Congresswoman Claims Matthew Shepard Murder Was Not An Anti-Gay Hate Crime

In spite of significance evidence to the contrary, North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx is pushing her strange belief that the 1998 murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming was not an anti-gay hate crime. At issue is a hate crimes bill designed to increase protection for gays and lesbians. Now, there is evidence that includes testimony from one of the perpetrators of this hate crime, that contradict such an opinion, but nonetheless Foxx made the following statement (while, reportedly, Shepard’s mother was in attendance):

“I also would like to point out that there was a bill — the hate crimes bill that’s called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay. This — the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.

Foxx says, with such definitive force, that it was not only not a hate crime, but that calling it a hate crime is a hoax. Unbelievable. I didn’t really want to believe it until I saw the video. Follow the story on POLITICO to see the evidence that does in fact exist to prove that this was not just some random robbery. All crime must be taken very seriously. However, it is critical that we show that these hate crimes (crimes that show a hateful bias toward a particular group and extends beyond the motive of a specific crime) will not be tolerated in our society.

POLITICO:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Matthew_Shepard_killed_in_nonbias_robbery_Foxx_says.html