My 2nd Conversation 10 Month – 10 Lives Challenge

Some of you may recall my post from Sunday, November 16, 2008,
10 Months - 10 Lives Challenge

And My First Conversation - 10 Months - 10 Lives Challenge

It's time for my Second Conversation of the 10 Month - 10 Lives Challenge. I have tabled my original installment because I am shocked and outraged that something like this can still happen in 2008. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the brutal gang rape of a 23 year old lesbian on December 13th in the San Francisco Bay Area. California Authorities Investigate Lesbian's Brutal Gang Rape.

This is beyond barbaric. How can anyone treat another human being in this manner for any reason? In this case the Richmond Police have indicated that the attackers knew the woman’s sexual orientation and made comments.

What is nearly as disturbing is that the media has barely mentioned this. I saw this story on Yahoo’s front page, but I have yet to hear about it on the television news.

Part of the 10 Month – 10 Lives Challenge is for us in the Gay Community to point out:

How we are more alike then different.
How we want to enjoy the same rights you enjoy.
How we want our relationships to afford us the same rights that yours do.
How many of us want families and go to great lengths to have them.
How we want to live our lives just as you do.

We’ve come so far.

Yet we are not safe.

Yes, we are saddened that Proposition 8 did not pass. We have much work to do.

We as a society should be horrified and embarrassed that a fellow human being can be brutally assaulted in a manner such as this.
Hate crimes related to sexual orientation have increased 16% in the United States.
Whether you are gay or straight, a crime like this is horrific.

Not only do we need to fight for our Civil Rights with regard to Gay Marriage, but we must continue to fight for Hate Crimes bill passage. Because President Bush said he would veto the bill to which the Matthew Shepard Act was attached, it was dropped from the bill in the Senate.

Why is the Matthew Shepard Act needed? Because the 1969 Federal Hate Crime Law only “extends only to crimes motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin.” The Matthew Shepard Act basically expands the 1969 Federal Hate Crime Law to "include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability."

This is yet another reminder that we have so far to go.

Please take a moment to sign The Erase Hate Petition now.

My heart goes out to this woman and her family.


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©2008