Rep lies:

Reply from: witchbabee on 10/12/98 at 8:43AM. awww im sorry hun. er, um...so like who is he?? --liz

Reply from: katia on 10/12/98 at 8:44AM. he was a college student in wyoming who got fagbashed and left for dead.

Reply from: janeeta on 10/12/98 at 8:46AM. i got a really long press release about this from the midwest glbt list. if anyone would like to read it, email me and i'll forward it to you.

Reply from: witchbabee on 10/12/98 at 8:47AM. oh my fucking god. he died?? THIS MEANS WAR!i'm serious. i am sick of this shit. we cant let this happen anymore. - liz

Reply from: jen h8 on 10/12/98 at 8:57AM. WHAT THE FUCK ???!!! this is too fucking much. let the rioting begin. jen

Reply from: snessa on 10/12/98 at 8:58AM. one of the press releases posted on another thread really pissed me off. it said something like "they lured him out of the club by telling him that they were gay." what the fuck..like any gay man is gonna run off with anyone with a penis who claims to be gay as well? it subtlely supported the stereotype that gays are promiscuous. at least that's how i read it. am i off base here?

Reply from: snessa on 10/12/98 at 9:01AM. another thing..does anyone know if any queer groups are gonna organize anything to do in remembrance of him? like everyone wear a black band or something..just something that everyone can do to let people know that we aren't gonna tolerate this shit anymore..but something distinctive enough that even the moronic suburban soccer moms that come thru my line at work will know why i am wearing it..

Reply from: katiekaput on 10/12/98 at 9:03AM. yr not offbase at all. if i had seen that press release, that would be bothering me too... damn it. such a horrible event, and they have to insert stereotypes directly into their coverage of it... hmph.--kat

Reply from: janeeta on 10/12/98 at 9:05AM. Snessa: This is an excerpt from the looong press release I got: WEAR A BLACK RIBBON CAMPAIGN: I am encouraging the gay/lesbian/bi/trans community and our allies to adopt the black ribbon to signify anti-gay/lesbian violence and other hate crimes. The Black Ribbon would best

Rep resent the bleak state of affair s in America today for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered, African Americans, Other Races and Ethnic Groups. Because we have ignorance it is dark and we need light to shed on this ignorance so that it doesn't happen over and over!!! Wearing a blac k ribbon would bring some awareness to the world that we are not going to forget the death of Matthew Shepard, nor any of the acts of hatred towards minorities in America today!!!

Repply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 9:06AM. do they have the death penalty in wyoming?

Reply from: katia on 10/12/98 at 9:09AM. vanessa: various groups are holding candlelight vigils. (i know they're having one in seattle, and they're thinking about having one here). besides that and the black ribbon thing, i don't know of anything else.

Reply from: snessa on 10/12/98 at 9:13AM. ok i think i am going to go to the fabric store and get some black ribbons and hopefully get people at work to wear them too...it is a pretty queer friendly place. plus there is an all store meeting tonight so i could give them to EVERYONE.

Reply from: jen h8 on 10/12/98 at 9:15AM. does anyone know if they're having one in philadelphia ? xo jen

Reply from: adam on 10/12/98 at 9:17AM. you know what the most fucked up part of this is. all the pathetic mainstream gay mags (ummmm OUT) are trying to act like shit like this doesnt happen anymore. sorry, just because it doesnt happen in west hollywood or on christopher street or in the Castro, DOESNT mean that the rest of the world isnt still dealing with blatant homophobia and violence. fuck them and their "post gay" bull shit. i guess ignorance is bliss for them....gawd how i despise mainstream gay culture.uggh.

Reply from: Shannon Riot on 10/12/98 at 9:29AM. It does happen on Christopher Street! It happens everywhere everyday. Wymmin are raped, queers killed, mexicans shot dead, there is no justice there's just us! I fucken hate this world that paints all of us a nice pretty picture. Thank Goddess we exist! We know the truth to their lies, and it will change! As long as we stay together and stay strong they will not kill us all!! Queer core will prevail this I am sure of!

Reply from: brock on 10/12/98 at 9:34AM. fucking....grr....if anything makes me think my problems are shit, it's this. i am absolutely livid right now. my campus queer group is meeting tomorrow and i'm going to see if anyone wants to do a black riboon thing or maybe a candlelight vigil.

Reply from: Lee on 10/12/98 at 9:58AM. Does anyone else think that there is a serious urban/rural divide in the progress of queer civil rights? This is not to say that anti-gay violence does not happen in the cities as well. Does anyone think that rural queers may not

Rep ort attacks due to lack of local resources for gay and lesbians? If the only place you could go was the police station..I am not trying to divide the gay community, but I'm not shocked that this could still happen... This is an extremely violent attack- he was left on that fence for days and law enforcement officials are still considering ROBBERY as the primary motive..

Reply from: kali on 10/12/98 at 10:01AM. the women's rights group at my school will most likely hold something in remembrance to him. im going to bring it up. *sigh*

Reply from: taryn on 10/12/98 at 10:08AM. This happens everyday, you just don't always hear about it. If you are going to wear a black ribbin today for this man.. what about every other day for every other victim?

Reply from: lee on 10/12/98 at 10:12AM. why DON'T we hear about it?

Reply from: HEIDI on 10/12/98 at 10:37AM. TONIGHT IN REMEMBERANCE AT UNC IN CH THERE IS A RALLY IN REMEMBERENCE OF HIM AT 8:00 IN THE PIT- ANYONE IS WELCOME.

