8, 2008. Stacy was a transgender woman living in Baltimore with her mother and sister. She was found shot to death and police have yet to gain any leads on her murder. Very little information was released on Stacy or the crime. She was 30 years old.
- Adolphus Simmons. Date of Death: January 21, 2008. Adolphus wore gender non-conforming clothing and was embraced as a dear friend by his neighbors in the North Carolina apartment building where he lived. Family and friends described Adolphus as “jovial” and “a jokester“. Adolphus had recently begun a career as a hairdresser. He was shot dead while taking the trash out by a 15-year-old male. Adolphus was only 18 years old.
- Ashley Sweeney. Date of Death: February 4, 2008. Ashley was a young transgender woman living in Detroit, Michigan. She died from a fatal shot to the head. Very little information is known about Ashley and the crime. The National Center for Transgender Equality accused the Detroit Police Department of mishandling the case, as the department did not release the pertinent information involved in the case. Her age is unknown.
- Sanesha Stewart. Date of Death: February 10, 2008. Sanesha was a transgender woman from the Bronx, New York. She was stabbed to death by Steve McMillan, who was arrested by police. There was a notable amount of defamatory and sensationalized coverage surrounding Sanesha’s death. She was 25 years old.
- Lawrence King. Date of Death: February 12, 2008. Lawrence was a 15-year-old student who wore gender non-conforming clothes. Lawrence was shot and killed by a classmate. The murder was the most high-profile hate crime case of 2008. For more on Lawrence, you can check back to this previous blog post.
- Simmie Williams. Date of Death: February 22, 2008. Simmie was a gender non-conforming 17-year old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida who was planning on getting a GED and going to culinary school. Simmie was shot and killed by two men.
- Lloyd Nixon. Date of Death: April 16, 2008. Very little is known about Lloyd, who was a 45-year old transgender person. Lloyd was beaten to death with a brick in West Palm Beach, Florida.
- Ebony Whitaker. Date of Death: July 1, 2008. Ebony was a transgender woman living in Memphis, Tennessee. She was found shot to death and the police have yet to arrest any suspects. Ebony was only 20 years old. Much of the coverage, of what little there was, was defamatory.
- Angie Zapata. Date of Death: July 17, 2008. Angie was a young transgender woman living in Greeley, Colorado. She was found murdered in her apartment with severe fractures in her skull, beaten to death. Police arrested Allen Andrade for the hate crime. Angie was only 18 years old. Coverage of the hate crime reached a national level, with articles in The New York Times and on the ABC News website.
- Jaylynn L. Namauu. Date of Death: July 17, 2008. Jaylynn was a 35-year old transgender woman living in Makiki Honolulu, Hawaii. She was stabbed to death by Joel Allen, who has been arrested by police. Local coverage of the case was alarmingly defamatory, calling the murder “not a hate crime.” GLAAD reached out to local reporters who promised to improve future coverage. Very little is known about Jaylynn.
- Ruby Molina. Date of Death: September 21, 2008. Ruby was a transgender woman living in Sacramento. Her body was pulled from the American River. Police originally called “no foul play” on the case, but later described situation as merely “suspicious.” No suspects have been found. Ruby was 22-years old.
- Aimee Wilcoxson. Date of Death: November 3, 2008. Aimee was a transgender woman living in Aurora, Colorado. She was found dead in her home. Police have yet to release details, but have stated that the signs lead to suicide, something that friends and family are not satisfied with. Aimee was described as “a woman who loved to laugh, loved Madonna and who advocated for other transgender woman who, like her, had been diagnosed with HIV.” She was 34 years old.
- Duanna Johnson. Date of Death: November 9, 2008. As we blogged about earlier this week, Duanna was fatally shot in Memphis Tennessee earlier this month. Duanna was a transgender woman who has suffered physical and verbal harassment by the Memphis Police following a faulty arrest. Duanna was planning on moving back to her hometown of Chicago. Police have yet to arrest any suspects. Duanna was 42 years old.
- Lateisha Green. Date of Death: November 14, 2008. Lateisha was a young transgender woman who was fatally shot last Friday in Syracuse, New York. Dwight DeLee was arrested for the hate crime and is being held without bail. Lateisha was only 22-years old.
For more information on the Transgender Day of Remembrance please visit www.transgenderdor.org and www.gender.org/remember.
Record-Breaking Number of LGBT Candidates Elected
November 14, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
While the LGBT community and its allies are disheartened by ballot results in Arkansas, Arizona, California and Florida, a look at this election’s nationwide results of elected LGBT officials give us much to be hopeful about.
In a record-breaking election, more than 70 percent of the openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates running for public offices across the country were elected on Tuesday. The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund endorsed a total of 111 candidates in this cycle.
