Its funny. It was actually Valentine's Day and I decided to go over to my friends house and watch a movie he told me I had to see. It was called the Laramie Project and was about some plarywrights traveling back to Laramie where Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in a hate crime against his homosexuality. I being a homosexual living in good ole South Carolina the movie drastically hit home. A part of the movie really made me think. One of the charactors in the movie made the statement, something to the nature of, "Yes Matthew Shepard was killed in a horrible drastic crime of extreme hate and yes both the killers were sentanced to life in prision, but is there really justice?" The statement really hit home to the fact questioning if there really was justice in such a case. What laws have been passed to stop such attacks? How can BGLT people feel safe in thier own country when nothing is being done to create an equaility with that of hetrosexuals and just futhering biogtry and ignorance in our own backyards. This month, February 23rd, Andrew Athos, a 72 year old man in Detroit was brutally killed in another hate crime. I just don't understand why we must kill each other because they are different and why nothing is being done about this clear and present danger for all GBLT people. This November South Carolina passed Admendment 1 - the first admendment to the state constitution - an admendment preventing giving any rights to any "unwed couples", this obviously means homosexuals, and was marketed as a law against gay marriage, but it was took the most rights away from unwed mothers and an increasing inability to help them with home insurance and medicare, but because it was marketed as a law preventing gay marriage it passed with an enormous majority. Its horrible to know that an admendment has been passed so as to prevent giving rights to a certain group of people. How can we call this the land of the free when every November more and more freedom is being prevented and taken away? I can't wait till July 23rd this year. I will finally be 18 and I don't want to turn 18 to be able to go to the clubs or be classified as an adult I more than anything want to be able to have the privilage of taking our countries democracy to it's full advantage and to finally be able to register to vote. I want more than anything to keep Matthew Shepard's and Andrew Athos' deaths prevelant in today's soceity. Things like this should not be sugercoated or swept under the rug any longer. I'm tried of having to drastically search the internet for more information on Andrew Athos. Its sad that we live in a country where on MSN News you can find out anything you have ever wanted on Anna Nicole Smith's death but ask someone who Andrew Athos is and how much of an atrocity it is and they just furrow their brows at you and say "Who"? I just wish more than anything we young people, as a collective generation, will go about doing everything to furthering the ideals of equal rights for anyone and everything and for the ability for everyone to feel safe in their own homes. Everyone should attempt to erase hate and futher the pursuits of love.
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