Unfinished Lives

Remembering LGBT Hate Crime Victims

Man Who Stabbed His Gay Neighbor 61 Times Acquitted Using Gay Panic Defense

Joseph Biedermann

Joseph Biedermann

Chicago, IL – The Advocate reports on July 13 that Jospeh Biedermann, 30, who stabbed his gay neighbor 61 times with a replica dagger in 2008 has been acquitted using the infamous “gay panic defense.”   Police report that both men were drunk at the time.  Biedermann’s attorney, Sam Adam, Jr., successfully argued that his client was acting in “self-defense” when he killed Terence Michael Hauser, 38, for “unwanted sexual advances.”  Counselor Adam has also successfully defended Rhythm and Blues singer, R.Kelly in his 2008 child porn trial.  He is currently representing former Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich. Michael Rowe, writer for The Huffington Post, gives chilling details and a string of unanswered questions concerning the overkill Biedermann used to fend off his horny neighbor.  Rowe writes: “Other questions remain, including the question of how stabbing a man 61 times for making even anunwanted sexual advance to another man is considered an acceptable reaction, let alone a defense. Wrestling a weapon from an assailant’s hand and stabbing him with it once or twice–even fatally–might be an entirely credible one in that situation, assuming there was some evidence of the alleged assault.”  If this is not a classic example of anti-homosexual rage acted out until the alleged malefactor was not just killed by the blows, but cut to absolute shreds, it is hard to know what one would look like.  Biederman asked no help from any neighbors, and never called 911.  Instead, he went to his girlfriend’s place, waking her at 3 am, dripping with so much blood that she put bowls around the room for his discarded clothing so that the stain wouldn’t get all over her home.  Biedermann took a shower, dressed, and then went to the hospital, never calling police.  His girlfriend called to report that he had left someone butchered to death.  The significance of the Cook County jury’s decision is mind-blowing.  How is ‘gay panic’ ever an acceptable explanation for such massive overkill, much less a defense for it?  Who was the supposedly horny neighbor who so threatened Biedermann that he had to be cut to ribbons?  Rowe writes: “And what of the victim? The real victim, the one who died in a hailstorm of 61 knife slashes in the early morning hours of March 5th 2008? According to Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Gerber, he was ‘a lonely, little guy who lived by himself and wanted companionship.'” [Thanks and a tip o’ the hat to Steven Hanes for alerting the Unfinished Lives Project to the HuffPo article.]

July 16, 2009 Posted by | gay men, gay panic defense, Heterosexism and homophobia, Illinois, Law and Order, stabbings | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Incidents Soar in Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Chicago

hate_crime_usa08More concerning news about increasing violence against LGBT people:  Minnesota LGBTs suffered a 48% hike in bias-related hate crimes according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) 2008 statistics, issued on Tuesday.  This is a confirmation of the multi-year trend queer Minnesotans have recently faced.  David Hart on Tips-Q, a gay blog site, shares this information from the North Star State: “We are deeply troubled about the 2008 statistics for a number of reasons including the fact that increases in victimization in the Upper Midwest far exceed the national increase of 2%. With Minnesota’s 48% increase in 2008 and continued multi-year trend of such increases, we are concern for the safety of all GLBT Minnesotans even as we continue to work for equality,” said Rebecca Waggoner Kloek, Anti-Violence Program Director of NCAVP member organization OutFront Minnesota.  The same NCAVP report that noted a 28% national increase of hate crime violence against LGBT people in 2008 registered a jump of 64% in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a 42% upturn in Chicago, Illinois.

June 18, 2009 Posted by | anti-LGBT hate crime murder, Domestic Violence, harassment, Hate Crime Statistics, Hate Crimes, Illinois, Minnesota, Social Justice Advocacy, Wisconsin | , , , , | Comments Off on Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Incidents Soar in Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Chicago

On Memorial Day, We Honor the Military Service of Our Gay Dead

gaymilitarySince time immemorial, Gay and Lesbian people have served their country with distinction.  LGBT Americans pause to remember and honor the service and sacrifice of all American service members, especially the ones who faced battle on two fronts: the battle for freedom and security for our country, and the battle against unreasoning homophobia.  This Memorial Day, The Unfinished Lives Project pauses to give thanks for the lives of three gay men who served their country, and died because their countrymen could not accept their sexual orientation: Petty Officer Third Class Allen R. Schindler, Jr., Chicago Heights, IL, sailor on the U.S.S. Belleau Wood; Private First Class Barry Winchell, Kansas City, MO, soldier at Fort Campbell, KY; and U.S. Army Veteran Michael Scott Goucher of East Stroudsburg, PA.

Allen Schindler bestSchindler, who was mercilessly harassed on board his ship, was murdered in 1992 by shipmates in a public toilet while on leave in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan.  His body was so ravaged by the attack that every major organ in his body was ruptured, his skull was crushed, and the medical examiner found sneaker tracks embedded in his chest and face.  The only way his mother could identify her son’s body was by a tattoo he had inked into his upper arm.  His main assailant, who openly declared that he was disgusted by homosexuals, said shortly after the murder, “I don’t regret it. I’d do it again. … He deserved it.”  The Navy has never been forthcoming about the slaying, and has repeatedly refused to release the report of the Japanese police about the crime.  Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) was officially enacted soon after Schindler’s murder by President Clinton. SLDN has continued to represent his mother in the courts.

winchellsmWinchell, who had been singled out for anti-gay ridicule by his barracks mates at Fort Campbell, was bludgeoned to death in 1999 by a fellow soldier wielding a baseball bat at his head and body while he was asleep.  Ironically, he was killed after an Independence Day celebration on base.  His hate crime murder and trial exposed one of the most notorious cover-ups of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) era.  His parents and SLDN contend that the Army betrayed him by violating its own DADT policies, failing to follow the best traditions of the Army in order to shield the chain of command, and exposing other gay soldiers to danger and dishonorable discharge.  The anti-gay climate of Fort Campbell was never sufficiently addressed in the wake of Winchell’s killing, and the base commander, General Robert T. Clark, was promoted despite the protests of SLDN and other LGBT advocacy organizations around the country.  His killer is serving a life sentence for murder in a federal military prison facility.

Michael Scott Goucher bustGoucher, who had been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army after a tour of duty in Alaska where he served in transport, was ambushed by two young men who stabbed him to death over 45 times according to autopsy records in 2009, arguably the first anti-LGBT hate crime murder victim of the year.  After returning to East Stroudsburg, Goucher worked as a high school janitor, captained the Neighborhood Watch in his area, and served as assistant organist at a local church.

These three represent many more loyal Americans who happened to be LGBT and have been stigmatized, drummed out of the service, and in the cases of these faithful guardians of our country, were killed because of deep-seated bias against members of the sexual minority.  They neither betrayed their country nor themselves.  For that, and for justice-sake, we cannot forget them.  At the request of SLDN, Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network,  Chan Lowe drew this provocative tribute to homosexual Americans who have paid the supreme price to wear our nation’s uniform.  We offer it for your consideration on this Memorial Day 2009.

Chan Lowe SLDN cartoon

May 24, 2009 Posted by | anti-LGBT hate crime murder, harassment, Heterosexism and homophobia, military, Stomping and Kicking Violence, U.S. Army | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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