October 1, 2003

Introduction

As we approach the observance of several historic markers in high-profile hate crimes against our community - five years since the murder of Matthew Shepard, nearly ten years since the death of Brandon Teena and close to one year since the tragic murder of Gwen Araujo - GLAAD has prepared this media reference guide to address the myriad complex issues relating to incidents motivated by anti-LGBT bias.

National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs Clarence Patton Communities are often unaware of the frequency at which hate crimes occur and are surprised when they hear of a particular incident-usually a "worse case scenario" involving a brutal assault or murder-reported by the media. [ more ]

Remembering Our Dead Gwen Smith "There have been 29 reported cases of anti-transgender violence -- 14 in the United States alone -- since the brutal murder of 17-year-old Gwen Araujo. Further, there have been 159 reported cases in the decade since Brandon Teena was raped and later killed in Nebraka. More than one case reported every month, and this figure has been steadily rising in the last couple of years." [ more ]

Mano a Mano Andrés Duque The attack on Eddie Garzón in Jackson Heights, Queens, on the early morning of August 15th, 2001, sent shock-waves through a large Latino LGBT community in Queens but was barely noticed by the rest of New York.  It wasn't until Edgar died three weeks later that it seemed to pick up interest from media. As the organizer of a vigil to call attention to his murder, it certainly showed me the best and worst in the way that media covers a possible hate crime. [ more ]

Southern Poverty Law Center There  isn't much question that race hate fueled  the murder of Sasezley Richardson, a 19-year-old black teenager shot dead as he strolled back from a mall in Elkhart, Ind., with diapers for a friend's baby. Police called it a hate crime from the start. But  today, Sasezley Richardson isn't even a statistic. If you pick up  a copy of the FBI's "Hate Crime Statistics: 1999" report, you won't find anything representing the death of this young man,  shot dead on Nov. 17, 1999.[ more ]

Some anti-violence groups have noted sharp increases in the number of reported hate crimes following the high level of GLBT visibility this past summer, and GLAAD urges the media to consider the many issues relating to this continuing problem and urge them to explore why some incidents receive more attention than others and what can be done to stem the tide of violence against GLBT, HIV+ people and people with AIDS.

The death of Matthew Shepard was easily the most covered and discussed anti-gay hate crime in American history, but his was certainly neither the first nor the last anti-LGBT murder to occur in this country. Since Shepard's death in 1998, dozens of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have become victims of hate-motivated murders, and hundreds more have been the targets of violent anti-LGBT assaults. Many of these crimes have been perpetrated against people of color - and often these incidents get little news coverage, if they are reported on at all.

When hate crimes occur, GLAAD works with local and national anti-violence groups, journalists, and communities affected by hate violence. In the past, GLAAD has dispatched staff to locations where anti-LGBT hate crimes have occurred to work on the ground to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of the incident in the media. We know that media can play an important role in determining law enforcement and community response to anti-LGBT hate crimes. However, in many locations, law enforcement still places a low priority on anti-LGBT incidents. Because of this, police may not investigate the incident properly or at all, may re-victimize survivors and be unresponsive to families or community members seeking information. The media attention focused on Matthew Shepard has faded, but that doesn't mean that hate crimes or their victims have disappeared as well. In this guide we are pleased to include contributions from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the organizers of Day of Remembrance (an annual event held to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice) and others who work to ensure a future where hate-motivated violence no longer occurs.

Legislative Links

There is currently no federal hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation or gender expression. These links provide information about state and local hate crime laws across the country.

Human Rights Campaign
Does Your State's Hate Crimes Law Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity?
> Lists every state that has a law against hate crimes, those that include gender bias in their hate laws, and those states that have no laws.

Partners Against Hate
State and Local Response to Hate Crimes
> Searchable database to find hate crimes statistics and laws around the country.

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
NGLTF's hate crimes resources, including maps, statistics, and op-eds.

Terminology Guide

Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Glossary of Terms
http://archive.glaad.org/media/guide/glossary.php

Transgender Glossary of Terms
http://archive.glaad.org/media/guide/transfocus.php

Hate crime
A crime that is motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person.

Gay Panic Defense
The justification of an anti-gay attack or murder based upon the allegation of a sexual advance made by the victim. Essentially, the gay panic defense blames the victims of hate crimes, and suggests that a sexual advance warrants a violent (or even murderous) response.

Overkill
An extreme amount of violence and brutality used against a victim that involves a destructive capacity greatly exceeding that required for a given target. Overkill is often a feature of hate crimes.

Media Coverage

LGBT media often provides a strong model for fair, accurate, and inclusive coverage of hate crimes, particularly when there is sensationalistic or sparse mainstream media coverage. These news links detail some well-known and/or recent anti-LGBT hate crimes.