Reply from: robbie on 10/12/98 at 10:42AM. glstn (or however they do it now) has a link to a petition to get a hate crimes law passed in whyoming (i think thats where it happened). i don't remember the address but email me and i'll give it to you.

Reply from: cakeboy on 10/12/98 at 10:47AM. i am so sorry to hear that he died. that is cruely unbelievable. now that he passed away there is NO reason why the teen scum involved should be charged with planned and pre-meditated MURDER

Reply from: LICKITE on 10/12/98 at 10:57AM. i think prt of the problem w/this and any other hate crime is the lack of education and awareness in our shool systems. like, i was brought up in a lot of diff. school systems and every one of them had a neg. attitude towards "gays-ect." most of it was encouraged by my teachers. a lot of it you get from home, but most of yr life you are raised in a school setting. blah, blah, blah! i'm pissed! we need to either educate children at a much younger age or let these people know just how many of us there are in this world. they probably assume that we are very few in number and that they would be able to get away w/it because of this that no one will care. by the way, the only really cool teacher i had happened to be my religion teach. she got fired though 'cause she told us that she lost her virginity to a tennis racket:)

Reply from: taylor k on 10/12/98 at 12:13PM. god...stuff like this just leaves me at a loss for words....all I can really say is that I'm pissed off and I hope that at the very least some hate crime legislation will get passed, some people will wake up and realize this shit still happens, and start taking a stand against it.

Reply from: Sara Wednesday on 10/12/98 at 12:16PM. I'm still so horrified about what happened to Matthew Shepard. *shudder* I can't believe hate like this still exists.... I guess it just goes to show how sheltered I am . :( I'm going to the fabric store soon to get some black ribbon -- I have a dumb question though: do you wear it like an AIDS ribbon or like an armband....? ox, Sara

Reply from: janeeta on 10/12/98 at 12:19PM. i think it's supposed to be worn like an AIDS ribbon. buuuut i find arm bands to be a lot more sobering to people. we see so many of those little loopy ribbons that people don't notice them much anymore. i think an armband would stand out a lot more.

Reply from: katiekaput on 10/12/98 at 12:42PM. my friends and i are wearing them like armbands. i just thought that's how they were supposed to be.;)--kat, who thinks they definately will get more attention like that

Reply from: lee on 10/12/98 at 12:45PM. I certainly support the passage of hate crime laws, however, is it a deterent? They can only be applied after the crime has been committed... sort of the anti-death penalty argument... does a harsher punishment prevent crime? I know education is part of the solution.. How do we get this info to kids in a small town in Wyoming? Does any one know if the murderers were fellow college students? or local kids? Did the college have an organization for queer students... A lot of colleges are plopped down in the middle of nowhere and the demograhics of the student body may be quite different from the townspeople. This could be a problem for a lot of minorities. (I'm sure it is) In addition to the differences within the student body. I'd like to hear more details of this attack... anyone know where to find them? This is not a ROBBERY

Reply from: janeeta on 10/12/98 at 12:46PM. one of the murderers fathers is quoted as saying: ``Had this been a heterosexual these two boys decided to take out and rob, this never would have made the national news,'' he told the Post. ``Now my son is guilty before he's even had a trial.'' geez, i wonder where those boys got those homophobic attitudes.

Reply from: brock on 10/12/98 at 12:56PM. lee, i see where you are coming from...totally. i go to the university of minnesota morris. morris is a town of maybe 5,500 people in the middle of minnesota...there are really no minorities, racial, religious, or sexual, in the community. however, the campus has about a 25% minority population. my "minority" friends tell me that they get treated like shit whenever they leave campus, basically. i would never come out to a "townsperson" here....the people here seem almost resentful of the students, because we have the

Rep utation of being rich, spoiled kids from "the city". some people here are, but most aren't....anyway. i hear you, lee. heheh...

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 1:04PM. Hey Dad- Had this been a heterosexual they would have picked his pocket and ran.....not pistol whip him, crush his scull, and tie him scarecrow style to a fence to bleed for days. And I'm sure this kid brought lots of $$ with him to a campus bar. Of course... makes perfect sense

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 1:07PM. Hey Dad- Had this been a heterosexual they would have picked his pocket and ran.....not pistol whip him, crush his scull, and tie him scarecrow style to a fence to bleed for days. And I'm sure this kid brought lots of $$ with him to a campus bar. Of course... makes perfect sense How about this Dad... Your son and his buddies wanted to prove to their girlfriends (who watched the attack, and did nothing) what REAL men they are... Did they really need his money and shoes...?

Reply from: Aaron on 10/12/98 at 1:19PM. Education to stop this shit isn't gonna happen in the places it's MOST needed. I went to high scool in a rural area, I was the only openly gay student in the district. The administration was more against me than the kids. My locker was burned, i was spat on, and teachers asked not to have me in some classes. If I asked for any help from the school I was told I should go to a different school, "where people understand this way of being." I wanna a fuckin riot!

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 1:35PM. i hope the murderers die slowly and painfully.

