UPDATE: Suspect Charged in Jorge Steven López Case – No Hate Crime Charge at this Time
November 19, 2009
Juan Martínez Matos – the man who has confessed to brutally murdering, decapitating and dismembering 19 year-old Jorge Steven López – was charged with murder in the first degree and a series of weapons charges on Wednesday, according to Puerto Rico’s Primera Hora newspaper.
A hate crime charge has yet to be filed and Martínez Matos is being held on $4 million bail.
The victim’s grief-stricken father appeared in court for the hearing and was asked for forgiveness by his son’s killer.
“I have already forgiven you, but the one you must ask for forgiveness is God,” said López senior.
The preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for 7 December in a Caguas, PR court.
Updates on this story will continue to be posted on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:Puerto Rican Teen Brutally Slain in Alleged Hate Crime
November 17, 2009
The body of a nineteen year-old boy was found decapitated, dismembered, and partially burnt in the Puerto Rican city of Cayey on Friday in what some suspect is an anti-gay bias crime.
The Puerto Rico-based newspaper Primera Hora reported on Tuesday that a suspect has been arrested and two vehicles have been seized for investigation in the case.
Friends grew concerned after the teen, Jorge Steven López, failed to meet them at a local club.
A Puerto Rican investigator, Angel Rodriguez, drew stern criticism from LGBT advocates after he implied that López perhaps deserved his brutal fate because of López’s so-called “lifestyle.”
“When these type of people get into this and go out into the streets like this, they know this can happen to them,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
Rodriguez has since been removed from the case.
The LGBT publication Edge reported on Monday that the FBI announced that the bureau will claim jurisdiction over the case if local investigators conclude that López’s murder is, in fact, a hate motivated crime.
President Barack Obama signed groundbreaking federal hate-crimes legislation just last month. That legislation prohibits hate-motivated violence on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity.
GLAAD will continue to monitor the media’s coverage of this gruesome crime. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:President Obama Signs Expanded Federal Hate Crimes Bill into Law
October 28, 2009
As President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act at the White House this afternoon, civil rights advocates and the families of those who have been victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes expressed their pride and thanks for the promise of federal consequences for any and all such future crimes, while noting that this landmark is not an endpoint.
First introduced in 1996 after the brutal killing of college student Matthew Shepard, the bill passed the senate on October 22 with a 68-29 vote, and has finally landed on the President’s desk after a 13-year struggle. It is now a federal hate crime to assault an individual based on the person’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation. As NPR’s Ari Shapiro reported, the new law will also allow the Justice Department to help state and local officials prosecute hate crimes by providing funding and personnel assistance.
Later this evening, President Obama will host a signing ceremony in the East Room, accompanied by Attorney General Eric Holder, LGBT advocates, lawmakers, and families of past hate crime victims. In addition to Matthew Shepard’s family, the families of Sean Kennedy and Jimmy Wheeler – both victims of anti-gay beatings which led to their deaths – will also be in attendance.
While President Obama reserved extensive commentary about the signing until this evening’s event, he prefaced it by saying:
“After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we’ve passed inclusive hate-crime legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are.”
Jimmy’s mother, Susan Wheeler, appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room on Tuesday and shared her feelings on the legislation: “I feel like this is a triumph for not just members of the gay community, but for us a civilization. It shows that we value all life.”
Sean’s mother, Elke Kennedy, who has received media training and advice from GLAAD during the past two years she has spent educating communities and schools about LGBT harassment and violence, told CNN, “This is a huge milestone, but it is not the end of the fight.”
In GLAAD’s statement today, president Jarrett Barrios said of the law’s passage:
“This is a landmark step in eliminating the kind of hate motivated violence that has taken the lives of so many in our community including Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, Fred Martinez, Gwen Araujo, Sakia Gunn, Sean Kennedy, Angie Zapata, Duanna Johnson, Lateisha Green and so many others. The visibility of these tragic losses and the conversations that they sparked brought us to today’s historic step toward ending this violence.”
