The 50 Spot: Protesting Hate Crimes in Cincinnati

by Michael A. Jones

Published March 20, 2009 @ 07:24AM PT

Two weeks ago, two men were attacked near the campus of the University of Cincinnati, and one of them was beat up because of his sexual orientation.  Yesterday, the community gathered to protest the hate crime, and speak out against violence toward LGBT people.  And speaking of hate crimes, the Young Turks have a note up about one of the disastrous side effects of Proposition H8 - hate crimes against LGBT people have increased since the proposition passed into law.  Finally, we're heading to the District of Columbia, where a rally on Capitol Hill sought to draw attention to the negative impacts of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Ohio: More than 150 people gathered on the campus of the University of Cincinnati (UC) last night to protest a hate crime that occurred on March 6 toward two men - one of whom was gay.  According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, court records show that one of the victims was taunted as he was knocked to the ground and kicked and punched after it was discovered he was gay.  In speaking out against the violence, UC senior Christopher Backs told the Enquirer "We’re all people. We’re all made of the same stuff. There is no reason something so minor should separate us."  Here, here to that sentiment.  The two attackers, incidentally, were arrested and charged with felonious assault.  They're out on bail now, awaiting a grand jury report.

California:  Prop 8's impact goes way beyond just eliminating the right of same-sex couples to enter into marriage.  The law is now wreaking havoc in schools, with reports that there have been a rise in hate crimes committed toward LGBT students in California schools.  Let's see Ken Starr try to justify that.  Even scarier?  Ana Kasparian at the examiner.com reports that in 2008, 56 percent of all hate crimes committed in the U.S. were targeted toward LGBT people.  The year prior (or before Prop 8 was introduced): only 15 percent of hate crimes were committed against LGBT people.  Given those facts, it's crystal clear that Proposition 8 deserves its other moniker, Prop H8.

District of Columbia:  Earlier this month, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act was put forward by outgoing Rep. Ellen Tauscher (outgoing if she gets confirmed for a U.S. State Department position), which would repeal the archaic and discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" provision in the U.S. military.  Yesterday, as a show of solidarity for this piece of legislation and to renew calls for "Don't Ask's" repeal, 300 people gathered on Capitol Hill.  Among the supporters who spoke at the rally were D.C. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who said "We’re not asking for repeal any longer, we’re telling Congress and President Obama that the time for repeal is now. And this isn’t just about fairness and job discrimination, but also the strength of our military."  Bottom line: Our military will get stronger when it finally allows openly LGBT soldiers to serve in its ranks.