Reply from: lee on 10/12/98 at 1:45PM. right now we need to direct our collective rage at the source of this violence. If its possible we need to keep our minds clear but be honest about this rage and grief and fear... keep asking questions simple questions... why don't rural schools deal with diversity...how are schools run? Is it simply homophobic teachers? I for one believe that educators are scared to talk openly about gay issues (even teaching literature like Tennesse Williams) because parents might complain, teachers may be accused of being gay/lesbian, (whether they are or not)which shouldn't be a threat but teachers live in these small towns too. Teaching tolerance seems to be the LEAST that schools do without totally neglecting the issue or seeming to queer friendly. It's not enough

Reply from: Lady Bunny on 10/12/98 at 1:53PM. ~*~ ~*~R.I.P. Mathew..~*~ ~*~

Reply from: hugagrrrl on 10/12/98 at 1:54PM. as the sun still shines on us all, so will our actions and words, and that's why i think that its soooo important and great that we wear black ribbons around our arms in memory of matthew shepard. just today in my world religions class my professor wanted to know what was going on in the world today, as far as religion goes, and he mentioned"what about that HOMOSEXUAL boy who was killed in wyoming? why do you think he was killed?" as he finished his sentence my blood was fucking boiling, not to mention all the pathetic followers in my class that just stared blankly at him, until i said something about fundamentalist christians. and he said that even though they seemed to believe they're doing what's right, they still broke a "rule" from the bible. "thou shall not kill" motherfuckers, so what makes us any fucking different!!!!! fuck fundamentalists, and fuck the whole system that ever led society to believe that homosexuals and minorities in this country+this world are people to be looked down upon. i felt so alone in class today,as i was the only one who was obviously disturbed about this tradgedy. xoxoxoxoxo-to friends and all MY FAMILY out there- sara p.

Reply from: katiekaput on 10/12/98 at 2:55PM. top... b/c that's where it belongs. also, i've heard that students in wyoming are wearing yellow armbands? mebby we should wear both? i dunno. but, anyway. hugs and love forever, kat!!

Reply from: lee on 10/12/98 at 2:56PM. Watch the news: The most common response (solution?) to this tragedy has been a push for hate crime legislation. I think straight politicians are again defining the terms of the queer communities reactions. This is not to say some gay rights organizations aren't leading the way with this discussion. I support hate crime legislation, however I think it is diverting energy away from a much more complex issue that is too painful to look at. Politicians don't want to tell parents how to raise their children or critique a religion (which is usually a family choice) A hate crime is a crime against a whole community with a history of being oppressed.. it makes the people of that community fearful that their lives are also in danger... I think politicians are justified in wanting to show that crimes of hate will not be tolerated, but what about the hate crimes committed in one's own family? Talking about "the law" is appropiriate for politcians and new stations- talking about "the family" often gets trivialized in talk show/infotainment formats. How many ppeople believe that had there been a hate crime law in Wyoming then Matthew Shepard would still be alive?

Reply from: LICKITE on 10/12/98 at 3:03PM. whatever-i give up-everything is just f-u-c-k-e-d! :(

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 3:22PM. How many people think that had the murderer's father taught his son that being a REAL man does not mean beating up a man who may or may not have flirted with you in a bar then Matthew Shepard would still be alive.

Reply from: lee on 10/12/98 at 4:34PM. NBC gave the best coverage on the nightly news..they went beyond the hate crime debate and even mentioned the bogus homosexual panic defense that gay bashers have used to justify their actions. Matthews attackers were locals of that college town who dropped out of high school and had been arrested several times for traffic violations and weapon charges, and once for robbery. I think its signifanct that they went to a COLLEGE bar to find their victim. I'm sure they had resentment for "college types". And gay men are so often scapegoats for young men who feel they are failures as men, which perhaps their fathers assured them they were. This is merely speculation not justification...Robbery is not a motivation for such extreme violence

Reply from: devilgirl on 10/12/98 at 4:34PM. well, i bought some black ribbon, and i made some bow type things for ppls back packs, and such, and i'm wearing one as a bracelet on my wrist, is it supposed to be worn on yr upper arm? how do you keep it from falling down, if so? i almost bought yellow ribbon when i was at the fabric store, because i often see that being worn, isn't it for healing? i dunno....i'm going to hand my ribbons out at work tonight...xoxo

Reply from: Tracey on 10/12/98 at 5:13PM. wait a second... this was the college kid who was in a coma for a few days am i correct? i thought i heard something about this on npr... and if this is the same case, because for some reason i thought it was here in texas, i don't even think the police had, as of yesterday, decided to call this a hate crime... in fact they denied that it was saying that "his sexuality had nothing to do with his attack" or something like that... either way... this is just so fucked... does anyone know if there is somewhere, a website, an email address, something, where we can write to his parents and express our condolences? the sad thing is that this shit continues everyday... it's not always to this extreme and that's probably why most people don't want to talk about it... i'm so appauld by all this... i'm completely enraged at the people, and i know they're out there, who'll sit back and say that these killers are upstanding or more so than the victim here... and people wonder why i have such a bleak outlook on society and people in general... tracey

Reply from: paul on 10/12/98 at 5:37PM. fuck! this is the most depressing news...

Reply from: Kerri on 10/12/98 at 5:51PM. Here's some info. I found on aol: < c/o First National Bank P.O. Box 578 Fort Collins, CO 80522 Account # 1926083 I think a friend of mine and I are going to organize some kind of event here (Greensboro NC) to raise money for this.

