T.R. Knight Hosts A Celebration of “LOVE and PRIDE” In an Effort to Erase Hate

National Gay Pride Month Kicks-Off with Commitment Ceremony
June 4, 2008 at The Abbey in West Hollywood

West Hollywood, CA. - On June 4, 2008, T.R. Knight will join the Matthew Shepard Foundation to help kick off National Gay-Pride month with a symbolic dusk commitment ceremony at the famed West Hollywood hotspot, The Abbey.

At 8pm, couples from around the nation will “tie the knot” in an event officiated by the Mayor of West Hollywood and witnessed by Judy Shepard. Couples will be wearing the Matthew Shepard Erase Hate pendant courtesy of Love and Pride jewelry designer, Udi Behr. Love and Pride is the first online jewelry destination for people who believe in equality, diversity and tolerance for all. http://www.loveandpride.com/

Behr created the Erase Hate pendant for Judy Shepard, in memory of her son, Matthew Shepard, who was the victim of a brutal anti-gay hate crime in rural Wyoming ten years ago. His murder brought national attention to the issue of hate crime legislation and was a watershed moment in the fight for gay civil rights.

Behr remarks, “A public commitment ceremony is a great way to join together and strengthen our two messages; ‘Celebrating Love’ and ‘Erasing Hate.’” 100% of net proceeds from sales of the pendant assist the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

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VIDEO: Matthew Shepard tribute

Advocate bias

While reading an article in the Advocate I was a bit surprised and insulted by an article.

It seems Jasmyne Cannick (a black female) was upset that the Michael Sandy (a black male) murder didn’t cause an uproar like the Matthew Shepard murder received.

Both murders were inexcusable. Both were gay men. Both were hate crimes. Why does Jasmyne feel the need to yell out a race based "foul"?

Jasmyne went into some details regarding Sandy’s murder but didn’t bother mentioning any details of Shepard’s murder and torture. Which shows her obvious bias.

Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence, tortured and left to die a slow painful death. He wasn't even discovered until 18 hours later.

If Jasmyne can’t see the vast difference in these crimes I strongly suggest her vision is “colorized”.

Shepard:
Shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Shepard met McKinney and Henderson in a bar. According to McKinney, Shepard asked them for a ride home. Subsequently, Shepard was robbed, pistol whipped, tied to a fence in a remote, rural area, and left to die. McKinney and Henderson also found out his address and intended to burglarize his home. Still tied to the fence, Shepard was discovered by a cyclist eighteen hours later, who at first thought that Shepard was a scarecrow. Shepard was still alive but unconscious.
Shepard suffered a fracture from the back of his head to the front of his right ear. He had severe brain stem damage, which affected his body's ability to regulate heart rate, body temperature and other vital signs. There were also about a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck. His injuries were deemed too severe for doctors to operate. Shepard never regained consciousness and remained on full life support.

Sandy:
Sandy drove his 2004 Mazda to the location, and met Fox first, near Emmons Avenue. The then drove to Plumb Beach, where Fortunato, Shurov, and Timmons were waiting.[4] At about 9:45 p.m., at least four witnesses saw four white men assaulting a black man. [5]
Shortly after Sandy arrived, witnesses saw two young white men approaching his car.[6] At that time, Sandy was confronted by two of the young men, who began looking through his vehicle.[1] Shurov pulled Sandy from the car and began punching him.[7]
Attempting to escape, Sandy runs towards the highway, back-pedaling away from the attackers, towards the highway. He appeared to be calling for help on his cell phone[2] Two of his attackers caught up with him in the right lane of the highway.[1] Shurov pursued Sandy across the guard rail, caught up with him in the right lane, and punched him.[2] Sandy backpedaled into the middle lane, and was struck. One of the attackers dragged Sandy back to the side of the road. [1] Shurov was seen rifling through Sandy's pockets after he was struck.[7]
Unconscious and suffering possible brain injuries, Sandy was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was placed on a respirator and remained in a vegetative state.[1] Sandy remained on life support for five days, without regaining consciousness.

Legislature Calls on Congress, President to Pass Federal Hate Crimes Act

SACRAMENTO - August 29 - The California Senate on Monday approved a resolution urging Congress and the president to strengthen the federal hate crimes law. Senators passed AJR 29 by a 22-1 vote.

AJR 29, authored by Assemblymember Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park, and sponsored by Equality California, urges Congress and the president to protect hate crime victims who are targeted based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It calls for passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. The federal measure would expand the nation’s hate crimes protections and boost law enforcement’s ability to investigate and prosecute acts of violence against all protected communities of people. Current federal law only covers hate crimes that are motivated by race, color, national origin or religion.

In July, the Assembly passed the same resolution by a 70-1 bipartisan vote, with 46 Democrats and 24 Republicans casting an “aye” vote. That vote marked the most bipartisan support ever received in the California Legislature for a measure affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0829-05.htm