Thursday, October 22, 1998
Provocative display focuses on victims of hate crimes
GALA: Memorial for murdered Shepard spurs dialogue on
injustice
By Barbara Ortutay
Daily Bruin Staff
A beaten, bloody mannequin hanging in Royce Quad caught the eyes
of many students who walked by on Wednesday.
Last week in Wyoming, 18 hours passed before anyone noticed
Matthew Shepard’s maimed body hanging on a fence post.
The Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) organized the silent
demonstration Wednesday morning in memory of the slain college
student and other hate crime victims.
Behind the mannequin, a display of banners, photographs and a
rainbow flag called for an end to crimes based on
discrimination.
"I know that the mannequin is ugly," said GALA president Tamar
Tokat. "That’s the whole point."
"We realize that there are people who think it’s offensive or
that it’s sensationalizing his death," she said. "But if we didn’t
have this in-your-face display, a lot of people would not pay
attention to what happened."
While some students observed the display from afar, others sat
down in front of it and discussed the issues surrounding Shepard’s
death.
"I think it gets attention, which is important," said Kariann
Goldschmitt, a second-year English student and GALA member.
"However, I have a problem with the mannequin. It’s going to
drive people away who are more moderate," she said.
But others said that the shock value of the display fit the
severity of the issue.
"UCLA tends to be apathetic. People just say, Å’Oh what a
shame’ and move on," said Juliet Henderson, a third-year graduate
student in Spanish.
"When a drastic thing like (Shepard’s murder) happens, drastic
measures need to be taken," she said.
Shepard was an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming
who was brutally murdered last week. While police believe that the
attackers’ motive was robbery, prosecutors say that it is doubtless
that he was the victim of a hate crime.
GALA chose to raise awareness about hate speech as well as hate
crimes by reprinting on a bed sheet a piece of hate mail, which was
e-mailed to a website supporting Shepard. The letter attacked not
only gays, but minority, racial and religious groups as well.
Shepard’s murder has stirred a nationwide focus on hate crimes
and homophobia.
Organizations on other UC campuses chose different ways of
remembering Shepard. UC San Diego students, for example, wore green
armbands for a week. UC Berkeley students held a candlelight vigil
last week.
"I think a vigil says enough," said Berkeley student Bryan Chin.
"I mean, we don’t want to turn his death into a political
cause."
But GALA leaders say that the issue is political, pointing to
statements by influential members of Congress, such as Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott, about "loving the sinner and hating the
sin."
"First of all, we are not sinners," Tokat said.
"It is this kind of hate-mongering that causes hate crimes," she
said, echoing the "hate speech equals hate crime" banner displayed
at the protest.
Shepard’s death has also jump-started lobbying efforts for
federal hate crime legislation.
Currently, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would expand
federal power to prosecute hate crimes, is laying stagnant in both
the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The law currently states that the federal government may only
prosecute hate crimes that were intended to prevent victims from
exercising "federally protected rights," such as voting or
attending school.
California is one of 13 states that includes sexual orientation
in their hate crime laws.
According to Robert Naples, assistant vice chancellor of student
and campus life, UCLA does not have a specific hate crime
policy.
GALA members said that they hope to make hate crime awareness a
bigger campus issue.
"People need to see that this could happen to them and the
people they love," said GALA member Brandon Del Campo, a fifth-year
history student.
"This is just one of the steps we’re taking in making GALA more
political and making the campus aware of LGBT and hate crime
issues," he said.
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Third-year student Vincent Bidez sits at the memorial for
Matthew Shepard.
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