Chuck Wolfe, President and CEO of the Victory Fund, released the following statement:
“This was a watershed election. Our government became more representative and our democracy became stronger. As we near the 30th anniversary of the death of Harvey Milk, it’s enormously gratifying to see his dream realized in so many brave men and women heeding the call to run for office, and doing so openly, honestly and unafraid”
Among the winners:
- Jared Polis of Colorado became the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Congress as a non-incumbent. Polis joins Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, both reelected, as the only openly LGBT Members of Congress.
- Kate Brown of Oregon became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the U.S.
- Jason Bartlett of Connecticut became the second openly gay African-American state legislator in the nation as he was reelected to the Connecticut State House.
- John Perez became the first openly gay person of color elected to the California Assembly.
- Kevin Beckner won a seat on the Hillsborough County Commission in Florida as the first openly gay man to be elected in the county.
- Rebecca Kaplan became the first openly gay woman elected to the Oakland, California City Council.
You can see a full list of LGBT candidates and winners by visiting: http://www.victoryfund.org/election_scorecard.
USA Today Latest Newspaper to Come Out Against Prop 8
October 30, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
With elections less than a week away, USA Today, the most widely circulated newspaper in the country, today became the latest newspaper to oppose Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would eliminate marriage for same-sex couples in California. USA Today is distributed in all 50 states and has a circulation average of over 2.25 million every weekday.
In their editorial, the paper concluded: “…the states’ responsibility is to protect their citizens’ rights no matter how their relationships are labeled.”
Their editorial also denounced the “fear-mongering ads” from the Yes on 8 campaign, which falsely claim voting No on 8 would bring harm to religious institutions and negatively affect Californians. The editorial points out that such effects have not materialized in other states, that the “…thousands of same-sex marriages in California and Massachusetts have neither brought the world to an end nor triggered such excess.”
USA Today is just the latest in a long line of newspapers to publish an editorial opposing Prop 8. This trend shows how the media is not buying into the lies, distortions and scare tactics used by the Yes on 8 campaign.
To provide a perspective on previous national and regional newspapers that have come out against Proposition 8, here is a recap of just a handful of the editorials published in recent months:
- The Los Angeles Times (August 8, 2008)- “In other words, the very act of denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry-traditionally the highest legal and societal recognition of a loving commitment-by definition relegates them and their relationships to second-class status, separate and not all that equal.”
- San Jose Mercury News (August 17, 2008)- “Of all the reasons people give for banning gay marriage – the purpose of Proposition 8 on the November ballot – the most difficult for us to fathom is that a marriage between two people of the same sex somehow diminishes the institution of marriage between a man and a woman.”
- Napa Valley Register (September 17, 2008)- “In our view, Proposition 8 is a misguided and unconstitutional proposal.”
- The Riverside Press-Enterprise (September 27, 2008)- “The decision to marry is those couples’ business, and no one else’s. There is no compelling public policy reason to reverse that arrangement, and voters should say no to Prop. 8.”
- The New York Times (September 29, 2008)- “It is our fervent hope that Californians will reject this mean-spirited attempt to embed second-class treatment of one group of citizens in the State Constitution.”
- San Francisco Chronicle (October 1, 2008)- “The idea of using a ballot measure to single out a certain group of Californians for denial of individual rights – based on their sexual orientation – would represent an ugly distortion of the very purpose of a constitution.”
- Redding Record Searchlight (October 9, 2008)- “Ads promoting Proposition 8 argue that if the measure fails people could be sued for their religious beliefs and churches could lose their tax-exempt status. These are hollow scare tactics.”
- Santa Cruz Sentinel (October 3, 2008)- “In the four months since the Supreme Court decision, we have not seen any evidence that allowing same-sex marriages somehow weakens heterosexual unions.”
- Ventura County Star (October 12, 2008)- “We agree with the state Supreme Court that providing a separate distinction for same-gender couples gives the impression that they are, in some respects, second-class citizens.”
- Los Angeles Times (October 21, 2008)- “The measure would do one thing: use the state Constitution as the device to take away an existing, fundamental right from a particular group of people, so that a loving adult in that group could not marry the person of his or her choice.”
- The Fresno Bee (October 21, 2008)- “The notion that same-sex marriages somehow threaten the sanctity and strength of heterosexual marriages is simply absurd.”
- Sacramento Bee (October 29, 2008)- “Dragging schools into this campaign is an effort to obscure the real issue, which is: Proposition 8 is about changing the state constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.”
Acceptance On Stage Encounters Hate Off Stage
October 21, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
Peter Mac
Through the play, Mac shares his painful experiences as a teenager, being targeted for being openly gay. During the second week of preview shows, the experiences onstage took a whole other meaning when an audience member began shouting out anti-gay slurs in the middle of a performance.
While the police were being called, the audience member exited the building. The man has not been identified and was not apprehended.
