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Loading ...No apology from Foxx on Matthew Shepard comment
04.30.2009 3:01pm EDT
(Washington) A North Carolina congresswoman says she made a poor choice of words when she called the infamous murder of a gay Wyoming student a “hoax” to justify passing hate crimes bills, but she has not apologized for denying the killing was a gay bias crime.
During debate in the House Tuesday on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx said the 1998 murder of Shepard wasn’t a hate crime and shouldn’t be used to justify a hate crimes bill.Foxx said Shepard was killed during a robbery.
“The hate crimes bill that’s called the Matthew Shepard Bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay,” Foxx said. “This – the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”
She made the remarks while Shepard’s mother, Judy Shepard, looked on from the House gallery.
The comments were immediately condemned by LGBT rights groups.
“Vile lies, like the one spread by Rep. Foxx today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about Matthew’s brutal hate-fueled murder, continues to underscore how extreme anti-LGBT opponents have become,” said Brad Luna, Communications Director for the Human Rights Campaign.
“It is no longer acceptable in this day and age to just come right out and say you don’t like gay people. Instead, extremist opponents of equality must resort to these types of malicious and twisted lies. Rep. Foxx should be ashamed of herself.”
On Wednesday Foxx did not back away from her assertion that Shepard was the victim of a robbery and not a hate crime, but said that her comments didn’t convey what she meant to say.
In a statement she said “hoax” was “a poor choice of words,” and said Shepard’s killers deserved their punishment. The two men convicted in Shepard’s death are serving life terms for murder.
Foxx said in her statement that she relied on two news reports for her comments about robbery being a motive for the slaying.
“Referencing these media accounts may have been a mistake, but if so, it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts,” she said.
Shepard, a 21 year old University of Wyoming student was kidnapped by two men he met in a bar in October 1998. He was pistol-whipped, robbed and left tied to a fence on a rural snow swept country road outside Laramie. He died five days later in hospital from massive head injuries.
Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney are serving double life sentences for the killing.
In statements to police and in plea bargains to avoid the death penalty both men admitted murdering Shepard and said they had targeted him because he was gay.
Can anyone advise what part of North Carolina this person represents? Is it a district where literacy is very low? How on earth did such an ignorant person ever get elected to Congress? One wonders if she ever reads anything but hate publications, or are her mental abilities extremely limited? It doesn’t seem possible any reasonably alert person could defy news reports and facts and make such a statement—and in Congress yet, with the victim’s Mother listening. Incredibly cruel and ignorant.
Are their any signs of intelligence in North Carolina, home of Jesse Helms, Elizabeth Dole and Duke University who ruins lacrosse players lives with mass hysteria.
You can write Rep. Virginia Foxx with this link.
http://www.foxx.house.gov/?sectionid=95§iontree=3,95
Use this zip code: 28659 unless you are from her district, or your e-mail won’t go through.
This is the type of garbage we elect to office.
How truly shameful that this ignorant, bigoted, windbag was voted into office. And what an embarrassment to the citizens of North Carolina to have this person representing their views in congress.
KOlbermann said it best yesterday:
OLBERMANN: Congresswoman Foxx you are the only hoax here. One of Matthew Shepard‘s killers admitted under oath that he knew he was gay, that they lured him from a bar by pretending to be gay themselves. Then they robbed him, pistol-whipped him, fractured his skull, tortured him with sharp implements and they tied him to a fence post in rural Wyoming. He was not found for 18 hours.
There is no excuse for Congresswoman Foxx‘s remarks. She is, at best, callous, insensitive, criminally misinformed. At worst, she is a bold-faced liar. And if there is a spark of a human being in there somewhere, she should either immediately retract and apologize for her stupid and hurtful words, or she should resign her seat in the House.
She is not worthy to represent this country nor any of its parties nor any of its peoples. She is our shame. And adding to our shame, she said all that as Matthew Shepard‘s mother sat in the House gallery. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, fifth district of North Carolina, today‘s worst person in the world.
Ms. Fox demonstrates once again that there is no intelligence test for becoming a member of congress.
Is there any way we can recall this viel women. Im from North Carolina and would really like to start it UP. we need to stop people like her. what a nut job she is
is there any way we can recall this viel women im from north carolina and would really like to start it we need to stop people like her from
Sure, Ms. Foxx. While you’re at it, inform us that the Holocaust never happened, the KKK were made up of Blacks, and women never ever get raped. Then go work for Fox News.
I propose NATIONAL PRIDE FESTIVAL in a red state and a red district. I propose that we move the festival every year to different red states. Let’s use our Queer dollars and influence to make them beg us to spend in their states and cities by changing their laws and supporting us.
Money talks, and b s walks.
So, now that Ms. Foxx has said that her interpretation of the Matthew Shepard case was wrong because the news reports she saw on the subject were wrong (prove that one!), if she’s exposed to the true facts of the case, is she going to revise her opinion of the murder and the legislation, and if not, why not? Could it be because she’s a fundamental-case?
I won’t forget about this. I’ll be mailing my check to her 2010 opponent, even though I don’t live in her district or state. I encourage everyone to do the same.
“In statements to police and in plea bargains to avoid the death penalty both men admitted murdering Shepard and said they had targeted him because he was gay.”
Miss Foxx, I know the right wing likes to make stuff up, but come on now…this is like saying the sky is green with purple polka dots. I’ve never heard of anyone being tied to a fence and tortured nearly to death for “robbery”.
Add to that: Wasn’t Mr. Shepard sodomized with a shovel as well? Maybe she should read the details of the case.
This ignorant, old twit needs to do her district a favor and retire.