Matthew Shepard's Mom Responds to Foxx's Homophobia

Judy Shepard was interviewed by Rachel Maddow a few nights ago. In her response to North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx (who got my Award of Shame last week) Mrs. Shepard said Foxx trying to distance herself from her earlier claims of Matthew's murder being a "hoax" was an argument of semantics not a renunciation of her ignorance. 

"Well, you know, attacks of lesser consequence, I guess, have been said about Matt since the beginning, and in 2007 when it passed the House, the same sort of vitriol' was spoken from the floor as well. I did not ever expect it to be called a hoax. Anyone who has done research into what happened to Matt knows it was a hate crime, although technically we couldn't prosecute it that way because there was no hate crime law in Wyoming and no Federal hate crime law protecting sexual orientation. So we couldn't call it a hate crime, but it was."

Exactly! If we don't speak out against such atrocities we are silently co-signing them. That acceptance leads others to add to the depravity  - until it starts to look like the normative circumstance instead of evil that needs to be stamped out. Here was a situation where white (male) privilege and class status did not protect someone. That makes it all the more perilous for the rest of us. So this is for all the Duanna Johnsons and the justice that has still been denied most (trans)women of color. 

P.S. Can we please end the "That's So Gay" and "No Homo" stupidity now!?

You're So Lame Award of Shame - Virginia Foxx

Well Keith Olbermann laid it out so well during this segment. His 'mocking voice' was funny but a bit over the top.  Rep. Bachmann must have been part of a social experiment to pass people regardless of their comprehension. Rupert Murdoch can't keep letting his Editors put up cartoons of primates and tie them to legislation (and indirectly the President). But this week's award hands-down goes to NC Rep. Foxx who unlike another Foxx can't blame it on the alcohol for her bias, ignorance and delusion. To oppose the hate crimes legislation that passed was bad enough but to claim Matthew Shepard's murderers were only out to rob him and killing him for being gay was a hoax is...just beyond my pay grade of depravity. 

If someone would automatically think that a woman would have more compassion by virtue of anatomy then they'd be proven how wrong that premise is. Some people are only interested in things that directly affect them and have zero empathy. Bachmann and Foxx are cut from the same Palin swatch and to dismiss them would be unwise. We must catch ourselves lest we become swayed by gender loyalty (as easily as some are to race) and acquiesce to white privilege.