Reply from: Kerri on 10/12/98 at 5:53PM. ack the first part didn't go thru, but it was supposed to say "Matthew's family ask that donations to the Matthew Shepard Memorial Fund be sent to: c/o First National Bank...etc"

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 6:55PM. oh my god, this is so fucked up and horrible. I am totally going to raise money for his family, that is so sad. What can we do *now* to speak our opinions and demonstrate how we feel and everything? I don't think I have anything to make a black armband or ribbon out of...

Reply from: joey on 10/12/98 at 6:57PM. oops, that last anon was from me.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 7:04PM. I'm feeling pretty awful right now. Kinda numb. To me, this isn't a political debate on whether we should have hate crime legislation or whatever. It's like, when I hear about the murder, I think, fuck, that could have very well been me up there tied up, burned, or lying in the street and bleeding. It's like I'm just sitting here waiting to picked off, like waiting for next person to die for being queer, a woman, or a person of color. I'm tired of hearing about whose going to be the next martyr, because we have way too many and it feels like none of this will ever end. I hope his killers have fun getting fucked up the ass everyday in prison.

Reply from: gogo on 10/12/98 at 7:05PM. that last anon was me also.

Reply from: Punkabelle on 10/12/98 at 8:25PM. I'm just numb..I can't believe this still goes on...I keep thinking of all the queer kids I know & how if maybe we weren't in the city all those times people have harassed & threatened would've gone further...(not to say that there's no violence in cities, but...) I completely agree that the issue is more than just legislating against hate crimes...it's also got to do with the whole fucking culture that allows it to happen...I guess the first steps we could take to change it are to go through institutions - like making police more aware of queer & minority issues & help them learn how to deal with various minorities - like special "liason" officers, having officers go & talk to minority grups & liase with the community leaders.I'm sure there's also a bunch of "structural" stuff - videotaping questioning, better avenues for complaint, guarantees of confidentiality... *sigh* there's so much to be done...I'm gonna go find an armband.xoxox hugs & empathy, punka.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/12/98 at 8:25PM. top

Reply from: devilgirl on 10/12/98 at 10:48PM. back to the motherfucking top

Reply from: tamra on 10/13/98 at 0:15AM. we had a march in west hollywood tonight down santa monica boulevard, i recognized people from act up and christopher street west, maybe they organized it, hundreds of people with candles and signs, wish you all could have been there.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 0:36AM. just so other victims aren't forgotten, visit this site and read about anti-gay/lesbian hate crimes that have occurred in the past two years: http://www.advocate.com/html/news/timeline.html

Reply from: sloan on 10/13/98 at 6:27AM. i went to a candlelight vigil for him last night at unc. it was so sad......but -let it motivate you to be strong be visibe be out shove it in their faces even if you are scared. get them used to it. do not let them win.

Reply from: brock on 10/13/98 at 8:03AM. wow...i brought this up to the co-chair of the queer group and it has really snowballed. with my help, of course. it shows how small a campus we have...in just under 20 minutes, i've gotten the women's resource center, progressive students alliance, students for choice, amnesty, black student union, asian student union, and united latinos to join the queer group in wearing black armbands...we're also giving them out to people who want them...we are having a march/vigil tomorrow night. hot damn.

Reply from: lee on 10/13/98 at 8:54AM. Hey Brock- way to go my friend!! Take it off-campus if you can... Don't let fear paralyze you...21 queers have been murdered in the past year- not only have they been murdered but often have been the victims of "Overkill"- meaning the deaths are especially horrific and dramatic (like being tethered to a fence like a scarecrow and burned)The reason for this, I believe, is to make an example of the victim (and themselves as REAL men)...like the KKKK does to their victims. What's scary is that the murderers (according to an ex-girlfriend of one) had not had a history of violent behavior and I'm assuming were not part of a hate group..we can't pinpoint our enemies..I think being hit-on by another man triggers such deep-seeded fears about masculinity for a lot of men that hate crime legislation will not remedy. It is a worthwhile law insofar that is sends a message as to a cultural aggreement that this behavior is wrong and it allows the FBI to step in and help local police who may not be sympathetic...but national gay organizations and straight politicians (for&against) spend sooo much time having the SAME debate.. that important issues are being neglected. LISTEN AND READ the news; the discussion has already been framed inside this debate. Unfortunately, it takes the "ideal" victim to get any media attention to this issue (no disrespect to Matthew Shepard) meaning he is attractive and white and a college student-this is a criticism of mainstream media not Matthew and we spend all the air time talking about hate crime legislation that is the LEAST we can do.. politicians think that if they make a law that shows compassion...some important documentaries to watch "Lisence to Kill" on video and "The Brandon Teena Story" in limited release

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 9:57AM. topiddy top top top

Reply from: beth on 10/13/98 at 10:39AM. top top. i wish i had something to say. this is so fucking horrible. in the paper today, they said that "police said robbery was the main motive..." what the fuck. it also said that "he had been beaten twice recently and that he attributed the attacks to his homosexuality." robbery?? he attributed??? what the fuck what the fuck. there's gotta be more that we can do. i hope that he can r.i.p. top.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 11:38AM. the brandon teena story just played in Minneapolis, and is coming soon to Lincoln, NE (near where Brandon was murdered)then Miami, FL in Nov. and Hartford, CT in Dec. Keep an eye out it's worth the trek visit www.zeitgeistfilm.com for info about the murder&documentary

Reply from: johnny on 10/13/98 at 12:13PM. Seeing as how this post is valid, more so than most. Im sending it back upward.