Matthew Shepard
It was not only the October 6, 1998, attack against Matthew Shepard - or even his death six days later - that caught the world's attention. It was the way he lived his life openly - flaws and all - in the small college town of Laramie that sparked debates on hate-crimes legislation in statehouses nationwide. (adapted from Jon Barrett, The Advocate)

Washington Post - July 12, 2003
"Honor Thy Son: Out of Tragedy, Judy Shepard Became Mother of a Movement" - by Wil Haygood

The Advocate - September 30, 2003
"Pain and prominence: A profile of Judy Shepard and how her work as an activist has grown since the death of her son." - by Michael Joseph Gross

The Advocate - September 30, 2003
"Revisiting Laramie: An article detailing what the people who were interviewed for "The Laramie Project" are doing now"

HBO's "Laramie Project" website
Site featuring excerpts from the play, message boards, and photos of the "Laramie Project" cast.

Brandon Teena
The death of Brandon Teena was the first anti-transgender murder to receive media attention largely due to Boys Don't Cry, an award winning film that tells the story of Teena's life and his tragic death.

News articles on Brandon Teena's murder from DataLounge.com
http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/issues/?storyline=805

ABC News.com - August 2000
"Brandon Teena Paid a High Price For Being Different"

Juana Vega
Juana Vega was a Chicana lesbian living in Milwaukee. Vega was killed by her partner's brother who was against their sexual orientation. The incident was not categorized as a hate crime by Milwaukee authorities. Although the murder prompted the local media to cover it, Spanish-language media networks did not report on it.

Journal Sentinel Milwaukee - November 20, 2001
"Hate crimes charge demanded in death: Woman killed because she was lesbian, friends say" - by Franny White

Eddie Garzón
Eddie Garzón was a member of COLEGA - The Colombian Gay & Lesbian Association. Garzón was beat and left unconscious on the street. He died three weeks later. Although the local media covered the case extensively, the story didn't make it to Spanish-language news nationally.

Gay City News
"Grief and Respite: Family marks anniversary of Eddie Garz&ocaute;n's death and gain the home he hoped to give them" - by Paul Schindler

Gwen Araujo
Initially, the murder of Gwen Araujo prompted media attention because a production of "The Laramie Project" was in rehearsal at Araujo's high school. A large and organized transgender community in the San Francisco Bay area (where Araujo lived) helped bring attention to Araujo's death, and community response to inaccurate and sensational media coverage of the murder resulted in extensive changes in the way local and regional media outlets cover transgender issues.

San Francisco Chronicle - November 19, 2002
"Transgender transit: Not easy being 'tween" - by Annie Nakao

USA Today - October 20, 2002
"Slaying of transgender boy haunts city" - by John Ritter

Sakia Gunn
The stabbing death of Sakia Gunn prompted a tremendous community response, with marches and vigils in New Jersey and New York City. Unfortunately, the media has done little follow-up coverage of the murder.

Gay City News - May 16, 2003
"Lesbian teen dies in hate stabbing" - by Mick Meenan

Bella Evangelista, Emonie Spaulding, Dee Andre
A recent spate of anti-transgender violence in Washington, D.C. left Latina activist Bella Evangelista and Emonie Spauling dead, and Dee Andre, both of African descent, critically wounded, yet mainstream media coverage of the crimes has been sparse.

Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network - August 21, 2003
"Anti-transgender violence hits D.C. again"

New York Blade - August 29, 2003
"D.C. man arrested in second trans murder" - by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.

Media Contacts

General Hate Crimes Information

Clarence Patton
Acting Executive Director, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
Phone: 212-714-1184. ext. 55
Cell: 347-683-0020
cpatton@avp.org

Gwen Smith
RememberingOurDead.org
Phone: 925-754-5599
gwen@gwensmith.com

Mara Keisling
Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality
Phone: 202-639-6331
Cell: 202-746-6272
mkeisling@nctequality.org

Johanna Matthews (español)
Communications Associate, La Clínica del Pueblo
Phone: (202) 464-0145
Cell: (202) 368-8703
jmatthews@lcdp.org

Andrés Duque (español)
Director, Mano a Mano
Phone: 212 584-9306
Cell: 917 992-6098
ADuque@latinoaids.org

Matthew Shepard Foundation
Sarah McMullen
Publicist, Matthew Shepard Foundation
Phone: 713-660-7942
Cell: 310-283-7907
smcmullen@earthlink.net

Jay Fromkin
Director, Division of University Public Relations
University of Wyoming
Phone: 307-766-2929
fromkin@uwyo.edu

Jim Osborn
President of LGBT Student Group in 1998
University of Wyoming
Phone: 307-766-2939
jimosbrn@uwyo.edu

Moises Kaufman
Artistic Director
Tectonic Theater Project
Phone: 212-579-6111

Jeffrey Montgomery
Triangle Foundation
Phone: 313-537-3323
Cell: 313-506-1847
trijeffm@aol.com

Hate Crimes Legislation Issues

David Smith
Communications Director, Human Rights Campaign
Phone: 202-628-4160
david.smith@hrc.org

Sheri Lunn
Communications Director, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
Phone: 323-857-8751
slunn@ngltf.org

Southern Poverty Law Center
Laurie Wood
Research Manager, Intelligence Project
(334) 956-8302