HarlemLIVE

Hate crimes have occurred throughout American history, recently, though, they have been occurring to various individuals and groups in our society on the basis of their race, color, ethnic origin, age and/or state of development, and sexual orientation at an alarming rate. Some Examples include the June 10, 1998 satanic murder of James Byrd Jr., a 49-year-old Black man who was dragged to a bloody death by a pick-up truck in Texas, and the recent September 26, 1999 cold-hearted sodomy and murder of 13-year-old Jesse Dirkhising, who was reported to have been killed by non-heterosexuals. However, statistics have proven that hate-motivated murders are drastically increasing against people of their sexual orientation. One horrific example of this took place nearly four years ago against Matthew Shepard.

On October 6, 1998, the 21-year-old openly gay non-heterosexual, Matthew Shepard, was satanically beaten to death in Wyoming by two extreme ³Christian² homophobes. According to the New York Daily News article on October 25, 1998, the Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, picketed the young Matthew Shepard¹s funeral with signs saying, ³GOD HATES FAGS.² At the same time, Robert Knight, the executive director of the cultural studies of the Family Research Council, a far right-wing public policy group, said, ³I had discussed with them to remove this ŒGod hates fags¹ mentality because it misconstrues the teachings of Christ, which is of love.² Carmen Pate, then-president of Concerned Women United, an ultra-conservative public policy group, sided with Knight explaining that true ultra-conservative Christians who oppose non-heterosexuality, do indeed love gays and lesbians while just denouncing their lifestyle. However, justice was served when a Wyoming State jury convicted the supposedly ³Christian² men, who beat Shepard to death, to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

In my opinion, people like the Rev. Fred Phelps are just pitiful imitations of true Christian believers who may oppose the non-heterosexual lifestyle BUT respect the dignity of the person. Rev. Phelps and his followers just help foster negative stereotypes of Christians who value all Human life sacred from conception to natural death regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity, race or creed. People who endorse hate crimes not only stray from these essential beliefs, but they also offer false ideas to the media and the general population concerning Pan-American or Pan-Christian viewpoints.

To further understand the true relationship between Christians and non-heterosexuals, I interviewed Mr. Charles Chesnavage, a devout Catholic and a strongly Pro-Life Democrat:

Harlemlive: What are your age, occupation, and experience in dealing with morality in general?

Mr. Chesnavage: I am 41 years of age, and I have been a high school religion teacher at Cardinal Hayes High School for the past eight years. I have a BA in Special Education, and a Master¹s in Divinity, thereby spending a lot of time studying moral issues like the death penalty, abortion, etc. I¹ll say that I have about 22 years of experience.

Harlemlive: What is your observation of the recent hate-motivated murder of the late Matthew Shepard?

Mr. Chesnavage: It was a crime of homophobia, which is a fear of homosexuals. Also, I heard that it was done under the influence of alcohol and that he was robbed.

Harlemlive: What is your reaction when ³Christians² like the Rev. Fred Phelps hold up signs saying, ³GOD HATES FAGS?²

Mr. Chesnavage: General Christian teaching teaches that we are to love all people because they were made in God¹s image. The Bible cannot, and should not, be used to condemn groups of people like gays and lesbians, African-Americans, etc. The Bible must be used to teach us to love, not hate. It is a heresy to teach that God hates anyone.

Harlemlive: And Mr. Chesnavage, based on your 22 years of experience, how should Christians react to people similar to Mr. Shepard?

Mr. Chesnavage: We should treat them with respect and with love as Christ taught us. And if they are Christians, which most of them are, we must treat them as part of the Body of Christ, or communion of believers, because God forgives all sin, including sexual sins like homosexuality and fornication. Love and prayer changes the heart, not hate and violence.