Ryan Keith Skipper Trial

Litbrit and I wrote about the murder of Ryan Keith Skipper. Joseph Bearden is accused of murdering Skipper. Equality Florida is urging citizens to voice their views.

Dear Friends,

As the trial of Ryan Skipper's accused murderer unfolds, it is clear that anti-gay hatred played a significant role in Ryan's murder. According to a witness who took the stand yesterday:

"He (Bearden) said he didn't like gays."

Prosecutors then revealed that the same witness previously told police:

"(Bearden) felt he was doing the world a favor by getting rid of one more faggot."

Equality Florida has a page set up to contact Gov. Charlie Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum. I urge readers to stay away from form letters. The best way to have your voice heard is write your own original message. Below is Crist's and McCollum's email addresses.

Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com

ag.mccollum@myfloridalegal.com

Hate Crimes Awareness Day in Tallahassee

Equality Florida and Gay American Heroes went to Tallahassee, Florida on April 28, 2008 to stop bullying against LGBT people. The date was picked for the memory of Ryan Keith Skipper Skipper was an openly gay man that was brutally murdered. Skipper would have been 27.

I'm not crazy about the idea of making laws against teens to stop bullying. I doubt it is going to work. Kids can often be cruel to one another. They are developing emotionally and don't understand the consequences of their words. Schools should discourage xenophobic behavior. We should not throw kids in jail for name calling. I will note that I am not aware of what kind of legislation Equality Florida and Gay American Heroes are proposing.

That doesn't mean we ignore the thread of violent bullying. Eight Lakeland tennagers assaulted a female classmate and placed the video on Youtube. The girl knocked consciousness and suffered hearing and vision loss.

I back legislation against violent acts on gay and transgender people. Conservatives need to grow up and realize these people are targets for violence. Ofcourse, demonizing gay teens is a campaign strategy for Republicans. Ask Brian "Bubble Bee" Blair.

Ryan Keith Skipper Vigil In the Works

Equality Florida is planning vigils in memory of Ryan Keith Skipper across Florida. For more information to attend or volunteer:

Russell Patterson at russ@eq fl.org or 1-813-849-3919.

The Skipper murder shows a disturbing pattern in Florida. Hate crimes against GLBT Floridians have gone up in the last years records on such attacks were released.

"The silence of Florida’s leadership in the face of this brutal murder cannot go unchallenged," Brian Winfield of Equality Florida stated.

The Republican Party has made comments that hate crimes equals censoring people's thoughts. This is laughable from a party that supports harsher criminal penaties for every other offense. The truth is the GOP is scared of offending the Christian Right. To people like James Dobson has lobbied hard against hate crime legislation.

FOF works against “special rights” for homosexuals and hate crime legislation, and supports “reparative therapy” for homosexuality, which has been widely discredited and rejected by the vast majority of doctors and physicians. FOF sponsors “Love Won Out,” conferences held around the U.S. that claim to prove that “homosexuality is preventable and treatable,” where many of the speakers are “ex-gays.” “Love Won Out” is from the title of a book by John Paulk, an “ex-gay” who is the host of the conferences and is an employee of Focus on the Family.

As long as the GOP is held hostage by people like Dobson little will get done to protect the GLBT from attacks

Ryan Keith Skipper Update

The two men charged with the stabbing of Ryan Keith Skipper are facing the death penalty.

A grand jury has handed down first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon indictments against Joseph Eli Bearden, 21, and William David Brown Jr., 20.

Bearden and Brown have been held without bail wince their arrest on March 16.

The Sheriff’s Office has described Skipper’s killing as a hate crime because Skipper was gay and the prosecutor said he expects to argue for the maximum sentence.

Police believe Skipper went out that night to cruise for other men. Skipper was killed in his own car. Bearden and Brown dumped the body on the side of the road. They attempted to later clean the interior of the automobile. I'm wondering if Skipper knew the men.

He apparently found Bearden walking along a local street and offered him a ride. The men went to Skipper's home, smoked marijuana and used Skipper's lap top computer.

Later they left the house and met up with Brown.

That doesn't sound like a gay hookup. Skipper was comfortable enough to allow Bearden in his home. There is nothing in the article about them having sex. Why then leave the house to meet Brown?

There is a saying about most homosides are committed by someone they know. I'm wondering if that is the case here.

More on Ryan Keith Skipper

I just like to add to Litbrit's post on the hate crime killing of Ryan Keith Skipper.

I looked at Ryan's Myspace profile and it's heartbreaking to see his friend say goodbye to him. They have to say goodbye to a 25 year-old man they thought was going to be in their social circle for a long time. Now they are gonna go to his funeral.

Please read the Myspace profile. Understand that news stories aren't something that happens to other people. There are real life consequences.