Josh Aterovis is the author of the Killian Kendall Mystery Series as well as numerous columns and articles. Visit his site at http://www.steliko.com/bleedinghearts

Fostering Intolerance
By Josh Aterovis
October 8, 2004

On September 25, 2004, Mark Starliper died from injuries sustained in a brutal assault. Mark was forty-three years old, a proud gay man, a talented designer, and a truly generous soul. Mark was also our friend. We met him about two years ago through mutual friends, then as we became involved in Shore Pride (the LGBT group on the Eastern Shore of Maryland), we got to know him better. Mark was always the life of the party, a quick wit with a ready comeback. The Shore Pride event held at his home in July was one of the most spectacular parties I've ever attended. Mark was a perfect host.

In the days following Mark's murder, his friends and family experienced a wide range of emotions: shock, grief, anger—and fear. One question seemed to be on everyone's mind: "Was this a hate crime?" The sheer brutality of the violence seemed to indicate that this was a very real possibility.

A week later the killer was caught. The police have not ruled out the possibility that homophobia was a factor in the attack, but at this point, they are only referring to the incident as a robbery. Not that it would matter from a legal standpoint. Despite the aggressive efforts of Equality Maryland, our state's hate crimes code does not include sexual orientation or expression. On a personal level, however, it matters a great deal.

Even if the primary motive for Mark's murder was robbery, you don't have to brutally beat someone to death to get their wallet. The circumstances surrounding the assault make me believe that hate was a factor in the attack. We may never know for sure.

Whether or not Mark's murder was a hate crime, for me, it served to highlight what I've seen as a recent increase in incidents. I have no statistics to back this up, but it seems to me that I've been seeing and hearing about more hate crimes lately. Every time I check out LGBT news sources, I read about another hate crime, and often several at once. I'm also hearing from people around the country who have personally experienced discrimination, hate speech, and even hate crimes.

For a while, the national statistics released by the FBI showed that reported hate crimes were decreasing. So why is that they once again appear to be on the rise? I believe it's a combination of factors. The LGBT community is in the limelight now more than ever before. The gay marriage issue has been a huge news item ever since Massachusetts and San Francisco. For months, you couldn't turn on the news without seeing images of same-sex couples. The issue even made it into the vice-presidential debates. We're all over the TV with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk, and The L Word.

While increased exposure is good for our community in the long run, for those who are homophobic or bigoted, it's a constant reminder of all they despise. All this attention to gay rights has brought out the haters in full force. Anti-gay groups have been quick to cash in. James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson—all supposedly men of God—are raising millions for anti-gay causes and the Republican Party, all while preaching a message of intolerance, hatred, and discrimination.

Perhaps the biggest factor, however, is our current government. When the president himself not only supports homophobia, but actively promotes it, that lends legitimacy to a faction that might otherwise be dismissed as a fringe group. The Religious Right has a choke hold on the Republican Party, and they don't intend to let go any time soon. Just look at the official Republican Platform. Not only do they support amending the Constitution to make marriage between one man and one woman only, but they want to deny same-sex couples any legal recognition at all. They would like to invalidate all civil unions and domestic partnerships along with the gay marriages in Massachusetts. Conservatives have made gay rights one of their main focuses of attack. With that message being so forcefully espoused, is it any wonder that an atmosphere of intolerance and homophobia is being fostered?

The most recent blow to gay rights from Republicans has a special significance to me in the light of Mark's death. On Friday, October 8, for the second time in four years, the Republicans killed a hate crimes prevention bill. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act would have added real or perceived sexual orientation, gender, and disability to federal hate-crime laws, allowing the federal government the ability to provide critical assistance to state, local, and federal law enforcement to combat violent crimes against victims because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, gender, or disability.

On June 14, the Senate included the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the Defense Authorization Bill by a bipartisan vote of 65-33, with 18 Republicans in support of the measure. In September, the House voted 213-186—including 31 Republicans in support—to instruct House conferees to retain the Senate language in the final version of the bill, but despite that, the amendment was stripped out in a conference committee.

"The Republican leadership has unconscionably ignored the will of the House and the Senate and stripped the hate-crimes prevention provisions," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a California congresswoman. "The needs of law enforcement—which have repeatedly requested federal assistance in solving and preventing a wide range of violent hate crimes—have been ignored."

"This is a sad day for America," added Wisconsin congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. "All Americans, regardless of their race, gender, disability, or sexual orientation, have a right to feel safe in their communities. Hate crimes are different than other violent crimes because they seek to instill fear and terror throughout a whole community—whether it is burning a cross in someone's yard, burning a synagogue, or a rash of physical assaults near a gay community center."

Well, I for one refuse to live in fear. I refuse to support a government that fosters intolerance. I refuse to accept discrimination. It's time for the LGBT community to stand up for our rights and demand a change.

Instead of fostering intolerance, we need a government that will clearly send the message that hatred and discrimination towards a group of people simply because they are different is not acceptable. Instead of saying it's okay to discriminate against a group of people simply because your brand of religion doesn't agree with them, we need a government who says all Americans are equal. We don't have that right now, but in just one month we will have the opportunity to make a difference—and not just in the White House. It's just as important to regain a majority in Congress. Please—for my friend Mark, for yourself, for all LGBT citizens, and for all fair-minded Americans—vote for change.