You can view GLAAD’s full statement here.
Related Posts:As Hate Crimes Continue, Need for LGBT Protections Increases
October 13, 2009
This weekend’s widely publicized National Equality March called on activists and government officials alike to take action to end inequality.
Already at least one issue of LBGT equality appears very close to resolution – the expansion of federal hate crime legislation to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. One accomplishment that President Obama shared at the HRC Gala Dinner on Friday evening included the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act through the House of Representatives last week, as reported by The New York Times last Thursday. Attached to the National Defense and Authorization Act of 2009 in July, the bill is now expected to pass the Senate as well, and land on the President’s desk within the week.
The Colorado Independent quoted the bill’s cosponsoring Congresswoman Diana Degette (D-CO):
When signed by President Obama, this will be the first federal law specifically protecting LGBT Americans. This Act will provide state and local law enforcement agencies with resources they need to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, while also protecting the exercise of free speech under our Constitution.
However, no sooner had the march concluded in Washington, D.C. than The New York Times and the New York Daily News were back reporting on the beating of a gay man in College Point, Queens as he left his neighborhood deli early Friday morning. The man is being treated for a fractured jaw, ribs, and lacerated spleen but is now in stable condition. Police have categorized the assault as a hate crime based on New York State legislation, which does classify crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation as hate crimes.
There is currently no similar classification, at either the state or national level, for crimes motivated by a victim’s gender identity. This gaping legal hole was most recently exposed by the verbal and physical attacks endured by Carmella Etienne, a transgender woman who shared her story of assault at last week’s Transgender Hate Crimes panel in Brooklyn. Etienne, also attacked in her own neighborhood in Queens, had rocks and empty beer bottles hurled at her by a group of young men, who taunted her with antigay and transphobic slurs. As The New York Times’ CityRoom blog reports:
The attackers’ use of homophobic slurs could be used to prosecute them under New York State’s hate crime law, but the taunts about her gender identity would not be covered under that statute.
Similarly, when 22-year-old Lateisha Green was shot last year in a car in Syracuse simply for being a transgender woman, her attack could only be categorized as a hate crime based on the antigay slurs from her assailant.
According to Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, which represented both Carmella Etienne and the Green family, a “hate crime charge could mean the difference between a one-day jail sentence and a minimum three-and-a-half-year sentence.”
We will continue to keep you informed about media coverage of inclusive hate crimes legislation at both national and state levels.
Related Posts:Senate Votes to Advance Hate Crimes Bill
July 17, 2009
As GLAAD reported yesterday, the Senate took up the issue of hate crimes this week. Late Thursday night the Senate voted 63-28 to end debate on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the Associated Press reports. The act was adopted as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill and broadens hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disabilities.
The Advocate reports that President Obama, who supports the Matthew Shepard Act, has threatened to veto the Department of Defense authorization bill because of the $1.75 billion in funding for F-22 fighter jets. White House spokesperson Shin Inouye said:
“The President has long supported the hate crimes bill and gave his personal commitment to Judy Shepard that we will enact an inclusive bill. Unfortunately, the President will have to veto the Defense Authorization bill if it includes wasteful spending for additional F-22s… A Presidential veto would not indicate any change in President Obama’s commitment to seeing the hate crimes bill enacted.”
A Senate aide said that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is confident that the legislation will pass. The aide said that the vote on the Matthew Shepard Act was good and that “Senator Reid is hopeful that we can keep this language in the final bill.”
The Department of Defense authorization bill could go up for a vote as early as Monday.
GLAAD will continue to monitor media coverage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Related Posts:BREAKING NEWS: Jury Finds Dwight DeLee Guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree as a Hate Crime in Lateisha Green Case
July 17, 2009
A jury today found Dwight Delee guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime after he brutally gunned down Lateisha Green, an African American transgender woman in Syracuse, New York last November.
