Monday, November 25, 2024
HomeLGBT NewsLet's get our state to abolish the Gay/Trans Panic Defense - Dorchester...

Let’s get our state to abolish the Gay/Trans Panic Defense – Dorchester Reporter

To the Editor:

In July 2018, Otoni Eliseau was staying in the basement of the Philadelphia Baptist Church in Framingham with his friend, Jackson Sugrue, who all of a sudden became violent. Jackson would beat him; he’d smash his head against a coffee table; he took away his phone, repeatedly yelling at him ‘I know you like me. I know you’re gay,’ and he would hold him captive there for four days without food or water. Once Eliseau escaped, Jackson was arrested on charges of committing a hate crime. Jackson’s attorney, Kenneth Gross, would later state of Eliseau in court : “He was trying to entice my client to do things that were against his nature.”

In the 1990s, Scott Amendure brought Jonathan Schmitz onto The Jenny Jones Show to reveal that he had a crush on him. Following the taping of the episode, Schmitz purchased a shotgun, went to Amendure’s Michigan home, and shot him twice in the chest, killing him. Schmitz’s attorneys later claimed in court that he was mentally ill and became emotionally unstable after being humiliated because of Amendure’s interest in him.

In 2014, California became the first state to ban this legal defense strategy, followed by Illinois (2017), Rhode Island (2018), Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, and New York (2019), New Jersey, D.C., Colorado, and Washington (2020). This year, Vermont and Virginia, the first southern state to do so, joined the lineup.

Massachusetts has yet to do so, but you can help change that by contacting your local representative and senator and urging them to support An Act to Support LGBTQ Victims (H.D. 2275/S.D. 1183), which will make Massachusetts the 13th state to ban this legal defense strategy and protect our LGBTQ friends, neighbors, and families.

Texas, Iowa, Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, Florida, Oregon, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Minnesota all have similar waiting on possible passages.

Matthew J Shochat
Dorchester

3 2.png

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments

pacomonkey007 on
nickrod32 on
Kate on
Gabriel Jimenez on
Boris Dorofeev on
AlexanderCostan on
Gouki249 on
Michael Schaper on
Supertomiman on
Robert Johns on
heyayup on
J.N Turner on
Cassandra Sainvilus on
mistermiah21 on
AL T on
Stjepan Vončina on
Alesandros356 on
Μαριος Κοσκολος on
Kikoushinzen on
Chanti Allen on
askvir2 on
PR3DA7EUR on
mikkita88 on
Shanoriya Robinson on
hightune21 on
s0medudeonline on
Ryan Wright on
Imcia Rens on
Garchomp Pit on
Kai Laa on
king vapor on
king vapor on
barosan jupan on
camaflauge on
Omar Doleymi on
JawNas1 on
Ibraheem Mansour on
SuperAceone on
James Darwin on
toomuchdingding on
lanciauxrayz on
curioussebastian on
Iman Farahin on
Samhain entertainment on
longsweep1 on
SuperCaffeinelover on
Rin Lee on
Samhain entertainment on
banglawaz0 on
banglawaz0 on
Chope89 on
nikos sicks on
ForZaSLaN1905 on
Kieran Murphy on
Brian Sirovey on
Enrico Baratelli on
Kenn Zesky on
Synthiotics on
ROGAN on
DJVM95 on
Corie Jacobs on
久登 寺島 on
Jakob Vlietstra on
shook one on
shook one on
Zeracan on
jarjarbinx79 on
keefkeef chiefchief on
WolfgangSenske on
Pieceofshit19 on
numbstateofennui on
The Real Witches on
Tribble Booth on
Greg Blackman on
Emily Fravel on
Daniel Baker on
Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD on
Eden Brown on
johnboysssss on
CeeJayDee94 on
TheGoodNews01 on
jpalberthoward9 on
lakecrab on
jpalberthoward9 on
lakecrab on
jpalberthoward9 on
jpalberthoward9 on
jpalberthoward9 on
liffeybeat on
Chad Premo on
Michael E. O'Donnell on
徹 田中 on
Izzat Zainal on
InfliiKted on
angelo leslie on
Regena Daunicht on
Eddie The Liar on
DrNepal on
DrNepal on
TheGrimriftstalker on
Tatts Thompson on
Frederico Miranda Brandão Alves on
Jerry Bender on
uncle mike on
Dluv021 on
杏 唯 on
blu jonce on
lakecrab on
justin gingell on
anand- jivano on
kree8r on
Antonio Amaral on
Issam Bensoltane on
David Klonowski on
joe man on
chris badtrekkie on
Iktisam shahriar on
Hilaire Dufresne on
timthepainter1 on
immrnoidall on
Merle McDane on
Royalhighlander on
J Edge on
Mike J on
Mike J on
EarthEats Moon on
equn on
Lozial on
Grey Umopepisdn on
Adski92 on
ninjia1O1 on
murkyslough18 on
Robert Rickner on
okaminess on
stkcarm5 on
Kim Kelly on
funkymcbean on
ojibajo on
mzwickedlette88 on
neotek79 on
1ofmeNlotsofU on
aeroldoth on
TheThorne13 on
QueenLucyThe2nd on
James Gambino on