Hate Crimes Against Homosexuals

EmilyTompkins
English Essay

The funeral has taken place in the United States for Matthew Shepard, a 21 year-old student, who was savagely beaten to death. What was his crime? Matthew was am openly gay man, living in Middle America in the late 1990's. Friends and family gathered in the pouring rain at the church in Casper, Wyoming, where he was baptised as a child. Shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998, Matthew was lured from a campus bar by two men who told him that they were gay. He was then tied to a fence, severly beaten, and left for dead (Matthew Shepard). This unfortunate incident opened the world's eyes to something that occurs daily: hate towards homosexuals. Matthew Shepard's was not an isolated case. The gay community is a group of people who are constantly targeted as victims of prejudice. Despite the many organizations and efforts made to curb the amount of violence and hate towards gays, homophobia, the prejudice towards homosexuals, has been and is still pre...