GLAAD’s incoming President Jarrett Barrios said:
Today’s verdict brings justice for Lateisha Green, but it can never heal the immense loss her family has experienced. We join Lateisha Green’s family in mourning her tragic death and honoring her legacy, and we call on the media to spotlight the pervasive violence our community continues to face across the nation.
See GLAAD’s full statement on the verdict here.
Delee was also found guilty of possession of a weapon and is to be sentenced on August 18.
Several witnesses said they heard DeLee refer to Green as a “fa–ott” just before Green was shot with a .22-caliber rifle while sitting in a parked car outside the party.
After six hours the jury reached its verdict of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime.
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund clarifies the charges on its blog:
Manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime requires that an individual intends to cause serious physical injury to a person because of a belief regarding that person’s sexual orientation, and causes serious physical injury to that person or a third person.
Green’s family responded to the verdict by remembering Lateisha:
Teish, a beautiful girl. A wonderful daughter. A brave soul. Teish was all of these things despite the adversity that regularly tried to weigh her down and overshadow her love of life. She was taken away from us too soon. All it took was one bullet. A bullet from a rifle that pierced her lungs and heart. And it took this one mere bullet to end Teish’s life because she happened to be a transgender woman. We have spent months waiting for this day to come.
GLAAD’s Senior Media Strategist, Andy Marra, sat in on the DeLee trial in Syracuse, New York. Marra’s account of the trial and subsequent verdict can be found here.
GLAAD will continue to monitor the media’s coverage of Dwight DeLee’s conviction for the killing of Lateisha Green. Updates can be found on glaadBLOG.org.
Related Posts:Hate Crimes Bill Attached to Defense Bill; Senate May Vote This Week
July 16, 2009
The New York Times reported early this week that Senate Democrats announced that they had attached the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the annual defense authorization bill. The Matthew Shepard Act broadens federal hate crimes law to protect the victims of attacks that are based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disabilities.
The Senate approved inclusive hate crimes legislation last year (also attached to defense bill), but it was not reconciled with a similar House passed bill. According to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who is spearheading the bill, the Matthew Shepard Act has been pending in the Senate for more than a decade. At the request of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and the Republican Members of the Judiciary Committee, Leahy held hearings on the Shepard Act last month.
The House passed a similar hate crimes bill, H.S. 1913, in April with a vote of 249 to 175. The Senate’s bill is likely to be passed but faces a veto from President Obama. The President supports the Matthew Shepard Act, but has been urging the Senate to remove provisions to purchase seven additional F-22 fighter jets from the defense bill.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) spoke out in favor of the Hate Crimes Bill. He was joined by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, who said that anti-LGBT hate crimes are on the rise and passing the bill would show “a great message of respect” to victims of these crimes.
The anti-gay Family Research Council has released a video in which Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) & Sen. Jim Demint (R-SC) denounced hate crimes protections, making the false (and often repeated) claim that the Matthew Shepard Act would impede religious liberties.
The Associated Press reports that U.S. Senators took to the floor to debate the issue on Wednesday, which is said to have its best chances in years because of the current political climate. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Harry Reid got into a brief argument on the Senate floor when McCain said that adding this amendment to the defense bill is an “abuse of power” and called it “extraneous”. Reid asked McCain “where has he been in the past” when the Matthew Shepard Act was attached to the same bill with a Republican President in power.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confronted questions from Senators who reiterated the anti-gay notions of Tony Perkins and Pat Robertson, who say that this bill will somehow stamp on religious liberties. He said that the bill “does not criminalize speech or hateful thoughts. It seeks only to punish violent action that undermines the core values of our nation.”
Senators could vote on this legislation as early as next week. Organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the National Center for Transgender Equality are urging people to contact their Senators to tell them to pass this important hate crimes bill.
