Despite the fact that homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted in television and print media (see e.g. Kurt and Blaine’s kiss on Glee last week), culturally and socially homosexuality is far from accepted in certain communities.
Last October, during a string of suicides and hate crimes due to homosexuality, two gay teenagers and a 30-year-old gay male were beaten tortured by nine friends who called themselves the Latin King Goonies. The group beat and sodomized one teenager to force him to admit to having the 30-year-old as his lover and then went and picked up the second teenager who they not only beat and sodomized, but forced to assist in torturing the 30-year-old. The 30-year-old was also forced to consume the 10 cans of Four Loko (the equivalent of roughly 50 cans of beer) that he had brought with him, thinking he had been invited to a party, over the course of the torture. At the time, the formula of Four Loko also contained an energy drink and caffeine, leading to the drink subsequently being banned in several states for being a “blackout in a can.”
Fortunately, none of the men involved in this incident died, though others did earlier that year because of their sexuality. However, this heinous act is proof of the extent to which people will go to abuse homosexuals. The public needs to be educated on the abuses that homosexuals are enduring so that the abuse and hate can end.
LAMBDA United, a student-run organization in the law school, is taking a stand against hate crimes such as this. We are dedicated to educating the public about hate crimes and raising awareness about the harms that are still occurring. On April 6, 2011 from 11:00 AM-1:00PM LAMBDA United will be hosting its annual Rock Out Loud that raises awareness about hate crimes.
This year activist-singer Es Oh (follow her on Facebook) will perform and candidate for Oakland Park City Commissioner John Adornato is scheduled to be the guest speaker. The funds raised from this event will go toward a non-profit organization, Fight Out Loud which is a national organization that aims at educating the public to fight discrimination and hate.
(guest post by Martavis T. Clarke, LAMBDA United VP)
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