It’s been ten years since Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered. Still, there has been no federal legislation to prosecute hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Last year, both houses of Congress passed a historic hate crimes bill known as the Matthew Shepard Act (officially, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007), which would have outlawed hate crimes nationwide based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. But the legislation never made it to President Bush’s desk because of his veto threat.
Here is his father’s courtroom statement to his murderers.
<rant>
Like so many important social issues this country faces, too many people are opposed to making the ENTIRE COUNTRY be decent. Abortion and gay rights are always pushed off to being “state level issues.”
I have two words: FUCK THAT.
Hate crimes, reproductive rights, and marriage rights should fucking be nationally settled (specifically, hate crimes should draw large punishments, abortion should be legal, and anyone should be allowed to be married whether gay, straight, bi-sexual, transgender.) Last I checked all 50 states are part of the country. This “state level” bullshit just lets parts of the country legalize bigotry and hate. We chastise and persecute other countries for their rights issues that we don’t believe in. How about we focus on us for once? How about the whole country live in this century for once? How about the radical religious right actually act like they understand the teachings of Jesus Christ for once? WWJD? He’d fucking love and respect and protect everyone.
Why am I a godless liberal for having these views? Why is “tradition” so god damned important? I think Jesus loves and respects me more than those who bomb abortion clinics and beat homosexuals, even if I am not a devout, Bible-thumping church goer. Even if I don’t really know how much I believe in Him. Even if I don’t capitalize the G in god or say my prayers. I am a decent, kind, loving human being. I think Jesus would rather be my friend than someone who uses Him and his Father’s name to condone hate and violence and wars.
The kicker to all of this is that I am a straight, white male. I’m not directly affected by the threat of not having the right to chose, I don’t get beaten in the street for the color of my skin or the people I am attracted to. My right to get married won’t go away. But still I care. Deeply. Strongly. Fervently.
FUCK THE HATERS.
</rant>
