Gay rights groups: 'Gay panic' is not justification to kill

[truthpusher]

http://www.gazetteextra.com/teenmurder_defense020205.asp

Gay rights groups: 'Gay panic' is not justification to kill

(Published Wednesday, February 2, 2005 10:01:08 AM CST)
By Carrie Antlfinger
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE - The "gay panic" defense that lawyers are using in the insanity trial of a Winnebago County teen accused of murdering a 37-year-old man is not justification for killing someone and shows his lawyers' desperation, gay advocacy groups say.

Gary Hirte, 19, of Weyauwega, already pleaded guilty to murdering Glenn Kopitske, 37, in the man's rural Winnebago County house in the summer of 2003. Now the former straight-A student and Eagle Scout faces a trial, which started Monday in Oshkosh, to determine whether he was insane at the time.

(snip)

"Whether this person is sane or insane, your feelings about gay people as gay people are never justification to behave violently," said Lara Schwartz, senior counsel for Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based gay rights organization.

In a "gay panic" defense, defendants claim they killed or hurt someone of the same sex in a rage after they had sex or they perceived that person made romantic or sexual overtures to them, said Clarence Patton, acting executive director of National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, a coalition of gay, transgender and other groups.

complete story here:
http://www.gazetteextra.com/teenmurder_defense020205.asp

[HockeyMom]

1. Is it me?

Or is all this gay bashing/hatred/killing reminiscent of the blacks situation back in the 50s and 60s?

[Sandpiper]

5. Gays are the new n*ggers

Especially now that Bush has gotten a second term.

[aquart]

6. Bigotry is always exactly the same.

Names change but the calumny never alters.

[mchill]

2. I was a juror once

when the gay panic defense was used. It was back in 1984. The expert was a professor from University of California Santa Cruz, which is odd in itself. I was an alternate, so didn't have any say in the outcome, but the deliberative jury didn't buy the defense and this was in a very very conservative rural county. He got life without parole.

[Fleshdancer]

3. It's sick that this sort of statement has to be said

Then again, some states have "crimes of passion" laws which also makes me sick to my stomach.

[gottaB]

15. my sentiments too

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. Not a justification? Well, gee, thanks.

Wasn't sure there for a while.

[David Zephyr]

7. Of course this leads to "Black Panic" & "Female Panic" and ....

Essentially, "gay panic" is just a euphemism for "homophobia". Same thing, just dressed up.

One's phobias are not justification or an excuse to murder.

Where will this lead? Fear of forieners? Female panic? Black panic? White Panic? Disabled panic? Mentally Ill panic?

[scottxyz]

8. "Straight panic"

"A woman came on to me but I'm a gay man so I had to kill her."

"A man came on to me but had to kill him because I'm a lesbian."

Logical, right?

[PartyPooper]

14. Exactly. I was thinking the same thing myself.

As a gay man, I'd be in prison now (or dead) if I had "killed" every female who had "come on to me" in the last 40 years.

Geez Louise. This is f****** insane!

:silly:

[msongs]

9. have you heard of "christian panic"?

that's where you gas 6 million jews, enslave and murder 20 million africans, and commit deliberate genocide against every native of the american continents because they are all heathens.

works pretty good, a majority of christian churches endorse and defend it.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[Inland]

10. "Gay Panic" defense used only because it is all they have.

It is all a version of an insanity defense, and those don't work worth shit. Don't take it personally.

[davidinalameda]

11. AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH

gods I'm so fucking sick of these bastards

[Anakin Skywalker]

12. Ooh he's an Eagle Scout.

If the jury ends up being full of rightwingers, they'll let him off. CONservo/Rethugs are very easily impressed by scouts. Oaths of honor and all that sh*t.

[Xenotime]

13. No Answer

Violence is not the answer. This is tragic.