Matthew Shepard Act: Missoula Turns Out for Rally Against Hate Crimes

By Robert Struckman, 11-27-07

Welcome to the rally,” said Jamee Greer of Forward Montana. “This is a community response to hate. What direction are we going to go?”

It was Monday evening at the Badlander, a bar in downtown Missoula. Galvanized by two recent beatings, reportedly sparked by homophobia, the town’s gay population, and friends, had come out in force.

“It’s not a ‘special right’ not to be beaten up. That’s a basic human right,” Greer said. It was just after 5 p.m. The bar was filling with people.

It’s an opportune time for a gay rights rally, in a grim, unplanned sort of way. The Matthew Shepard Act is before the U.S. Congress. Named for the mild, young gay man who, about nine years ago, was beaten and left to die in Laramie, Wyo., the act would add sexual orientation (real or perceived) and gender identity to federal hate crime legislation. Current hate crime law only includes race, color, religion or national origin.

About 200 people signed a petition near the door. The list of signatures would be delivered in the morning to the office of U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, to urge him to support the Matthew Shepard Act.

The Badlander had filled with a friendly crowd, a cross-section of Missoula.

Mayor John Engen was one of the first speakers.

“Hate and violence are not Missoula values,” Engen said. He also asked people to report incidents of gay bashing, intimidation or other harassment. “No matter how small, you need to let us know. That’s the only way we can help,” he said.

Other city and county leaders spoke, including Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss, who invoked the ongoing struggles to remove racist terms like “squaw” from landmarks in the state.

All the cheering and rousing speeches almost made the specter of homophobia disappear. Greer, though, couldn’t stop thinking about the vicious beatings that sparked the rally: Two separate incidents, both which happened earlier this month, as Tristan Scott of the Missoulian has followed.

A majority of Montanans support adding sexual orientation to hate crime legislation, he said. It was clear, he said, that the designation would give teeth to the efforts to quell the persistent violence against gays and lesbians in Montana and elsewhere.

“We’re done with this,” Greer said. “This isn’t happening in our town.”

http://www.newwest.net/city/article/missoula_turns_out_for_rally_against_hate_crimes/C8/L8/

Thanks for posting.

I get discouraged sometimes...and then I read stories like this. Thank you for posting this.