Peridyd's Progress

From Feministe via Sara Speaking, the story of a chillingly brutal murder qua homophobic hate crime in Indiana.

The Bloomington Alternative has an interesting analysis, interesting because the two men accused of the murder are using the so-called gay panic defense to justify their actions. The men claim that the victim hit on them, thereby inciting (and justifying) their murderous response. Of course the beating/murder appears to have taken place over several hours.

It's not actually clear if the victim was gay, but it's disturbing nonetheless that mounting such a defense is a plausible tactic. This is precisely why hate crime legislation is required in the first place: crimes against groups who are discriminated against don't appear to be crimes at all. "He wanted to have sex with me, so I killed him."

By the way, Indiana is one of 5 states in the nation that doesn't have hate crime legislation on the books. This can't be a coincidence.

Posted by Dennis Bennett at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again, Salon is a lone voice of sanity in what can only be described as our culture's celebrity fetish. (You'll need to watch an advertisement, but the article is worth it.)

While much of America was getting its panties in a fist-size knot over Paris' lack of panties, there were plenty of other things we might have paid attention to. Lookie! The Iraq war! Presto! The "ongoing investigations" of atrocious, illegal acts committed at the highest levels of government! Instead, we are engaging in our new favorite dysfunctional love-hate relationship: Public stoning of the celebrity hooker.

Thanks to Cintra Wilson for her perspicacity. May we learn to pay attention to things that are truly important.

Posted by Dennis Bennett at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

IMG_1785.jpg, originally uploaded by paleck.

For two years running my good friend Paleck has taken it on himself to be the unofficial photographer for Salt Lake City's Gay Pride parade. This year's photos are great, and give the viewer a good sense of how vital and vibrant the gay community is in SLC.

However, as one might expect, support for the queer community is not unanimous. Paleck's done a great job capturing an anti-gay protest.

It's a rich study in contrasts. I especially like the contrast between SLC's finest (a very professional looking bunch whom I'd want running interference for me) and the homophobes.

Be sure to look at the larger sizes.

Posted by Dennis Bennett at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)