• GONADS125@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This gets people off in various states in the U.S. It’s referred to as the “gay panic” defense here.

      Absolutely bullshit excuse for people to murder or commit hate crimes.

      I’m a straight man and I find it very complimentary when I’ve had gay guys be interested in me. I take that as a compliment that I’m put together and well-groomed.

      • tygerprints@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Interestingly, the killers of Matthew Shepherd have said publically over and over again, they were NOT trying to commit a hate crime and they couldn’t have cared less about Matthew Shepherd’s sexuality. They were “friends” of his who had been totally aware of his sexuality for years. The night they brutally killed him, they went after another person (not homosexual) and beat them up also. I tend to believe they didn’t really target Matthew so much over his sexuality, as much as that he was an easy target because he was a gentle person who wouldn’t fight back when they decided to let out their brutal anger. As a gay person, I appreciate the martyrdom and the forum that Matt Shepherd’s family has provided, but I think we should listen to what a murderer says about their reasons for committing a crime - especially in this case, where it really wasn’t about gay panic at all if the truth be known.

        • I can’t believe I’d never heard of this case. Granted I was a 14yo British kid when it happened so prob didn’t hit my radar.

          Holy fucking Christ this is heart wrenching!!!

          Shepard was beaten so brutally that his face was completely covered in blood, except where it had been partially cleansed by his tears.

          That poor lad. I hope those fucking bastards rot in jail. 😭

          • tygerprints@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            Well I get that - and I don’t think anything can excuse what they did no matter what “reason” they did it.

    • ShortFuse@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Not get off, but used basically as a temporary insanity plea to get a reduced sentence. It’s basically an admission of guilt to request a lower charge. And yes, the Wiki article cites numerous examples, the most famous one being the guy who killed somebody after finding out on a talk show his friend was gay and has a crush on him. He used the defense and got 2nd-degree murder instead of 1st.