More “Gay Panic”?
An 18-year-old boy walked into a gay bar in Massachusetts early yesterday and started slashing and shooting the patrons. It’s 2006, people, and I just can’t believe I’m typing this. The police are still searching for the suspect. What on earth leads a kid to think this is a good idea? There was Nazi propaganda found in his room, so he’s obviously been indoctrinated to hate lots of people. But what could have been the motivation to plan an attack on strangers? Was he high? Was he insane? Was he used by someone else who incited his actions? And is he going to try a “gay panic” defense? That might not work too well, given that he entered the bar with weapons, asked the bartender if it was a gay bar, and then went on a rampage.
In an ideal world, I wouldn’t support hate crime laws. In an ideal world, every attacker would get the same vigorous prosecution regardless of the victim’s race, gender, or sexual orientation. But it’s not an ideal world, and there are people in it who commit crimes not just to hurt an individual but to terrorize an entire community. I don’t know if enhanced sentences really deter people like this kid, but they make a strong statement that we, as a society, won’t stand for bigots attacking people just for being who they are.
But more importantly, we have to teach our children that hate is not a family value.