GLAAD will continue to monitor media coverage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Related Posts:Man Arrested In Connection With Anti-Gay Robberies in N.Y.
July 15, 2009
Driton Nicaj, a 19-year old Manhattan man, was arrested last Friday in connection with a string of anti-gay robberies that took place on the Upper East Side in May and June. Nicaj is being held on charges of aggravated harassment and robbery as a hate crime.
According to Paul J. Browne, the NY Police Department’s chief spokesman, Nicaj confessed to being involved in at least one of the attacks during the one month span during which Nicaj and a group of men beat, robbed and yelled anti-gay slurs at multiple victims. Police are still in search of at least four other as yet unnamed suspects in connection with the crimes.
One of the assaults occurred during NYC’s Pride Week celebrations and targeted former Village Voice staffer Joseph Holladay, who was hospitalized after being beaten and left unconscious.
Local newspaper Our Town reported that another of the victims was approached by a group of four men while sitting on a park bench with a male friend. The men asked, “Are you guys gay? Gross.” and proceeded to mug the victims.
Cases of violence like this against the LGBT community underscore the need for exhaustive federal hate crime legislation like the Matthew Shepard Act to combat the pervasive problem of hate-motivated crimes. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, reports of violence against LGBT people have increased in severity across the country, reaching the highest rates in more than a decade. Seventeen percent of last year’s anti-gay murders were committed in the New York City area alone.
In a letter to the editor in The New York Times, NYC Anti-Violence Project’s Executive Director Sharon Stapel stated:
“The Matthew Shepard Act, which if passed by the Senate would expand the 1968 federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, is long overdue (editorial, May 6).
In today’s world, which is so diverse, we cannot condone violence based on actual or perceived identity. If we do, we are all vulnerable.
At the New York City Anti-Violence Project, we know that more is needed. We also must stop the violence from happening in the first place. This requires public education and training of first responders and law enforcement.
We know in New York that hate-crimes protection can be a powerful tool in prosecuting crimes, but it does not prevent them. Each year we see violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities increase, despite this legislation.
To prosecute these crimes is one way to vindicate the lives of those who died because of who they are, and we have an obligation to do so. But to truly eradicate violence, we have to go beyond punitive measures to preventive ones, so that we don’t lose another Matthew Shepard to this senseless violence.”
The timing of these violent crimes in relation to the 40 Year Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots is a startling reminder of the importance of inclusive hate crime legislation in securing the safety and well-being of LGBT individuals.
For more information on how to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, check out The Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Related Posts:GLAAD in Syracuse for Lateisha Green’s Trial
July 10, 2009
I am on the ground in Syracuse preparing for next week’s court trial involving the murder of Lateisha Green. I will be in Syracuse with a couple of our sister organizations throughout the entire trial working with both the family and media outlets covering this profoundly sad story.
On November 14, 2008, “Teish,” a young African American transgender woman, was shot and killed. You can read more about her story here.
For the past few months, I have been working with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York to raise awareness around Teish’s murder and ensure media coverage is fair and accurate throughout the trial.
Lateisha Green. Image from News-10.
This particular trial is important. Teish’s murder will be the first hate crimes prosecution in New York State involving the murder of a transgender person. It is also the first murder ever classified as a hate crime in Onondaga County.
On Monday, July 13, Dwight DeLee will go on trial for the murder of Lateisha Green. If DeLee is found guilty, it will be only the second conviction involving the murder of a transgender person as a hate crime in the United States. The first occurred earlier this year in the trial for the murder of Angie Zapata in Greeley, Colorado – you can read about our extensive work with the Zapata family here.
Prior to the trial, GLAAD, TLDEF and the Rainbow Alliance have planned a community memorial service at a local church to remember Teish and her life. Teish’s family will deliver brief remarks followed by a few performances by local groups. The service will close with doves and bubbles being released outside of the sanctuary.