Reply from: jeff on 10/13/98 at 12:24PM. BAY AREA PEEPS: there is gunna be a vigil and march at berkeley this week. email me for the info (i think its tommorow at 12 but im not sure..)

Reply from: Jenn on 10/13/98 at 1:12PM. i think sending our condolences would be a good idea. An E-mail address has been set up for condolences to Matthew Shepard's family. E-mail should be sent to: mshepard@libra.pvh.org.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 3:53PM. top. Please don't let this drop to the bottom. It's important for me to hear what other people have to say about this right now.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 4:31PM. Cincinati just shot down an ordinance that would give gays minority status

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 6:51PM. top

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 7:35PM. top

Reply from: brock on 10/13/98 at 7:52PM. some updates on the morris thang... mandy carter came here to speak tonight....the queer group tabled outside, gathering signatures for a full page ad in the campus newspaper. we also kind of publicised the big rally, which is going to be on monday now, instead of tomorrow. it's scary how many people were wary about signing and/or attending the rally because they didn't want anyone to think they were gay. on another even stranger note, apparently, the ivcf (intervarsity christian fellowship=loudest, most evangelical christian campus group you'd ever want to see) has called the queer office and has shown support in being a sponsoring organization of this rally. also, the churches in morris got together and gave us enough money to buy a buttload of candles for the vigil. this wouldn't normally be so weird, but the religious community in morris tries to stay as far away from us queers as possible. sometimes people surprise me.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 9:00PM. mathew shepard is gonna come back and he's gonna live forever

Reply from: beth on 10/13/98 at 11:57PM. this is absolutely fucking disgusting : >>Wyoming officials were bracing for the arrival of members of a Topeka, Kan., church that regularly engages in anti-homosexual picketing; they are planning to demonstrate at Shepard's funeral Friday in Casper.<< at his funeral. his fucking funeral. just when you thoughts things were about as bad as they could be. i can't stand this

Reply from: elizabeth oblivious on 10/14/98 at 1:05AM. i'm from wyoming. i was born in laramie, and i didn't know matthew personally, but a lot of my friends go to UW and they did. wyoming is one of the most vicious and conservative states ever and because of that i couldn't get people to join my gay/bi group back home. they were all too scared it would be one of them, and it could have been. really, no matter where you live, it could have been any of us...i feel like i didn't do enough, that i should have spoken out, i should have been a better activist, but what can i do now?

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 10:17AM. top keep this going

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 11:37AM. TOP

Rep lies:

Reply from: kate cooties on 10/13/98 at 9:43AM. i completely agree, liz. there is no way around it. people DO NOT GET CRUCIFIED when they're mugged. this was not about money. this was two ultra homophobic murderous bastards (who

Rep resent a much larger portion of society than they are played up to) who wanted to put a gay guy in his place. it could've been any of us. legislation is NOT ENOUGH. but it's a start.

Reply from: ladybugs on 10/13/98 at 10:26AM. That is just plain sad. Ignorant, that's what it is. It soooo obviously had everything to do with the fact that he was gay. I read on an AOL board that some university in Colorado, for their homecoming parade had a float with a scarecrow on it that said "i'm gay". It's sad to see not only such intolerance, but such mockery made out of an innocent person's death. Pat Robertson truly has no heart.

Reply from: peesha on 10/13/98 at 10:31AM. This all just keeps getting worse. Leahlocks and I were just on the phone when a news

Rep ort about the whole thing came on and we just cried together. *sigh* --peeshie

Reply from: KF on 10/13/98 at 10:47AM. ugh..

Reply from: Larry-bob on 10/13/98 at 11:47AM. Here's an article about the float: here

Reply from: Larry-bob on 10/13/98 at 11:49AM. And a Letter to the editor about it.

Reply from: Larry-bob on 10/13/98 at 11:53AM. Here are articles from the university of wyoming student newspaper, and < ahref="http://bi.uwyo.edu/matt-op.htm">letters to the editor.

Reply from: Larry-bob on 10/13/98 at 11:54AM. letters to the editor.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 11:59AM. I just read those articles... That was no accident to put that scarecrow on that float... Why can't people just admit they are awful hateful people

Reply from: witchbabee on 10/13/98 at 12:03PM. this seems to be kicking alot of people into action.at least matthew did not die in vain. **wishes pat robertson leprosy** --liz

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 1:51PM. top

Reply from: Tracey on 10/13/98 at 4:38PM. this is just such shit... pat robertson is one of the most evil men i've ever seen... i'm not going to argue with the fact that these two guys are deranged... they are... the only thing that pat robertson is leaving out of his little speech is that he and people like him are perpetuating this sort of behavior... he's sitting there calling us evil... that we are all going to hell... and then he's got the nerve to say that his homophobic views aren't contributing to this sort of deranged behavior? when people think that you're evil how do you expect them to react? i hate pat robertson... he's what's wrong with this fucking country. you know... even if matthew shepard had been heterosexual... his beating, if it had been as bad as it was, would have been nationally covered for it's sheer brutality... i hate how conservatives, and those two little shits families, want to turn this all around to make it seem as it's not as bad... that the hate that was obviously the motivation towards all this... should not be an issue... and that they are trying to use this whole incident as one more reason why queers are such evil sinners... "they're just trying to exploit this tragedy for political means..." okay... if this had happened to say a little girl or a grandmother they'd be up in arms trying to make the country safer for them... i mean shit... how many helpful laws have come about because of tragedies? tragedies just like this one? i can't believe how they can still be so fucking ignorant towards all this... this is all making me sick... tracey

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 4:49PM. Oh my gosh, remember that one hate crime a couple months back where several men kidnapped and murdered a black man by tying him to the back of their truck and dragging him to death? Well, anyway, during a Labor Day Parade (or maybe it was a Veteran's Day Parade, and I forget which city it was in ) a bunch of city POLICE OFFICERS made a float where they tied a dummy to the back of a truck and drug it around to mock his death, dressed up in black face and afros, threw watermelon and chicken to the crowd, and had derogatory signs about black Americans. Notice a pattern emerging here?

