Call haters to account

The brutal murder last month of Matthew Shepard-the twenty-one-year-old gay college student in Wyoming who was beaten and tied to a cross-like fence to die-struck at the conscience of the nation. It was not only the sheer sadism and rancor of the crime that affected Americans, but the sense that Shepard’s rights had been violated simply for being who he was.

Hate-motivated crimes have their own pedigree, their own smell. They are...

The remainder of this article is only available to paid subscribers.

Print subscribers to Commonweal are entitled to free access to all premium online content. Click here to purchase a print subscription, or if you’re already a print subscriber, register now for premium access.

Online-only subscriptions provide access to all premium online articles for just $34/year. Click here to subscribe.

Registered users, please log in below: