The hate crimes that were being directed towards the
The hate crimes that were being directed towards the
In Carmen Vázquez’s article “Appearances,” published in 1992 in the book Homophobia, the writer expressed concern about homophobic violence and how stereotypes affect not only gays and lesbians but normal men and women as well. In her article, Vázquez writes to the general public, which she believes is at fault for stereotyping. She begins by presenting an area named Castro that resides in San Francisco hills and serves as a sanctuary for gays and lesbians. She then describes a situation in which a young, straight boy named Brian was beaten on a bus because he was suspected of being gay. She proceeds to explain that this is a common occurrence. Vázquez emphasizes her point by using another mistakenly gay victim name Mickey who was attacked at a nightclub. Using the…
Only in the early twentieth century did the ideal of the homosexual as a distinct, separate category of person emerge, and only in the twentieth century did the state begin to classify and penalize citizens on the basis of their identity or status as homosexuals. The States enacted discriminatory policies in the 1920s, but such measures and other forms of anti-gay harassment reached a peak in the twenty years following World War II, when government agencies systematically discriminated against homosexuals. [1]…
We refer to basic human rights like the freedom of speech and association, liberty, and equal treatment in court as civil rights, because they are fundamental rights that each and every citizen should not be denied on the basis of their sex, race, or religious belief. In the last one-hundred years we, as a human population, have seen many acts of discrimination against our civil rights on a large scale. In Kathryn Stockett’s novel, “The Help” one of those times were brought into light, the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Many say that members of the Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered, and Bisexual (LGBT) community today experience similar discrimination to the black experience of Southern U.S in the 1960’s because of the fight for civil rights, the fact that members are shunned by their area, and how people actively work against the cause that they try to establish.…
experienced a substantial cultural progress and that even if some discrimination remains, it will inevitably decline since popular culture will no longer demonize transgender people. However, after watching John Oliver's show, I researched other sources and saw that even cultural hostility against transgender people has not disappeared and is still being promoted by some school administrations and governments of some states what also correlated with an increased number of hate crimes against such persons, specifically murders (Strangio). In such a way, Oliver's remarks were also instrumental in undermining my belief that the last decades were a period of progress and improved cultural acceptance for such vulnerable minorities as transgender…
During the 1940s through 1960s, many LGBT struggle through their lifestyle, they were eventually seen as threat to the American security,Homosexuality was not condoned in the military, that homosexual soldiers were dishonorably discharged.However small group began stepping forward by expanding the cultural knowledge of the gay world, exposing people who may have never known of its existence.…
Purpose: I will present the problem of anti-gay hate crimes in the SF Bay Area, and I will suggest some solutions to prevent or reduce the sexual prejudice, hate crimes and any discriminatory acts.…
When a major act of violence takes place, regardless of whether or not it has extensive media coverage, the people that witness or hear about it can sometimes identify and relate to either the victims or the perpetrators. In three different stories, acts of violence are all defining characteristics of how the general population react. The first story, “How To Tell A True War Story” by Tim O’Brien discusses the difficulties associated with trying to explain to people what being in war feels like when O’Brien tells a woman about brutal events that took place while he was serving in the Vietnam war. In the next story, “The Power of Context” by Malcolm Gladwell, he talks about crime on the New York subway system and preventative methods to lower the crime rates on the trains and subway platforms. One event in particular was about a man who shot four teenagers that had criminal records who were pestering the man when he got on the subway in the projects and was actually portrayed by many people in the community as a vigilante. The last story, “Losing Matt Shepard” by Beth Loffreda, the brutal and violent attack that eventually lead to the death of a homosexual student at the University of Wyoming named Matt Shepard that caused a media uproar, bringing attention to people on both sides of the spectrum, ranging from other LGBTQ community members to radical anti-homosexuality groups like the Westboro Baptist Church and other religious organizations. Different factors affect the way we do or do not identify with perpetrators and victims of violent acts in a variety of…
Who are the victims in a hate crime? Victimization does not end with the primary person that was attacked. The Laramie Project demonstrated how the entire community, and eventually the nation, of a little town in Wyoming was affected by the death of 22 year old Matthew Shepard in October, 1998. Secondary victims, who do not bear the physical pain, but endure the after effects and emotional pain, included Matthew’s parents, Deputy Sheriff Reggie Fluty (who was called to the crime scene and tended to Matthew), and Doctor Cantway (who treated both Matthew and one of his attackers, Aaron McKinney) (Karmen, 2013). The effects of this hate crime saturated a society and called more than morals into question. Incidents like these force humanity to look at itself and criticize its core beliefs. Laramie’s motto of “Live and Let Live” applied to most…
In May 1988, two women were making love by the side of a stream along the Appalachian Trail when they were shot eight times by a man the women had seen briefly along the trail. One woman, shot five times managed to walk to a road for help, but her friend who was shot three times, died on the trail (Kelly,…
On October 6, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was beaten, tortured, tied to a fence, and left to die. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his severe injuries 6 days later. A young man, who still had his whole life ahead of him, lost the chance to experience it because he was gay. Hate crimes, such as this case, still happen today and at an increasing rate, according to the statistics gathered by the U.S Department of Justice. A hate crime is a criminal offense against a person or property motivated by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. Harsher punishments must accompany hate crimes because of their unique characteristics such as the impact it has on the American society, their high possibility of recidivism, and the immense amount of psychological trauma these cases can create.…
In the United States hate crimes has been an issue to where it should be taken seriously. ‘’Hate crimes and bias motivated crimes …’’ involve crimes that are related to violence which are motivated by…’’ prejudice against a victims race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability’’(Langton, Planty). Throughout history people who were involved in hate crimes were known as the KKK, the League of the South, Aryan nations and much more. Not only has it been a problem in the past but gradually continues to evolve into a bigger problem. Through these tensions of hate crimes against one another, people have ended up brutalized, or sometimes beaten to death. Minorities from different places of the world have been experiencing hate crimes in the United States due to the difference race, sexual orientation and religion.…
When the Hate Crime Statistics Act was passed, signed into law and reauthorized, it did not include hate crimes against women as a class (The Leadership Conference ). Since there is no official inclusion of gender-based crimes associated with the Hate Crime Statistics Act, the statistics and tracking of increase or decrease of these crimes are not apart of federal law or the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) of hate crime and remain unknown (Criminal Justice). However, there are still various hate crimes committed against women everyday which include: murder, rapes and various types of domestic violence.…
Hate crime is an offense such as murder and torture that contains an element of bias as to why it took place. “56.9% of hates crimes that have taken place are due to race and ethnicity” (Racial Justice). Since origination America has had racial discrimination taking place. Hate crimes have been around since before World War 1 and racial instability and profiling continues to still play a large role in America’s characterization today (Omi). Although some believe that America has sufficiently progressed over time, inequality, racial injustice, and hate crimes still take place, and in order to ensure a better future for the youth and ensure equality for all, citizens must raise awareness about these issues and unite in speaking out against them.…
The entire population is made up of a variety of different races, religions, colors, and beliefs. The gay population has also become more popular in the world today, the population that is looked down upon by the rest of society. In the texts: Second Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July” by Frederick Douglass, and Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton it talks about equal rights for everyone no matter the difference of color, belief, or person you are. Even though being gay is not supported because it is stated in the bible, gays still deserve the same rights as any other person and deserve proper treatment from the rest of society, as well as protection from the law.…
Thesis Statement: The Gay Rights Movement dates back to the 19th century. By 1970 gay and lesbian organizations existed all over the United States and in other countries all over the world. Some supporters of the movement would say that our society as a whole has made great strides towards acceptance of homosexuality. However, gays and lesbians are still fighting for equality in 2009. The issues are vast and widespread, with same-sex marriage at the top of the list. In the world that we live in today one might be surprised to learn how many countries are accepting of gay and lesbians, as well as how many are not. The world has made progress within the last decade regarding this issue, but definitely not enough. We need to take steps to protect and balance Gay rights.…