Ten years ago today

Ten years ago today, America was rocked by the tragic story of a 21-year-old college student that had been beaten severely by two men, tied to a fence, and left alone for 18 hours before he was found. The victim was Matthew Shepard, and as he clung to life for the next six days, the image of his bittersweet smile spread through newspapers and television reports. During that painful week, we learned the truth: the boy’s attackers killed Matthew because he was gay.

Hate violence and bias incidents happen all over the country, and Vermont is not immune. Not all hate crimes result in murder and most are never reported. Hate takes many forms such as hate speech, vandalism of property, discrimination and harassment.

The SafeSpace Anti-Violence program which serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) survivors of violence and discrimination in Vermont worked with 16 victims of hate in the last year. One of the more public incidents occurred in northern Vermont on October 1, 2007. Two perpetrators spray painted the cars of two gay men with the words “faggot” and other anti-gay epithets. Law enforcement conducted a thorough investigation, the perpetrators were charged with a hate crime, yet the charges were ultimately dropped in February 2008.

We are fortunate that Vermont is one of a handful of states that protects its residents with hate crime legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity, among other protected groups. In contrast, Wyoming—the home state of Matthew Shepard—still does not have any hate crime legislation, nor can we find these protections at the federal level. 

Ten years have passed since Matthew’s murder, and we cannot let the country remain stagnant. LGBTQ people have a right to feel safe not just in Vermont, but in all the cities, towns, and communities across the country. We must take a stand against hatred, so that no more families have to endure the pain of the Shepards. The time is now to see the Matthew Shepard Act, federal hate crimes legislation, passed in Congress.

In honoring Matthew’s legacy, we must also ask ourselves: what can we do in Vermont to improve the enforcement of our existing Hate Crime Law? Is legislation enough to protect our friends and neighbors from violence? What else can we do to ensure safety in our homes, our schools, and our communities?

Part of the answer is that we must continue the dialogue about hate: what causes it, where we encounter it, and what each of us can do to make every person in our community feel safe. We can get involved, support Vermont’s LGBTQ community center and anti-violence program, attend one of the October LGBTQ History Month activities, talk to your friends about this article, challenge all forms of hate and bias, and do not stay silent.

If you or anyone you know has experienced anti-LGBTQ hate or discrimination in Vermont please contact SafeSpace at our toll free support line 1-866-869-7341.

For more information about the SafeSpace Anti-Violence program, the RU12? Community Center or LGBTQ History Month activities please call 802-860-7812.

Comments

[newkon]

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