Reply from: indiepopstar on 10/13/98 at 5:16PM. it's not just pat robertson that's perpetuating this kinda things... there's other sources out there contributing to the ignorance and hatred. have any of you ever read the tract by jack chick about homosexuals? you can see it online at www.chick.com and it's absolutely sick. it obviously has the intent to write off homosexuals as evil mistakes who need to be "corrected" or "fixed". at one point, it tries to say homosexuals are going to taint the nation's water supply with AIDS. HOW SCREWED UP IS THAT?!? if that's not trying to create hysteria and hatred, i don't know what is. i'll tell you something... it's not my place to judge others, but i think people who spread this kind of hatred in a religion with a basis of love (or so i've come to believe, in the purest sense) is just completely awful. okay, that's my little bit now. xoxo,tobytom

Reply from: itchie on 10/13/98 at 5:20PM. i've always wondered if there are any national gay fairness-in-media type groups; the press' treatment of this incident has been deplorable, steeped in that just-subtle enough-to-slip-through/just- ignorant-enough-to-validate-more-of-the-same kind of journalism. the statement that matthew shepard was lured from a bar by these two monsters simply because "they said they were gay," in addition to countless other unethical (yet "harmless")statements need to be addressed NOW. the press MUST be called on its bias before any change can come. i think it's vital that there be some sort of immediate examination of the way the media treats these sorts of issues- especially in the heat of one- and i was wondering if anyone knows of any groups that are working on something like this...as futile as it seems to attack the media THROUGH the media, i still think someone has to address the prejudicial nature of their "fair and accurate

Rep orting."....during that andrew cunanan fiasco i just happened to see larry king live, and he prefaced every interview with "are you gay?" he was talking to people who'd met the guy, people who'd gone to school with him, and every question was "are you gay? is this a gay establishment you work in?" there was a man who refused to discuss his sexuality, yet larry king kept badgering him with "did he ever come on to you? did he flirt with you? did he try to kiss you?" and the worst: "do you think he's killing people because he has aids? did he look like he might have aids?" i was on the phone making complaints to various media organizations the whole time that shit was happening, yet there was nothing even RESEMBLING a self-examination on the media's behalf. even when the excitement was over and it was released that he didn't have aids (as if it mattered) & the whole thing was just a homophobic rumor, there was never any retraction from any of the news organizations that

Rep orted conjecture as a front-page story. i think it's important that THIS TIME they don't get away with it. i think we need to organize some sort of rebuttal. are there any groups i can contact? - erin

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 5:45PM. top

Reply from: lee on 10/13/98 at 6:29PM. Read 1984 by George Orwell: War is Peace I don't know what can be done except exposing this hate for what it is. The religious right is beginning to fund Democratic candidates. Candidates are USING the label democrat to confuse people. Research candidates, not labels. They are getting sneakier. Read 1984 by George Orwell it will open your eyes about LANGUAGE...it is not always what is seems

Reply from: lee on 10/13/98 at 6:48PM. Oh I forgot.. Itchie, there is a media watchdog group GLAAD Gay/Les Alliance Against Defamation: I agree that the mainstream media's response has been inadequate and as always, shortlived. I also believe we need to stop being on the defensive and begin to define the terms of discussion about this. We spend so much time responding to attacks of the religious right that we lose VISION. (as well as give legitimacy to these arguments) obviously it's not that we should completely ignore them but we need to get some direct action/confrontation going (non-violent) Another good book (nonfiction/history) Sarah Schulman's MY GAY/LESBIAN HISTORY THE REAGEN/BUSH YEARS particularly the chapter that describes the early actions of the NYC Lesbian Avengers or if you can get a copy of the video LESBIAN AVENGERS EAT FIRE TOO, directed by Su Friedrick (SP?) which documents NY Les Av.'s first year. Reading these books is very important: it will help direct your anger and actions- they have transforming powers

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/13/98 at 7:34PM. top

Reply from: punkrockdyke on 10/13/98 at 9:47PM. Now the religious right is going to start running similar ads on tv that they ran in print over the summer.

Reply from: Tracey on 10/13/98 at 9:52PM. email the govenor of wyoming, who is opposed to passing legislation that would help to protect queers from hate crimes, and tell him what you think of his stance on this issue... he's been quoted saying that it just wasn't enough to make him think that legislation was needed... i guess the man doesn't consider a dead 21 year old enough evidence. anyway... tracey

Reply from: Tracey on 10/13/98 at 9:53PM. erp... here's the address... sorry... Governor@missc.state.wy.us tracey

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 10:21AM. top

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 11:34AM. top

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 2:13PM. top

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 3:52PM. top

Rep lies:

Reply from: lee on 10/14/98 at 11:20AM. o and another thing...gay/les national organizations shoud NOT have a counter-demonstrations. Let the Vigils happen... become a community that let's all queers know "we got your back"

Reply from: brock on 10/14/98 at 11:59AM. lee...there are gay/les organizations planning on holding a counterdemonstration in front of the church?

