I don’t recall hearing about any of this at the time:
“The horrific killing of Matthew Shepard in 1998 is widely seen as one of the worst anti-gay hate crimes in American history. Matthew was beaten by two assailants, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. They pistol whipped him with a gun then tied him to a fence in freezing conditions and set fire to him before leaving him to die. …
Jimenez found that Matthew was addicted to and dealing crystal meth and had dabbled in heroin. He also took significant sexual risks and was being pimped alongside Aaron McKinney, one of his killers, with whom he’d had occasional sexual encounters. He was HIV positive at the time of his death.
“This does not make the perfect poster boy for the gay-rights movement,” says Jimenez. “Which is a big part of the reason my book has been so trashed.”
Matthew’s drug abuse, and the fact that he knew one of his killers prior to the attack, was never explored in court. Neither was the rumour that the killers knew that he had access to a shipment of crystal meth with a street value of $10,000 which they wanted to steal. …
I spoke to Waters, who has since retired from the police, having seen him praise The Book of Matt on social media. “I believe to this day that McKinney and Henderson were trying to find Matthew’s house so they could steal his drugs. It was fairly well known in the Laramie community that McKinney wouldn’t be one that was striking out of a sense of homophobia. Some of the officers I worked with had caught him in a sexual act with another man, so it didn’t fit – none of that made any sense.” …
Stephen Jimenez is an award-winning journalist and gay man. So why has he put such time and effort into attempting to prove that Matthew’s murder was not a hate crime, especially as it has seen him accused of being an ally to the rightwing Christian fundamentalists who deny the reality of homophobia?
“The view was that homophobic rednecks walked into a bar and saw an obviously gay man with money and targeted him and beat him to death for that reason,” says Jimenez. “But that isn’t what happened. Nothing in this book takes away from the iniquity and brutality of the crime or the culpability of his murderers, but we owe Matthew and other young men like him the truth.
“Aaron and Matthew had a friendship. They’d been involved sexually, they bought and sold drugs from each other. That complicates the original story of two strangers walking into a bar and targeting Matthew – someone they did not know – because he was gay.”
Rough trade.
Just another media sob story: Tawana Brawley, Rodney King, the Jena 6, the Duke Lacrosse stripper, Trayvon, Michael Brown. There was also the black woman who set herself on fire in Louisiana.
Has no one noticed that White women, who are the most targeted for ‘hate crimes,’ are also the most blamed for said actual crimes of hate? That is, if the crimes against them are even recognized such in any dimension. Gay men are among the least willing to recognize any crimes against women and White women particularly, by default and design both. It was said in college in the mid-90’s among my friends to never discuss ‘date’ rape with gay men. Truth be told, a White woman would stand a better chance at justice with straight black men on a jury than a bunch of White fags. There are exceptions but they are very few and far between.
If you guys have the time, I strongly recommend that you listen to this very good interview with Jimenez regarding the case:
Gays as a rule, take drugs, rape and bitch a lot.
Homophobia in many ways is a reaction against such extreme self destructive behaviour.
Gee, homosexuals strongly tend to engage in self destructive behaviors. Who knew?
Oh Lord.
Jack Ryan,
I have tried emailing you but all your accounts bounce back. E-mail me:
countenance.blog@gmail.com
A gay nurse I knew said it was almost impossible to find a boyfriend that didn’t do drugs which could cost him his license
Someone else broke the story on the background of the Matthew Shepard killing not long after it took place. I don’t recall the author or authors, but, I do recall the story being in the New York Times, or syndicated by, or attributed to the New York Times.
I get the general impression that homosexuals tend to murder each other, now with homosexual marriage being legalized, we should see even more sensational murders.
Earl is correct about queers tending to murder each other. I learned from a Dallas Theological seminary student years ago that the most gruesome murders that you read or hear about are committed by fags. And most serial killers, btw, are sodomites.
Where have you been? This is old news. The book came out over a year ago.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Matt-Matthew-Shepard/dp/1586422146
Now, what you guys SHOULD do, is point this out and protest any further productions of the propaganda play, “The Laramie Project.”
This is nothing less than the modern era’s BS Propaganda, ‘Diary of Anne Frank.’
By the same perps.
I know.
I’ve mentioned it here before.
Most of the comments on this page really show the readers’ ignorance. “Gays murder gays”. Give me a break. Bunch of religious redneck zealots.
http://news.yahoo.com/town-where-shepard-killed-passes-measure-protect-gays-070821233.html
Facts have no effect….these nuts march on with their lies no matter what, and they get what they want!
“The Laramie City Council on Wednesday approved a local anti-discrimination ordinance. It voted 7-2 in favor of the measure that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and access to public facilities such as restaurants.
“What a day for Wyoming, and what a day for the city that became synonymous with Matthew Shepard’s murder to now step up and do this right thing,” said Jeran Artery, head of the group Wyoming Equality, which has lobbied for anti-discrimination measures at the state Legislature.
“And I would really encourage other communities across the state to follow Laramie’s lead,” Artery said.”