I have been speaking with reporters and journalists about the memorial service. We are expecting The Associated Press and The Syracuse Post-Standard among a few others to attend the service and provide coverage leading up to Monday’s trial.
We have also arranged for a press conference to occur before the trial begins on Monday. Roxanne Greene, Teish’s mother, will deliver a brief statement, followed by remarks from the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and Empire State Pride Agenda.
I wanted to provide our readers with a few details about what you can do before the trial begins to unfold:
- We wanted to let you know that readers can submit personal notes of encouragement to Lateisha’s family during this difficult time. You can email correspondence to: rgreen269@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee the family will be able to reply to your emails. Please do not direct media requests to the family’s email address. GLAAD is fielding all media requests for the family, so please email me instead at marra@glaad.org.
- Make sure to visit and join the Justice For Teish Facebook group for news and updates about the trial. The group has 4730 members and counting. GLAAD and TLDEF are administrators so we will be posting information to update members throughout the trial.
- GLAAD and TLDEF have also teamed up to tweet live throughout our time in Syracuse:
You can follow me on Twitter for media developments, observations during the court trial and other updates at @Andy_Marra.
I will also be blogging throughout the trial to keep our readers updated on the trial and any related developments.
Please also follow Michael Silverman on Twitter for legal analysis and commentary related to the court trial at @TLDEF.
I need to go and prepare for several meetings including one with Lateisha’s family. But make sure to check back often for the latest developments at GLAADblog or by following us on Twitter.
Related Posts:Sean Kennedy’s Killer to be Released Early
July 2, 2009
Sean Kennedy
Upsetting news from South Carolina.
On July 1st, Stephen Andrew Moller was released early from prison after serving a reduced sentence for the 2007 murder of openly gay Sean Kennedy. Moller was found guilty in the death of Kennedy, who he attacked while using anti-gay slurs. While 30 states and the DC have hate crimes laws, South Carolina lacks any hate crimes protections, including protections for the LGBT community.
Elke Kennedy Speaking Out
Sean’s mother Elke Kennedy – with whom we have worked very closely to help bring awareness and visibility to Sean’s story and the vital need for LGBT-inclusive hate crimes protections – voiced her frustration with Moller’s early release, saying:
“He should have served every single day of the already short sentence, instead he was released from prison today, one week early.
Where is the justice?”
After her son’s death, Elke Kennedy established the foundation Sean’s Last Wish to advocate for hate crimes legislation in South Carolina.
Sean’s mother’s full statement and information on her foundation Sean’s Last Wish after the jump…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1st, 2009
Contact: Elke Kennedy
Sean’s Last Wish
www.seanslastwish.org
(864)-884-5003
elke@seanslastwish.org
Stephen Moller get’s released 1 week early
Greenville, SC – Elke Kennedy was informed via Phone today, July 1st 2009, that Stephen Andrew Moller has been released from prison. Mr. Moller was responsible for the murder of her son Sean Kennedy on May 16th 2007. He was indicted for only involuntary manslaughter and sentenced on June 11 2008 to a 5 year sentence suspended to three years, received credit for the 199 he served in county lock-up. He was supposed to stay in prison till September 7th 2009, however he received 2 month credit for good behavior by getting his GED while in prison.
He was eligable for early parole on December 28th 2008 already. In an early parole hearing on February 11 2009 he was denied parole and his release date was set to July 7th 2009.
Again the judicial system failed they say one thing and do something else. He should have served every single day of the already short sentence, instead he was released from prison today, one week early.
Where is the justice?
Related Posts:CNN Reporter’s Misleading Statement about Matthew Shepard Act Debunked
June 26, 2009
Today, Media Matters for America debunked CNN’s Deborah Feyerick’s misleading allegation that the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act would have any impact on an individual’s right to freedom of speech.
Feyerick reported on the June 25 edition of The Situation Room that the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R.1913) “could be used to criminalize conservative speech on abortion or homosexuality.”