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 2:14PM. top

Reply from: lee on 10/14/98 at 4:21PM. hey there's someone else here with my name? hmmm. i dont understand this post. lee

Reply from: Larry-bob on 10/14/98 at 4:21PM. I think that Phelps does more good than harm - there's always the chance that someone will see his insane behavior and recognise it in themselves and reject their own homophobia.

Reply from: marci on 10/14/98 at 4:25PM. "more good than harm?" You've got to be kidding..

Reply from: itchie on 10/14/98 at 4:58PM. i think what larry and lee mean is this: this is a family funeral. no matter what implication the incident may have or what issues it raises, these people have lost a loved one and deserve to mourn in peace. by choosing to aggrevate matthew shepard's family in such a vicious manner, this group is showing themselves to be monsters. this is a highly publicized story and their cruelty will be nationwide news. though there are probably ignorant fucks out there who will think the protest is a great thing, maybe someone who is borderline- someone who hasn't been around any gay people or who lives in a homophobic community but has even a modicum of decency- will take note that the gay community has allowed the shepards their privacy while the religious right has launched an assault on people in mourning. this is a political issue, no doubt; to politicize a family funeral is despicable, and i think people will take notice. -erin

Reply from: marci on 10/14/98 at 5:10PM. Yeah, I can understand the whole "let the world see them as the monsters they are" thing, but we're over looking the fact that his family and friends have the right to mourn his death and celebrate his life in peace.

Reply from: itchie on 10/14/98 at 5:15PM. they do. and if there is some way to ban the protesters from the funeral, it should be done. if there isn't, i think they gay community should stay away from counter protests in respect for the family. i have met christians- though they're not the vocal ones- who DO believe in kindness and love. and though their religion teaches them to hate gays, they may see the gay community's respect for the shepard family's privacy as a manifestation of the sort of "kindness and love" that's supposed to be integral to their faith. just a thought.... -erin

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/14/98 at 7:30PM. topppppp

Rep lies:

Reply from: witchbabee on 10/20/98 at 7:44AM. i wish i coulda been there. stupid midterms. :( -liz

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/20/98 at 9:20AM. Joan Jett and Kate Schellenbach were there.

Reply from: Captain on 10/20/98 at 9:25AM. and kathleen hanna and the guy who plays the violin teacher on party of five

Reply from: janeeta on 10/20/98 at 9:46AM. ahh just in time for the National Protest Against Police Brutality. The one in OKC is Thursday at 4:00 pm. It's going to be on the W. lawn of the county court house. 321 Park Ave., downtown. beeeee there, and WEAR ALL BLACK CLOTHING!!

Reply from: witchbabee on 10/20/98 at 10:33AM. does anyone else feel the tension rising??? i keep feeling like this is all going to bubble over really soon...--liz

Reply from: sweetpea on 10/20/98 at 10:50AM. to all that are in the nyc area: there is also going to be a rally against police brutality here soon. i will post the details asap. i was on my way to the fucking shepard rally and i heard ambulances and police sirens and shit. i knew something bad happened...it was SO fucked...i'm kinda glad i changed my mind...

Reply from: lee on 10/20/98 at 11:44AM. Does anyone know where to find more info on this? Was anyone hurt? The march down 5th ave. was publicized days before hand, at least in the gay press. Were the police surprised by the march? When the Dyke March happens, the police don't usually try to supress it even though no permit is granted for it. They usually just try to direct traffic, and realize that it's gonna happen whether they like it or not. I wonder why they didn't take the same realistic approach? Has Guliani made any comment. Do you know who organized it?

Reply from: Paul on 10/20/98 at 1:09PM. there is a police brutality march in Philadelphia at love park also on thursday at 4

Reply from: Leigh on 10/20/98 at 1:27PM. the one in nyc is on the 22nd, but i dunno the location. my friend is very into this, so e-mail me if ya want more info.

Reply from: Leigh on 10/20/98 at 1:31PM. forget that... its probably wrong. e-mail sacky499@aol.com for all the info.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/20/98 at 1:34PM. giuliani isnt even in town...but i am sure he will stand buy his police force. im sure he told them to do this. hes already tried to close down all the gay bars, and has ignored pleas for extar protection in gay neighborhoods in nyc where there has been an uprising of gay bashing incidents. ugh. this is my understanding of the events :the police did know about this in advance. unlike the dyke march, where they *do* just show up to provide traffic control , they showed up to this march in full riot gear and with HORSES. yes HORSES. ready to beat or trample any dyke or fag that got in their way. when the rally went from being a peaceful vigil with just a coupla hundred people to a big rally down fifth avenue involving 4000, the cops started in on everyone. alot of people were arrested for blocking traffic. many of those people were the rally's marshalls. once the marshalls are gone, no one can really contain the march. the cops began arresting, beating, and loading people onto mta busses (HOW FUCKING CONVENIENT THAT ALL OF THOSE MTA BUSSES WERE ON HAND!!). people were bleeding. the horses trampled people. about 120 arrests were made. people were arrested for "resisting arrest" (????!). basically , the pigs were looking for a riot, and when they didnt get one, they made one . the headlines on the paper read "GAY RIOT" today. sick. this event was SUPPOSED to be a political funeral, and an organized march. much like the recent million youth march, cops overeager to bust some minority group were there to ensure that it would be fucked up. --liz

Reply from: kate cooties on 10/20/98 at 2:30PM. liz, thank you so much for posting this information. please keep us updated when you learn more about what happened. i really wish i could say that this surprised me... but it doesn't. especially with guiliani. especially with a metropolitan police force. especially against queer activists... October 22 should be observed with a new vigor this year.

