Source: Washington Blade

King shooting

But a string of anti-gay beatings, shootings and killings in recent months shows that homophobic hatred didn’t disappear when Matthew Shepard was killed 10 years ago this October, nor is it confined to rural pockets of America’s heartland.

In the last year alone, young gay people have died at the hands of straight friends in central Florida, been beaten to death after leaving a bar in Greenville, S.C., and assassinated in an eighth grade classroom in California. Last weekend in Athens, Ga., a 17-year old gay man carrying a purse was beaten and verbally gay-bashed by three boys he knew, according to a March 4 report in the Athens Banner-Herald.

“I think if you ask the average American, they think Matthew Shepard was the last person killed in this country for being gay,” said Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national group that focuses on gay issues in schools. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

Even in cities with booming gay populations people are often unaware of or ignore anti-gay violence like the recent killings of gay teenagers Lawrence King in a California middle school and Simmie Williams in Ft. Lauderdale. [see Qnews summary]

“I’m kind of frustrated because I think a lot of people are blind to events and activism,” said Thomas Byrd, a gay teen who attends high school in Cobb County (Atlanta). “This could’ve been me or any of us.”

From California to Florida to YouTube, gay people have paid tribute to Williams, who was found dead while wearing women’s clothes, and King, who was shot in the head at point-blank range by a classmate.

“I think it’s amazing that gay and lesbian centers all over the U.S. have done vigils,” said Jay Smith, executive director of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, where King participated in events.

Lawrence King’s murder marks the first time in 10 years that an anti-gay killing has come close to becoming a national news story.

“The Matthew Shepard case captured the nation’s attention in a way we have not seen since then,” said Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

“All incidents that involve violence and brutality against LGBT people deserve the same kind of public outcry and community response in order to shift the cultural climate about LGBT issues,” Giuliano said.

News of King’s death took weeks to spread from local coverage, despite it being a “uniquely horrifying” school shooting, said Jennings from GLSEN.

Scott Hall, a heterosexual who was attacked during an anti-gay hate crime in 1984, tracks anti-gay violence for a memorial project known as Gay American Heroes.

“It’s only the ones that are most horrific and most unusual that get national media play,” Hall said.

Media coverage of anti-gay attacks helps galvanize opposition to homophobia, and can transcend ideological lines. During her Feb. 29 show, Ellen DeGeneres delivered an emotional tribute to King and said his death “is not political.” [see Qnews summary]

In Georgia, the statewide gay rights group Georgia Equality created a YouTube tribute to King that urges state lawmakers to adopt a gay-inclusive hate crimes law and stronger anti-bullying measures. The bullying bill has cleared a state senate committee, but must pass the full Senate by March 11 to remain alive for the session, according to the group, which urges supporters to contact legislators.

But Elke Kennedy, whose gay son was killed in Greenville, SC after leaving a gay bar, cautions that the responding to crimes like her son’s murder can’t end with enacting gay-friendly laws.

“California has hate crimes laws, but that’s still not going to prevent this from happening because people are still taught to hate and that it’s OK,” Kennedy said. “I want parents to know that they’re the ones that are responsible for teaching their children to hate. I believe it starts at home.”

Full article: Latest gay killings draw limited media coverage - Washington Blade