Gay Panic Defense
Openly gay New Jersey assemblyman, Tim Eustace, introduced an interesting bill that will prevent criminals from using what’s being referred to as “gay panic defense.” I never knew this even existed.
‘I want to make sure that we’re paying attention to things before they happen,’ Eustace said, as reported by New Jersey.com.
According to state law, a charge of murder can be reduced to manslaughter if the crime ‘is committed in the heat of passion resulting from a reasonable provocation.’
Eustace’s bill states provocation is not reasonable if based on the ‘discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of the homicide victim’s actual or perceived gender identity or expression.’
I guess this means, as the law stands now, if you claim you were shocked into committing a crime because you found out someone was gay or transsexual you have a better chance of getting reduced charges.
Lambda Legal, a national LGBT organization, notes while the term ‘gay panic’ is not an official defense, it does ‘allow a defendant to enlist the judge and the jury’s support (or, at least, empathy) for the defendant’s anti-gay or anti-trans bias, by asking the justice system to excuse the killing as an “understandable” response to finding out that the victim was LGBT.’
“Faggots” Written on Door
This next link reminded me of something that happened to my family when I was growing up. My younger straight brother once asked a girl of African American descent to the prom. He’d been dating her for a while. The morning after the prom my family woke to find the “N” word written all over the garage doors. It was really the first time I’d ever experienced that brand of racial discrimination. This happened in New Jersey, too. I never forgot how it felt…and I still don’t even know the full extent of that kind of discrimination.
Prior to that, I did know gay discrimination and I wasn’t even out of the closet yet. This is the kind of thing I’m talking about. A gay couple found the word “Faggots” written on their front door beneath their Christmas wreath this year. This is how they handled it:
‘To the individual who scrawled the word ‘’faggots’’ into our door: We regret to inform you that you completely failed to use glitter paint and/or sequins, your work looked rushed, and your handwriting was positively atrocious.
‘It is for these reasons that we had to remove your work from our door with sandpaper.
‘Fabulously yours, the Gays in Apt. 611.’
I have to admit it’s so much classier than what I would have done at this point in my life…found the bastards and kicked the living shit out of them. But then all gay people are different and I don’t recommend my way at all.
Having Sex With Straight Guys
I have to admit that I have had sex with straight guys and never thought it would be newsworthy. One hot Marine I once knew was definitely fiction-worthy, but I really never thought much about it…and, it’s not that much different than sex with gay guys. At least not in my experience.
But this is interesting, a commentary piece by someone named Topher Gen, whoever he is:
I’ll be honest here; I’ve been a guys ‘test dummy’ more than a couple of times in the past. The reason I refer to it so crudely and cheaply is because after these affairs were conducted, that’s how I was made to feel. That’s how the straight party felt about it: It was cheap, maybe even dirty.
That response is, while not universal, fairly common. So this topic will likely conjure up some uncomfortable feelings with some people. But we should address it all the same. Why does society give a ‘curious’ guy such a beating should they experiment with another man?
I’ve seen it happen: Rumors fly and the heterosexual, who perhaps is teetering on the edge bisexuality, is branded a ‘poof’ and ridiculed which makes them ashamed of their feelings.
I’ll be honest here, too. I never felt as though I was anyone’s “test dummy.” I knew what I was doing each step I did it. And the straight guys I was with didn’t treat me any differently after sex than they did prior to it. If anything I used to feel guilty because they would thank me and I thought I should have been thanking them. If you know what you’re doing, straight men are even more thankful than gay men. And they want to see you again…even if that’s not part of your plan. Straight men can be very pushy sometimes, but also far less complicated to deal with. There’s no over-analyzing with straight men.
In any event, maybe good old Topher Gen might be over-analyzing this a little too much. Sometimes a shtup is just shtup. But it is interesting anyway and the comment thread produced some excellent discussion. I can only speak from my own experiences.
However, just don’t let their girlfriends catch you with them. That can get ugly…makes you run naked fast.
Here’s the rest. It’s a long one.
