Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

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Montana Responds to Murder of Gay Student

article from Montana Human Rights Network News, November 1998

Christian Right rhetoric stirs up gay hatred

{Hatred sponsored by our very own theo-political right wing lobby, the Christian Coalition!.. http://www.cc.org/ }

....."Editorials and speeches across the country have laid a portion of the responsibility for Shepard's murder at the feet of the Christian Right. Full-page advertisements declaring that homosexuality is a disease that can be cured by God have appeared in major newspapers and magazines across the country. They are sponsored by a coalition of 15 Christian Right groups including the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council."...


It happened in a neighboring state, but that didn't matter to many Montanans. "It could have happened here," they said time and again at vigils for Matthew Shepard in at least seven communities around the state.

On October 7, Shepard, a gay man and a student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, was viciously beaten, burned, tortured, and left to die in near-freezing temperatures--crucified on a wooden fence. Two men and two women were arrested for the crime after the women went to the police and described the events. They said Shepard was lured into a vehicle by their boyfriends who claimed to be gay, then beaten while the men spewed anti-gay epithets. Shepard died 5 days later without regaining consciousness.

Violence is a fact of life for many gay men. What makes this incident stand out is the extreme viciousness of the crime and the national outrage it has generated. Communities large and small, from New York to Los Angeles, have held services, marches, vigils and protests. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered to remember a life snuffed out by hate, to decry the violence, and to call for more inclusive hate crimes laws.

In Montana, vigils were held in Helena, Missoula, Billings, Ronan, Bozeman, Great Falls, and Hamilton. Local human rights groups were involved in the planning of many of these events which were attended by more than fifteen hundred people across the state. The Great Falls event was held on the steps of the Civic Center just prior to the opening events of the Network’s annual conference, co-sponsored with PRIDE!. In addition to the vigils, Hamilton and Ravalli County have adopted ordinances promoting tolerance and groups in Missoula are sponsoring diversity workshops.

The Christian Right Context... "No Tears for Queers"

Across the nation, many people are asking in shock how it can be that society has come to hate so much. They watched in disbelief and horror as Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, brought his disciples to picket Shepard's funeral with signs saying, "God Hates Fags," "No Tears for Queers," and "Matthew Burns in Hell."

Editorials and speeches across the country have laid a portion of the responsibility for Shepard's murder at the feet of the Christian Right. Full-page advertisements declaring that homosexuality is a disease that can be cured by God have appeared in major newspapers and magazines across the country. They are sponsored by a coalition of 15 Christian Right groups including the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. Their leaders irresponsibly ask their followers to hate the "sin" of homosexuality while loving the sinner (the gay man or lesbian).

The Billings Gazette suggested that Shepard's murderers likely saw the advertising campaign and heard the preachers shout about the "abomination of homosexuality" from the pulpit. Noted theologian Martin Marty wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "But by now we must know that the attempt to love sinners while stirring hate about the sin. . .contributes to the atmosphere in which crime occurs. We also know that many legislators who still scorn hate-crimes measures do so in the name of Christianity."

Hate crimes legislation failed to receive attention in the final days of the Republican-controlled Congress. "Not enough time," was the official word of the Republican leadership--the same leadership that just a few months earlier compared homosexuality to drug addiction and kleptomania amid a chorus of praise from religious fundamentalists. A document of the House Republican leadership, however, brags that they stopped the hate crimes bill. The document attacks the bill as being a part of "the President's big-government agenda," and calls the death of the legislation "a win for conservative priorities."

Denial sets in... not a hate crime

Despite the tremendous public outcry about Shepard's murder, denial set in early. Calls for more inclusive hate crimes laws have been met with editorial and official comment that gay-rights activists are using Shepard’s death for political gain, and "after all, all crimes are hate crimes, why should we single any group out for 'special rights'?"

Newspaper stories began to point out the class differences between Shepard and his murders, as though that explained the viciousness of the "robbery." The girlfriend of one of the murderers insisted, "It wasn't meant to be a hate crime. They just wanted to rob him." She went on to claim her boyfriend was just getting back at Shepard because he was embarrassed at Shepard's sexual advances. Talk shows and letters to the editor point out that if Shepard had been heterosexual his death would not be getting all this public attention.

Most people understand, however, that if Matthew Shepard had been heterosexual he would still be alive. Most people, particularly women, understand that even if unwanted sexual advances occurred, the appropriate response is a firm and simple "No, I'm not interested." Most people understand that however desperate a robber is for money, torture is not necessary to lift a wallet.