Vigil Held For Victims of Hate and Violence
[gtxvideo vid=”mOsSD0Rg” playlist=”” pid=”XiOflQdH” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/mOsSD0Rg.jpg” vtitle=”Hate Crimes Vigil”]
The lifting of Alabama’s same sex marriage been is a reason to celebrate amongst marriage equality supporters. But Sunday a vigil offered a somber reminder of the work there’s still left to do.
The Vigil for Victims of Hate and Violence been’s held every year since 1999 when Billy Jack Gaither was beaten to death and burned in Sylacauga because he was gay. In other states his murder would be considered a hate crime, but not in Alabama.
And no matter what you believe, organizers say the message of this vigil is that we can all find common ground.
Paul Hard, plaintiff in SPLC Lawsuit said. “Some of the very folks that left the courthouse Monday and had their picture taken smiling before the camera could be subject to eviction, could be subject to job discrimination…It could happen and there are no protections otherwise under Alabama law.”
Organizers are hoping that in the future violence towards a person because of their sexual orientation will be in hate crime law. That type of legislation, which would make violence against LGBT people be classified as a hate crime, has been introduced and rejected for many years in Alabama.
