Dear Editor:
My concern in writing this letter to the editor is bittersweet. We, as a social-justice movement, have achieved much: however, sadly, we continue to be reminded of the bigotry that is embedded in our society against the LGBT community. Most recently a lesbian couple was attacked and robbed by a group of men in Chicago on Saturday night, and police are calling it a hate crime, according to the Chicago Tribune.
These women need our support in terms of love and whatever else we can give, that includes prayer.
The women, at their first opportunity, contacted the Chicago police. This is what any responsible, law-abiding citizen should do. Hate speech is now against the law and beating people up for being different is also against the law.
Sadly, for to many of us, we let these incidents slide by because they are either to distasteful to address, or out of fear that we will be identified within the frame work of a "gay crime."
Recently Ald. James Capplemen was called a "faggot alderman" and the first question on my mind was, "Did the alderman call the police to report this incident?" If we do not use the laws that are made available to us than we become part of the problem. I would encourage the alderman, because of his visibility, to use these incidents as a teaching moment on how not to hate people.
I would love to hear what the preachers at the local churches were preaching from the pulpit the following Sunday in the victims' neighborhood. Hate has to be identified and rooted out, and that includes our religious organizations such churches. When hate appears in religious institutions it is hidden in all types of pious levels of rhetoric, such as Cardinal Francis George calling LGBT people morally disordered.
Joe Murray
Rainbow Sash Movement