Reply from: taylor k on 10/20/98 at 2:34PM. liz, I completely agree with you. I think tension is rising rapidly and I'm really scared about what could possibly come from it. I'm hoping its a positive outcome in our favor, a completely non violent outcome that helps progression rather than digression. And if you need any protest tips watch Gandhi, if the horses start coming at you lie down on the ground. They'll stop dead in their tracks.

Reply from: witchbabee on 10/20/98 at 4:09PM. HMMM. its also almost the 25th anniversary of stonewall. for you non new yorkers, there is probably a way you can get the new york times article about this on the web. but warning..they downplay it all. they say only 60 arrests and 1 horse trampling but in reality it was about 100 arrests, and my friend said she saw at least 4 people get trampled. --liz

Reply from: itchie on 10/20/98 at 5:23PM. speaking of giulliani (i have no idea how to spell that), i heard that he shut down public transportation out of harlem for the million youth march. was that just a rumor? -erin

Reply from: beth on 10/20/98 at 9:13PM. i had a feeling something was gonna go down. i couldn't go, i've been sick all weekend. top to this post, this is so important. i want details on the brutality march...

Reply from: lee on 10/21/98 at 9:17AM. top. Did anyone see any national news about this. I didn't. What I can't understand is why my local news and the national news

Rep orted on vigils around the country, but have given no mention of demonstrations of a political nature. Boston had a vigil on the 16th and a protest on the 19th. The vigil was publicized, and the numbers were inflated; but nothing about the protest. (unless I missed it while flipping channels) My local news did however cover the fred phelps protest at the funeral that numbered 16. But thousands of NYC queers marching down 5th ave. and being met by violent resistance from the NYPD is not newsworthy? There is an explanation for this, and I want to know what is. I'm afraid that this upcoming protest will turn very violent; please be careful.

Reply from: scott on 10/21/98 at 12:54PM. THERE IS AN EMERGENCY MEETING TONIGHT, WEDNESDAY, AT 8:00 P.M. AT THE LESBIAN AND GAY COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER, 1 LITTLE WEST 12TH STREET, [WEST VILLAGE, AT HUDSON AND GANSEVOORT STREETS], 212.620.7310. THE MEETING IS TO DISCUSS POLICE VIOLENCE AT THE POLITICAL FUNERAL ON MONDAY AND TO PLAN FOR THURSDAYS MARCH AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY. EVERYONE IS WELCOME, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE AT THE MARCH WHO WITNESSED VIOLENCE BY THE NYPD. PLEASE COME AND HELP US PLAN FOR THURSDAY. THE CITY HAS YET TO GRANT A PERMIT TO MARCH, BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW THE PLAN IS TO ASSEMBLE AT 4:00 AT UNION SQUARE PARK, 14TH-17TH STREETS, BETWEEN 4TH AND 5TH AVENUES, MANHATTAN, AND MARCH TO CITY HALL PARK, FOR A RALLY AT 6:00 PM. THERE ARE PERMITS FOR THE RALLIES, BUT NOT FOR THE MARCH.

Reply from: An anonymous viewer on 10/21/98 at 4:41PM. top

Reply from: lady bunny on 10/21/98 at 5:08PM. There was no coverage of the Boston Demonsration Mon. 19th (7-8:30pm or so) either. There were probably between 50-70 ppl, but i wasn't counting. Their was 1 police car and it helped stop traffic. I think it was a political funeral thing, because they had a cardboard casket and 6 torches, and we marched on the sidewalk from Copley sq. to Park st. T stop. I wish the news would cover these things. Maybe someone from the Phoenix will do a story on it.

Reply from: lee on 10/21/98 at 7:39PM. The Boston Vigil had about 50-70 people as well, although on the local news they said, "hundreds turned out" They also made no mention of the 15 or so people LOUDLY laughing and belittling us. Can some one name the NY paper that ran the headline GAY RIOT. I don't know how to express this thought in words, but I'll try: heterosexuals (media, church, politicians) have a very bizarre way of determining whether gay people are being offensive or defensive. I don't know how many times in the past week I have heard straight people (both allies and enemies) mutter the words, "noboody has the right to tell another what to think (believe)" The subtext, I believe, to this statement is: Gay people don't have the right to tell straight people that they should believe homosexuality is not wrong, not a sin, not unnatural etc... The content of the statement doesn't bother me as much as the irony does. GIVE ME ONE EXAMPLE WHERE A GAY PERSON HAS VIOLATED THE RIGHTS OF A STRAIGHT PERSON BECAUSE OF THEIR SEXUALITY I can give >8,000 in this past year alone in which the reverse is true, 21 where the violation is murder. Does anybody hear this? There is a better way to say this.. can anyone help? It seems to me, straight people have excercised their right to tell people what to believe about homosexuality for centuries. They also have the right to flirt or hit on- and no one

Rep lies, "stop forcing your ways upon me." Isn't the right to tell a free speec issue- nobody is holding a gun to anyone's head, nobody is making a threat of violence- it seems that our mere existence is threat enough.

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