As noted by Media Matters, Feyerick did not point out that the bill specifically stipulates in Section 10 that:
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionality protected speech, expressive conduct or activities (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious beliefs)…
[and] Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow prosecution based solely upon an individual’s expression of racial, religious, political, or other beliefs or solely pon an individual’s membership in a group advocating or espousing such beliefs.
Feyerick also neglected to report that Attorney General Eric Holder, in a prepared statement, explicitly clarified to the Senate Judiciary Committee in a June 25 hearing that the bill:
…could be used only to investigate or prosecute discriminatory acts of violence causing bodily injury (or attempts to commit such violent acts) and thus could never be used to investigate or prosecute mere association or expressions of beliefs, no matter how offensive those beliefs might be….
Nor did Feyerick make clear that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also stressed to the Senate that the bill “does not target pure speech, however offensive or disagreeable.”
Feyerick’s mischaracterization of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act promotes the misleading scare tactics of anti-gay activists that are designed to perpetuate fears and misconceptions about federal hate crimes laws aimed to protect individuals against anti-LGBT violence.
Given CNN’s strong track record of fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues, it is disappointing to see Feyerick mislead viewers with claims that have been explicitly and repeatedly identified by lawmakers as inaccurate.
Related Posts:Pat Robertson Tells A Mother That Her Gay Son Is “On Their Way To Hell”
June 16, 2009
In a June 9 interview on the Christian TV program The 700 Club, Pat Robertson used his platform as a televangelist to promote a hurtful and disproven myth that being gay is caused by sexual abuse.
In responding to a question from a Christian mother of a gay son, Robertson stated that people are not born gay:
TERRY MEEUWSEN (co-host): This is Theresa. This is difficult. She says, “How should we, as parents of a homosexual son, handle the ongoing challenges facing us, such as staying true to our faith and following the commandment to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’? This is very difficult for us.”
ROBERTSON: Well, first of all, he’s not your neighbor. He’s your son; that’s a different thing. You owe him, you know, advice and counsel and guidance. You’re his parent. First of all, you didn’t say how old he is. Secondly, I am not at all persuaded that so-called homosexuals are homosexuals because of biological problems. There may be a very few, but there are so many that have been made homosexuals because of a coach or a guidance counselor or some other male figure who has abused them and they think there’s something wrong with their sexuality. So you need to get deep into why he is what he is, instead of just saying, “Well, he’s a homosexual so how do I handle him, and how do I be Christian?” Well, I think you ought to tell him, “Listen, son, you know, here’s what the Bible says about this, and it’s called an abomination before God, so I’ve got to tell you the truth because I love you.” That’s what I think. All right, what else?
Robertson, host of The 700 Club, went on to tell the woman that she needs to “rescue” her son from going to hell.
These types of remarks, in addition to perpetuating misconceptions and fears, only divide LGBT people from their families and faith traditions, sending a harmful message that can affect the happiness, well being and safety of young LGBT people.
While Robertson has a long history of anti-gay statements, it is important to note that his outlandish opinions of the LGBT community are not shared or reiterated by all in the faith world. Jeff Lutes, Executive Director of Soulforce, released the following statement in response to Robertson’s remarks:
As a therapist, it is hard for me to believe that there are still so many who refuse to even consider the growing body of social science research on this subject. Robertson ought to be deeply ashamed of himself for giving the mother who wrote him, and his television viewers, such misguided, erroneous, and dangerous advice. I hope this young man’s parents will ignore Robertson and seek more reputable information – his very life just might depend on it.
EqualityVA also released a statement:
For years, Robertson has been toting the same tired message that being GLBT is a dysfunction, likely caused by something traumatic in a GLBT person’s life. The overwhelming truth, supported time and again, is that most GLBT people have normal childhoods and are living healthy lives. Abuse is no more or less prevalent in the GLBT community than it is in the straight community. At the end of the day, the most prevalent trauma that GLBT people endure in life is the social discrimination they receive at the hands of misinformed people like Robertson.
