Great progress has been made in the United States to try and bring equality to the gay community. But has this progress found direct relation in the general public's acceptance?
Not so fast. Religious parties and believers hold fast to their notion that homosexuality is a sin to be condemned, worthy of excommunication or at least exclusion from church membership.
And then of course, there are ingrained taboos and cultural ostracism that are being stoked by what appears to be a greater acceptance of gay rights.
But what happened in New York this week is nothing new. It was not that long ago, that a young student died tied crucified to a wire fence, symbolizing for all what burden being born gay truly is. That death, as gruesome as it was, exemplifies the extent to which some people will go to express their hate towards what is a natural occurrence, created by birth, and genetics.
And it was not, this time, some young punks who perpetrated the hate crime, but a 33 year old man, who shouted anti-gay slurs at a couple as they walked the Greenwich village streets.
He then followed the couple and shot one of the men, 32 year old Marc Carson.
Elliot Morales, who was brought in front of the judge in Manhattan Criminal Court, was carrying a fake id, and was identified through face recognition software, since he refused to name himself or offer fringerprints.
Morales is not new to the Law. He has been arrested for attempted murder in 1998.
Morales killed Carson at point blank range. He levied his silver .38 pistol at him and shot him fatally in the head.
But is this incident isolated? Authorities say no, it isn't. As a matter of fact, there has been a recrudescence of hate crimes even in a place such as New York.
Just like France, the renewed attention and decent gains made by the gay community in the form of marriage laws in several states, has brought to the surface ugly behaviors, which were before concealed. If anyone had any doubts whether or not gay hate had disappeared or at least diminished, the new spate of incidents should do much to erase them.
In fact, another gay couple was attacked in Manhattan this month. One of the men was beaten almost to death, and nearly lost one eye. Only days later, another couple was assaulted by a gang near Madison Square Garden.
And if New York is not safe, then one can only imagine how the rest of the country is faring.
Op-Ed
Source : NBC 5.20.13
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