Crip Commentary:
Thomas Cagle (nh-adapt@juno.com)
Sun, 18 Oct 1998 08:34:00 -0400
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/LauraHershey/#Current Column
Crip Commentary:
Updated on October 15, 1998
Read This Week's Column "Prejudice and Hate Violence Must Be
Confronted"
Copyright 1998 by Laura Hershey
The ugly, violent death of Matthew Shepard has been much on my
mind this week. Judging from the crowd that showed up at the
Colorado State Capitol for a rally in his honor Monday evening, I'm
far from being the only one who is haunted by the brutal murder of
this young gay college student. The media, too, has been buzzing
about this horrible crime, and about the life of Matthew Shepard, who
is described by family and friends as large-hearted, gentle, generous,
and idealistic.
Why am I addressing this incident in "Crip Commentary"? If you
think this issue isn't relevant to the disability-rights movement,
please=
read on.
People with disabilities, like homosexuals and other people who live
outside our culture's rather narrow "norm," face prejudice and
discrimination every day. Sometimes that prejudice flares into
life-threatening violence; and when it does, we are all vulnerable.
Matthew Shepard had his basic human rights violated; he was
targeted because of his minority status as an out gay man. The attack
on Shepard provides a sickening reminder of the consequences of
bigotry. It clearly constituted an example of hate violence --
perpetrated by two hate-filled individuals, but not in a vacuum. Our
society harbors a deep ambivalence about the presence of various
minority groups, including but not limited to lesbians, gay men,
people of color, Jews, Muslims, homeless people, and people with
disabilities.
Sometimes this ambivalence is expressed through individual acts of
violence; at other times it is expressed through public policy. In 1992,
for example, Coloradans voted to deny equal protection of the law to
gay and lesbian people. (If you voted "yes" on Amendment 2, I don't
want to hear your outrage about Matthew Shepard's murder.) After a
long legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court declared this initiative
unconstitutional. Yet last week, that same Court allowed a similar
ballot measure, this one in Cincinnati, to stand.
Another example: As we speak, forces are gathering momentum to
sharply curtail disabled children's right to an equal, integrated
education. As this congressional session ends, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) had barely (so far) escaped being
gutted by amendments, including one which would have allowed
school personnel to unilaterally, without parents' consent, place some
children in segregated settings for an infinite period of time --
possibly
forever. (Current law allows parents to appeal such decisions, and
limits out-of-class placements to 45 days.)
When politicians and/or citizens craft laws designed to limit one
group's civil rights or educational opportunities, our society takes a
step back from the lofty ideals of Justice and Equality When that
happens, the targeted group takes a collective blow. Its diminished
political power makes it more vulnerable to attacks, both legal and
extra-legal. To put it more simply, an intolerant society just isn't a
safe
place for anyone who is considered "different."
Despite the media's expressions of shock and surprise, hate violence
occurs every day, against every identifiable minority group in our
society. It's not always blatantly physical, and it's only occasionally
lethal. It might be a pink-triangle bumper sticker defaced with an
epithet like "fag." Or it may take the form of a racist, anti-Arab
comment directed against a Saudi graduate student. Or it may be cruel
pranks committed against a neighbor with a psychiatric disability.
News reporters don't pay much attention to common occurrences like
these. If they did, maybe they could help to prevent hate crimes by
making the general public aware of the threat that bigotry poses.
The tragic drama of Shepard's murder reinforces the necessity of
passing comprehensive hate crimes legislation. Colorado currently has
a state hate crimes law which increases the penalties for acts of
violence which are demonstrably committed because of the victim's
ethnicity or religion. In recent years, several lawmakers have tried to
add sexual orientation, disability, and age to Colorado's hate crimes
law, but their efforts were defeated -- largely because of anti-gay bias
among conservative legislators. Wyoming, where Shepard was killed,
has no hate crimes legislation on the books at all.
Some people question the need for such legislation, stubbornly
refusing to recognize the manifest reality that hate crimes are not only
widespread, but also powerfully oppressive to the communities they
target. One study concluded that throughout the United States,
someone is attacked because they are gay or lesbian<EM> at least twice a
week. Other studies have documented the high rate of violence against
people with disabilities. In the early 1990s, a California state task
force found that sexual assaults and robberies were nearly 13 times
more common among the disabled than the general public. These
statistics were probably understated: A 1992 study showed that 71
percent of crimes against disabled people were never reported.
We know, from news reports, that violence targets people with
disabilities fairly frequently. Two rather horrible recent examples:
In early October, a woman was convicted of abusing two mentally
disabled women while holding them captive on an upstate New York
farm. The two victims said that the woman and her parents beat them
repeatedly, tied them to box springs for long periods of time, and
usually stole their disability payments.
In July, a 15-year-old Pennsylvania girl with a learning disability,
reportedly
shy and unpopular but eager to make friends, was tricked by several
classmates into putting a noose around her neck. Realizing too late
that this was no game, the teenager was hanged and then beaten with
a rock until she died.
Whether they launch their attacks in bars or dark alleys or along
deserted highways; or in nursing homes or group homes; or in state
legislatures, or the halls of Congress, the hate mongers must be
confronted and stopped. We all have the right to exist, and to play an
active role in our communities. That right should not depend on
staying hidden, or keeping quiet about whom we love and how we
live.
It's a sad irony that Matthew Shepard's murder occurred during
National Coming out Week. But it also adds more weight to the
importance of self-identifying, and of claiming the pride that is
rightfully ours. As more and more of us are willing to be
unapologetically present, open, and visible, we add to the numbers --
and thus, to the political power -- of our own minority communities.
That can make it harder for the bigots to isolate and attack
individuals.
So, to close this edition of "Crip Commentary," I'll accept my own
invitation: I'll assert my right to be who I am, and to insist that being
myself should not compromise my equality, my presence in society, or
my safety. I am a disabled woman, a lesbian, an activist, and a citizen.
Rest in peace, Matthew.-
Support MiCASA HR 2020
Tom Cagle nh-adapt@juno.com
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6482
ICQ 7555286
Visit Crip-Chat http://members.xoom.com/Bunnygail/index.htm 8-9
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