COMMENTARY | Thirteen years ago, Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and murdered when he was a college student at the University of Wyoming, all because of his sexual orientation. Although there have been some major strides since then in the way that lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders are treated, we still have a long way to go.
This kind and loving soul tragically lost his life at the young age of 21, all because of hate and ignorance. You would think that after more than a decade after this heinous murder, people would learn that hate only leads to violence. Hate starts wars. Yet people will continue to hate others for being different than they are as they have, likely, since human beings have been on earth.
Shepard became the face of the hate crimes legislation that was finally passed by President Obama in 2009, after a long, hard-fought battle by his mother. At the time of Shepard's death, crimes based on sexual orientation were not considered prosecutable as hate crimes.
To make matters worse, the men who were charged in the murder of Shepard tried to use the fact that he was gay as an excuse for his heinous killing, saying they were driven to temporary insanity because the student made sexual advances against them.
The world still has a long way to go in the way that LGBTs are seen. There were some in Congress who even fought against passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act because of their own ignorance and dislike of those who are considered "different."
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., not only used the term "tar baby" during a House floor speech, but she tried to disguise her hatred of gays by calling Shepard's murder a "hoax." His mother was there listening.
Yes, we have made great strides, and even a few milestones in the way that LGBTs are treated. Today, there are even six states who allow same-sex marriage, and the hate crimes legislation was signed into law two years ago.
Unfortunately, we have miles to go before LGBTs are seen as equals and not as degenerates by a portion of the population. There are too many who use religion as an excuse to spread hate and even incite violence on LGBTs.
Just last month, a gay teen in New York was bullied so badly that he committed suicide. Shortly after his death, the students at his high school continued their attack against his sister, shouting that the boy was better off dead.
When the announcement was made that Chaz Bono, who is transgender, was going to be a cast member on the reality television show "Dancing with the Stars," many viewers complained. Some went as far as calling Bono evil, and stated that he will go to "hell."
Unfortunately, our nation, and the world, has a long way to go before it learns that hate is what will bring us all down. Love and tolerance is the only thing that will save us, no matter which God you believe in.
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