Ten years ago today, America was stunned by the tragic story of a 21-year-old college student in Wyoming who had been beaten severely by two men, tied to a fence and left alone for 18 hours before he was found. The victim was Matthew Shepard and, as he clung to life for the next six days, the image of his bittersweet smile spread through newspapers and television reports. During that painful week, we learned the truth: The boy's attackers killed Matthew because he was gay. Ten years later, I am still moved to tears as I think about this young man's tragic death, and remember standing with so many others to light our candles instead of just cursing the darkness.
I have been a Presbyterian minister for the past 41 years. In that span of time I have known many gay or lesbian people and a few who are transgender persons, some as personal friends, church members, officers and ministers.
Here in Connecticut, our collective consciousness on hate crimes was awakened through the appalling murder of Richard Reihl two decades ago. Reihl was beaten to death one evening at his Wethersfield home by two high school boys — just because they believed him to be gay. Reihl's violent death galvanized Connecticut citizens to enact hate crimes legislation in this state.
Yet, hate crimes against gay, lesbian and transgender people persist in this state. Jessica Mercado, a 24-year old transgender woman, was brutally murdered in New Haven in 2003. Mercado's body was found in the charred remains of her apartment. She was stabbed multiple times before the apartment was set on fire.
In 2005, a lesbian couple was attacked and beaten as they left a club in Hartford.
In 2006, there were 104 hate crime incidents reported in Connecticut. In 15 of those instances, the motivation for the crime was sexual orientation.
As a person whose faith is centered on love and acceptance and who stands in opposition to violence and oppression, I know that I must step up and speak out because so many religious groups teach condemnation. Many attackers of gay, lesbian and transgender people claim God and their religion as a rationale for their attacks. Such persecution and attacks must stop. For this, we are all responsible.
We are fortunate that Connecticut is a state that protects its residents with hate crime legislation, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity among other protected groups. In 2004, Connecticut legislators voted, almost unanimously, to specifically include transgender people in hate crime legislation.
In contrast, Wyoming — the home state of Matthew Shepard — still does not have any hate crime legislation, nor do we find these protections at the federal level. The absence of hate crimes legislation that covers gay, lesbian and transgender people sends the unsettling message that violence against certain communities is acceptable.
In honoring Matthew's legacy, we must ask ourselves: What else can we do to ensure safety in our homes, our schools and our communities?
• Work for anti-bullying policies in local schools.
• Advocate for passage of the federal Matthew Shepard Act to help prosecute hate crimes.
• Speak openly about support for full equality for gay, lesbian and transgender people in your community and your faith congregations.
Ten years have passed since Matthew's murder, and it's clear that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have a right to feel safe in Connecticut and across our great nation. We must take a national stand against hatred so that no more families have to endure pain like the Shepards. All of our children deserve to know that we helped pass the Matthew Shepard Act in Congress. What will you tell your children?
• Terry Davis is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hartford.
"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. "
Napoleon Bonaparte
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