A growing number of faith leaders have been rallying behind the LGBT community especially in support of anti-discrimination and marriage equality laws. Massachusetts ministers even released a video through The Empire State Pride Agenda to debunk all the myths surrounding marriage equality legislation. Recent polls have also shown that there is increasing support for equality of LGBT among people of faith.
To find out more on all the great work that faith leaders are doing in support of LGBT people, visit GLAAD’s Religion, Faith and Values page.
Related Posts:O’Reilly Joins Smear Campaign, Falsely Claims Hate Crime Bill Protects Pedophiles
May 8, 2009
Like fellow Fox News hosts, Sean Hannity and Bill Hemmer, Bill O’Reilly has been proliferating false information concerning the language of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The federal bill defines a bias motivated crime as one that is “motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim.”
As Media Matters noted, contrary to the claims of O’Reilly et. al., pedophilia is already defined by federal law as a classification that exists outside of sexual orientation and/or disability. Thereby precluding the need to include any additional language that would exclude pedophiles from protection under the bill.
Video below:
Fox News Fear-Mongering, False Claims that Hate Crimes Bill Will Protect Pedophiles
May 7, 2009
Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Bill Hemmer have been busy the past two days advancing their false claims that Democrats voted to protect and defend pedophiles by voting against an amendment to the bill by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) stating that “the term ’sexual orientation’ shall not include pedophilia.”
As Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said during an April 23 House Judiciary Committee hearing, and Media Matters noted:
the term “sexual orientation” is already defined by federal statute as applying only to “consensual homosexuality or heterosexuality,” thereby excluding pedophiles, who engage in nonconsensual sexual relationships with children. Baldwin added that it “is unnecessary and, I would add, inflammatory in terms of insinuations.
Now that the amendment has failed, Hannity and Hammer along with King, have done their best to spread their highly incendiary falsehoods and inspire fear.
Video below:
h/t to Media Matters for America
Texas NBC Affiliate Misses the Mark on Coverage of Matthew Shepard Act
April 30, 2009
This week, as the House passes the Matthew Shepard Act and the Senate reintroduces its own version of the legislation, local media outlets are talking about this issue and how it affects local communities.
Last week, on April 23, an NBC affiliate station (KETK) in Tyler, Texas aired a segment titled “Gays could soon be protected under law”.
Reporter Lindsay Landry speaks about the inclusion of the LGBT community under the federal hate crimes bill in religious terms, “Most know that any time religion and sexual orientation makes it into the news, it’s bound to cause some controversy and this new bill proposal is no different.”
At first, the segment seems to play into the misleading claims of anti-gay activists that the inclusive hate crimes laws would affect the freedom of religious expression.
Fortunately, the segment later manages to distinguish between a direct call for violent action and religious preaching – preaching that would not be affected in any way if the inclusive federal hate crimes bill passes.
While the original segment had problematic elements, a follow-up segment from Monday, April 27 titled “KTBB’s Question of the Day for Monday: KETK Viewers respond to Debate on Hate Crimes” reinforced those very misconceptions about the bill.
In that segment, the anchors — Bob Brackeen and Charlotte Huffman — and radio host Garth Maier debate people’s responses to the proposed bill.
A number of callers’ personal opinions are included, and most of them reinforce inaccuracies and misinformation, which the journalists fail to address or correct, such as:
GARTH MAIER: Do you think that religious preachers should be exempt or protected from prosecution under any hate crimes bill?
CALLER: …I think whoever proposed this legislation was probably or is probably a homosexual, and if this passes, this is going to start a domino effect that we’re going to see for years. It’s going to greatly influence our personal freedoms.
Take a look:
Please share your thoughts about the two reports with KETK so that we can ensure that the reporting on this legislation is fair, accurate and inclusive.
Neil Barton
News Director
903-581-5656
neal@nbc56.com
