Gay Hate Crime in Nebraska Capital Draws Ire From Hundreds
Hundreds rally to protest alleged anti-gay hate crime at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. [Journal Star photo]
The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the woman was seized early Sunday morning in her home by three men in masks who stripped her, bound her hand and foot with zip ties, and proceeded to slice her skin all over her body. The victim told police that her attackers cut homophobic slurs into her flesh before splashing gasoline on the floor and setting it aflame. As they fled the scene, the victim managed to flip and roll outside where her screams caught the attention of neighbors. Her name has not yet been released, and police are not yet speculating on a motive for the crime.
Police informed reporters for KVNO News that the victim was treated at a local hospital and released. The Lincoln LGBTQ community, who believe she was singled out because of her sexual orientation, has rallied to the victim’s support. One local source, frustrated at the foot-dragging of the police on naming hate crime as a motive, claims that the message, “We found you, Dyke!” spray painted in the basement of the victim’s home.
At the “Vigil Against Violence” Sunday night at the State Capitol, leaders of the LGBTQ and straight-allied community, already empowered by the recent Star City Pride Festival and a vigorous debate on the “Fairness Amendment” that would ban discrimination in housing and employment against LGBTQ people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, came out to let their voices be heard in droves–over 300 by the start of the vigil, according to the Star Journal. Tyler Richard, president of Outlinc, a group that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Lincoln, called upon the community to support the investigation with calm and resolve. “We are shocked and saddened by the report of an alleged hate crime involving a member of the LGBT community early Sunday morning,” Richard said. ”Our hearts go out to the victim, her family and close friends. Many in our community are understandably experiencing a great deal of sadness, anger and confusion. We look to our entire community to pull together in this difficult time.”
No one has been arrested as of late Sunday night in connection with the crime.
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If you are a first-time visitor to the Unfinished Lives Project website, we invite you to read A Welcome Message introducing you to our project. We are truly grateful for your visit.
The Unfinished Lives Project website is a place of public discourse which remembers and honors LGBTQ hate crime victims, while also revealing the reality of unseen violence perpetrated against people whose only “offense” is their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender presentation. LGBTQ people in the United States are suffering a slow-rolling decimation of terror and murder all across the country. Every locale and demographic of society are affected: First Nations, Anglo, Black, Latino and Latina, South and Southeast Asian, Transgender, Bisexuals, Gay men, Lesbians, disabled, young, and mature. Homophobia has a long, crooked arm, and it is reaching out to snatch the life away from women and men whose tragic stories are under-reported to begin with, and whose memories are swiftly forgotten.
The horror of these killings transcends the shock and bereavement of loved ones and friends. These are not typical homicides; they are not killings for money or drugs, incidents of domestic strife, or crimes of passion. The vicious nature of hate crimes against LGBTQ persons is extremely brutal, grotesquely violent, and egregiously hateful.
Each murder serves the LGBTQ population as a sobering warning about the actual level of danger in our communities. The message these killings send is that freedom and open life for LGBTQ people is a cruel dream. Every time we remember one of these victims, however, the intentions of their killers are frustrated. To remember these women and men is to begin the process of changing the culture that killed them.
Our Project Director
Stephen V. Sprinkle is Director of Field Education and Supervised Ministry, and Professor of Practical Theology at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas, a post he has held since 1994. An ordained Baptist minister, he is the first open and out Gay scholar in the history of the Divinity School, and the first open and out LGBTQ person to be tenured there. Read More…
Recent Social Justice Advocacy Activity By Dr. Sprinkle
Summer 2009 – Dr. Sprinkle responded to the Fort Worth Police Department and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Raid on the Rainbow Lounge, Fort Worth’s newest gay bar, on June 28, 2009, the exact 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Dr. Sprinkle was invited to speak at three protest events sponsored by Queer LiberAction of Dallas. Here, he is keynoting the Rainbow Lounge Protest at the Tarrant County Courthouse on July 12, 2009. Read More…
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Nebraska is one of the most intolerant states in the union. As the unicam (the state legislature) continues to ignore the plight of LBGTQ people, the hate crime rate keeps going up. Frankly, few people out here want to confront the issue (and that includes many in the gay community itself). Last year a man was attacked outside of a gay bar by one of our local homophobes and it never even went to court. The witness to the attack was a COP and the victim, after months of hundreds of anonymous calls threatening his life, dropped charges. (I would have too with people calling me daily threatening my life).
Lincoln has had an incredibly high hate crime rate over the last few years and, for many, it’s easier to look the other way and pretend things are fine out here in the heartland..
BUT things are NOT ok. Here in Nebraska we don’t even have recognition of our basic civil rights. Discrimination against LGBTQ people runs rampant. We can be fired from our jobs and be evicted from our homes without any legal recourse what so ever.
To your average het Nebraskan “Gay marriage” is an “agenda.” According to many folks out here gay marriage is part of the gay agenda to destroy the American family (I have yet to find one straight person who can explain to me why gay folks would want the family unit destroyed but ..it seems since we gays are such awful sinners our logic and common sense are suspect as well).
Out here in the cornland they fire people from their jobs for the SUSPICION of an employee being gay (I know a straight man who was fired because another employee started a rumor he was gay…the SUSPICION of gayness can get ya fired out here.. it’s ridiculous).
I came to Lincoln from San Francisco so when I arrived in Lincoln and saw what gay people were dealing with, I was beyond appalled. Nine years later I feel crushed and without hope for any justice for our community in this state.
If anyone has an agenda it’s the “Christian right” their agenda is violent, vile and twisted.
I have concluded that the best thing I can do is to move and I *will* be out of Nebraska as soon as possible but in the meanwhile…
Men with masks are attacking people people in our community and can any of us really be sleeping soundly?
This must be someone’s idea of hell. If no one else, MINE!
Thank you for your report. Be well and take care.
Chris
Thank you, Chris. Please take care of yourself, and let us know about what we need to be covering in “cornland.”
Steve Sprinkle
[...] Gay hate crime in Nebraska capital draws ire from hundreds [...]
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