This was the second incident in one week, as a few days prior a homophobic epithet was etched outside the theater’s marquee.
While “Judy and Me” revisits Mac’s past, these events exemplify the homophobia that is still prevalent in today’s society. Mac shared with us last week:
“I fear that we are in a time when homophobia is at an all time high. Hopefully I can communicate through this play a message of acceptance and hope. It is clear that despite all of the progress our community has made, there are many people who still need to be educated.”
As production continues, hopefully the play will communicate its message of acceptance to a wider audience and help prevent such incidents from occurring again.
Share Your Story: Judy and Me’s Peter Mac
October 17, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
Premiering in a small cabaret theater in January of 2002, Peter Mac’s autobiographical play,“Judy and Me,” was set for a four-performance engagement only. More than six years later, this “little show that could,” has recently made its Off-Broadway premiere at The St. Luke’s Theater.
In a heartfelt and humorous take, Mac retells his painful experiences with homophobia while growing up through the 16-year-old alter-ego Anthony and the solace he was able to find in the music of Judy Garland. When Garland, played by Mac himself, takes the form of Anthony’s sage and guide, he is able to overcome the struggles in his life through her compassion and ultimately find peace in coming out.
While many people in the gay community may identify Mac’s story with a similar journey of their own, his tale of ostracism, struggle and personal acceptance is something he believes a much wider audience can be receptive to.
Peter Mac
Peter Mac recently shared with us his insights on hate crimes, homophobia and the power of the theater.
You have mentioned that the news of Matthew Shepard’s death inspired you to begin writing “Judy and Me.” Do you remember anything in particular that you read or saw about Matthew’s death that inspired you to share your story?
Matthew’s death numbed me. While there is no specific news piece that sticks out, the news of Matthew’s attack and death brought back a lot bad memories from both grammar school and high school. One of the worst scenarios happened during my junior year when I was pursued in the snow and through the streets to my front my door by a jeep of boys shouting threats, expletives and gay slurs at me.
After I heard about Matthew’s death, I kept replaying that incident in my mind. I was reminded of how fortunate I was and thought about how differently things could have ended that night. It was at that time that I began writing various scenes of the play.
Have you seen any changes in the media coverage of LGBT hate crimes since Matthew Shepard? Has this influenced your work?
What is interesting and rather alarming is the fact that the media currently does not seem as concerned about covering LGBT hate crimes. A perfect example is the murder of Lawrence King. I learned about his death primarily because Ellen Degeneres made it a point of speaking about Lawrence on her show. I do not recall any major news reports, with the exception of CNN, in regards to Lawrence’s murder.
I fear that we are in a time when homophobia is at an all time high. Hopefully I can communicate through this play a message of acceptance and hope. It is clear that despite all of the progress our community has made, there are many people who still need to be educated.
The main character in “Judy and Me,” Anthony, finds solace from bullying at school in the music of Judy Garland. What is your advice to the many young LGBT students who are still subject to harassment and bullying from peers because of their orientation?
Speak up and go to your teachers, principals or counselors. If your school doesn’t have a gay-straight alliance, you can consult the people at GLSEN for support. If your classmates are harassing you verbally or physically, go to the authorities.
I also attribute a large part of my survival to my own creativity. Channel everything good or bad into whatever it is that you love, whatever your passions are, whether it’s music, art, writing or sports. Take the negativity and use it to your advantage. That is something I managed to gleam from Ms. Garland.
As you have already mentioned, the murder of Lawrence King earlier this year did not receive fair and accurate media coverage. Why do you think it is important to share your story and other stories like yours?
Through the medium of theatre, we have this wonderful ability and opportunity to try to educate people. It is such an intimate event. Bringing all of these different people of various ages and walks of life into a darkened theatre is a magical event.
And hopefully, through this medium, some of those people will gain a better understanding of the LGBT community. Some people might leave the theatre and start to question themselves, their own ideas and views of acceptance and tolerance. To me, it is enough if just one person comes to see “Judy and Me” and it changes their perspective.
Recently, I spoke to a 27-year-old guy from Scotland who used my show as an icebreaker to come out to his mother after the performance. We’ve also had a lot of fan mail from people who have had the same experiences I went through. Many people have told me that seeing “Judy and Me” was a cathartic release for them.
Although the play’s content is highly personal, the issues of homophobia and bullying are relevant to many people. Who do you see as your target audience?
Our target audience is highly inclusive. We welcome a diverse audience in all aspects.
One of the nicest parts of this experience has been meeting the wide range of people who approach me after any given performance. The show has a kind of universal appeal. People will come to me or other cast members after the show and say, “That was my life. I’m not gay, but I could totally relate to your story.” Anyone who has ever been classified as an outsider can relate to “Judy and Me.”
