Foxx’s “Hoax” and Gay Rights

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A makeshift memorial stands at the spot where Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyo. Photo by Andy Rogers/Newscom

This past month, for all intents and purposes, might be referred to as one of the watershed moments of the gay rights movement.

On April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is legal, becoming the first state in the typically conservative Midwest do so. Five days later, the Vermont legislature approved a bill to allow gay marriage. Nine days after Iowa, New York Gov. David Patterson introduced legislation.

Finally, last week—with what could be seen as the ultimate icing on the cake for the gay rights movement—Maine and New Hampshire legalized gay marriage and the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Matthew Shepard Act adding homosexual Americans to groups protected under hate crime legislation. Additionally, The California Supreme Court’s decision on Prop 8 is expected within the next month.

However, during the debate of the hate crime bill, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) echoed the growing aggravation on the right, calling Shepard’s murder a “hoax.”

Foxx apologized on May 1, calling the remarks a “poor choice of words.” Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, was present at the time of the remarks and told MSNBC that Foxx was “apologizing for her semantics, but not for her sentiment, her insensitivity or her ignorance.”

Without debating the details of Shepard’s unfortunate death, the disquieting facts remain—LGBT teenagers still face incredible obstacles while growing up. Homeless youth especially face discrimination. Research has shown that LGBT youth leave home more frequently, are victimized more often, are more likely to use highly addictive substances and experience higher rates of psychopathology than their heterosexual counterparts (Cochran et al 2002).

What is clear is that lesbian and gay Americans (particularly those younger than the late Shepard) still face substantial challenges. What is left to be seen, however, is if these measures on legislative agendas around the country will change the trajectory of young, gay Americans.