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Date Posted: 11:56:48 06/11/03 Wed
Author: Sergio
Subject: Bester,
In reply to: Bester 's message, "Right, my 2 cents. I don't support hate crimes as an initial measure. cos they don't work by themselves (more inside)" on 06:07:58 06/11/03 Wed

I've known Lance for a long, long time. I know the empathy he feels for these victims. I know from talking to him, how deeply these deaths affect him. I know that when I talked to him yesterday while he was looking at these names, and he had to just stop because it was too overwhelming for him. It made him so sad, it made him cry. The list isn't finished because Lance had to stop.

It's heartbreaking to read those names and have people in our government say things like "special rights" everytime hate crime laws are brought up. To have Senators compare us to every vile thing and the President officially support those statements in the press.

I am deeply disappointed in what you said to Lance in response to him posting this list of victims. "They were human beings. They're not tools for scoring political points."

To everyone on this board, to every kid who is reading this, I flatly say here and now that Lance has nothing but respect for these victims and their families and that they are not listed here as "tools for scoring political points." He wasn't trying to "score points."

The horrendous brutal deaths of these hate crime victims aren't just "word games" to Lance.

It's very sad. It's very serious. And our government doesn't care.

These names are listed here because they were murdered for being gay. They are listed here because someone, Lance, cared enough to look up their names and share this information with the rest of us.

He stated that one of the main purposes of this discussion was to educate each other about hate crimes. Has ANYONE else ever read this list of names before now?

Lance shared this information even though I know how hard it was for him to list those names. I know the emotional toll it took for him to post that list.

Anyone who has ever seen his Matthew Shepard page, his page for Robbie Kirkland, or his memorial page for Jusing the Okie, knows that Lance takes death very seriously.

He asked us not to forget them because they are all victims of hate crimes. He asked that they did not die in vain. Their own families say the exact same thing. Is anyone accusing them of using these victims to "score political points"?

I am deeply saddened by your words, Bester. I know how much it will hurt Lance when he reads them.

How any gay person can look into the face of Judy Shepard when she makes a plea for Congress to pass a Federal Hate Crime Law. How any gay person can think about the circumstances in which Matthew died, listen to his mother and still deny her some comfort by supporting a Feredal Hate Crime Law is something I will never understand.

Exactly how is supporting a Hate Crime Law going to have a detrimental effect on ANY gay person's life to the point that they have to stand up and preach against it alongside the religious right and Fred Phelps?

I know exactly what Lance means when he says "we owe it to them." Ask their families if they support a Federal Hate Crime Law. You can't ask the victims....so ask their families.

Matthew Shepard was a gay activist much like most of the people on this board. Do you think Matthew Shepard would oppose a Federal Hate Crime Law? Do you?

Do you really believe Lance would disrepect the memories of these hate crime victims just to "score some points"?

I know Lance. I know how much and how deeply he cares. It makes me very sad to know just how much those words will hurt him.

I'm very sorry Lance. *hugs*

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