I would also extend a welcome to teenagers who have recently gone through the process of coming out and their parents, who might be coming to terms with their child’s orientation. Both would be able to take away a positive outlook after seeing the play.
“Judy and Me” has been described as “the little show that could.” In making the journey from a cabaret theater to Off-Broadway at the St. Luke’s Theater, how has the public reception changed? What are your hopes for the play in the future?
I hope that in moving the play to a larger venue like St. Luke’s, we can get our message across on a larger scale. We are no longer playing to just the gay community, which was the case during the original run. We are now playing to a broader spectrum of audience members.
My hope for the play is that it continues to have a positive effect on the audience, as it has in the past. I hope that those who watch it will come away with something similar to a quote from Ms. Garland: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other, and a little more loving, have a little more empathy and maybe, we would like each other a little more”.
Mac as Judy Garland
Showtimes for “Judy and Me” are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m., with matinee performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit www.JudyAndMe.com.
Ten Years After Matthew Shepard, Coverage of Hate Crimes is Lacking
October 9, 2008 by Sarah M @ GLAAD
It’s been ten years since news of the violent murder of Matthew Shepard first made headlines. For many weeks following those initial reports, coverage of the Laramie, Wyoming tragedy flooded major television stations and news outlets from coast to coast.
It was undoubtedly the most visible anti-LGBT hate crime in this country’s history.
To this day, Matthew’s story continues to be told and his death memorialized – the most widely recognized tribute being Moisés Kaufman’s internationally acclaimed play, “The Laramie Project,” which was later adapted into a GLAAD Media Award winning film for HBO. To mark the 10th year of remembrance, Kaufman has updated the play with an epilogue. The new version will be published and used in future performances.
One would think that in light of the widespread coverage of Matthew Shepard’s story and the conversations it caused on a national level and in our local communities, subsequent coverage of hate crimes against LGBT people would have increased.
Sadly, this is not the case.
Many times when LGBT people are attacked for being who they are, the media coverage – if there’s any at all – is limited. So far this week, GLAAD has highlighted just a few cases (Anthony Hergesheimer, Nakhia Williams and Sean Kennedy) that demonstrate how hard getting coverage of anti-LGBT hate crimes can be and the impact the media can have when they actually do provide coverage.
In the few cases where an anti-LGBT hate crime has risen to the national level of awareness, we often see problematic language and assumptions in the media’s coverage.
Take for example the coverage of Lawrence King’s murder. Earlier this year, the brutal and senseless premeditated murder of 15-year-old King became the most widely covered hate crime of the year.
On a Friday in February, Lawrence, an openly gay student from Oxnard, California, was shot and murdered by a fellow classmate. The attacker brought a gun into school and killed Lawrence because of King’s orientation.
When the news of the murder first broke, GLAAD urged the media to report on the intersection of anti-gay bullying and violence. When the Associated Press published a story which unfairly assigned blame to King for “flirting,” we called upon the Associated Press to reexamine the way it had covered the story.
Then, one of the most visible stories about the murder, a Newsweek feature article titled “Young, Gay and Murdered,” was published. The article received harsh criticism from many who viewed it as, similar to the AP story, blaming the victim. From the Newsweek article (emphasis added):
Larry King was, admittedly, a problematical test case: he was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon—it was often his first line of defense. But his story sheds light on the difficulty of defining the limits of tolerance.
After collecting concerns from the community, GLAAD met with Newsweek to discuss them and provide feedback. The meeting was productive and Newsweek later published a follow up article that included many of the responses people had left for the newsmagazine after the article’s publication:
The article drew a massive response online–more than 4,000 comments were posted through the week. Many responded to reporter Ramin Setoodeh’s assertion that Larry “was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon.”
Yes, he was a flamboyant kid who wore high heels and makeup. But many commenters felt this characterization suggested that Larry deserved to die.
Los Angeles based writer and attorney Peter DelVecchio also delved into the Newsweek criticisms in a blog post at The Bilerico Project.
The Newsweek LGBT sources interviewed were uniformly dismayed by the piece, believing it represented King as being responsible for his own murder. Ryan referred to a “tone of blaming the victim,” (a charge she leveled against media handling of violence against LGBT youth generally).
The Newsweek article “was framed in a way . . . that justifies violent action by people that is in line with the gay panic defense argument,” said Cathy Renna, managing partner of Renna Communications, a public interest communications firm focusing on LGBT issues.
“It was very close to blaming the victim . . .,” said Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national education organization focused on safe schools.
And recently, GLAAD secured an op-ed in the Ventura County Star highlighting the common threads linking the Shepard and King tragedies.
As candlelight vigils and benefits take place across the country this week in remembrance of the ten years passed since Matthew Shepard’s murder, we also remember countless others like Lawrence King and urge the media to increase responsible coverage of hate crimes against LGBT people.
