I had a feeling this was the case. It should be reported that way. There are gay related hate crimes many more times than the average person realizes. It happens all across this country and beyond because of homophobia. When I heard they had been harrassed and a word was found on the house I knew what word they were talking about but for some reason so far had not been said. I am glad the truth is coming out...it always does at some point. I hope their killer(s) are found and sent away for a long time. I also hope this can be used to show why hate crimes are needed in this state.

It is absolutely sickening that anyone would kill these old men.

And that ridiculous line about "their lifestyle obviously is something that has to be looked at" makes my blood boil. It was not their "lifestyle" that caused them to be killed. It was likely homophobia that caused them to be murdered.

Doh! In case you couldn't tell from the way it's written, I thought I was publishing this post to Bilerico-Indiana instead of Bilerico Project. *sigh* It's Indianapolis-specific, for those who were wondering where Decatur Township was. LOL

Bil, I think anytime any of us should die in what might be a hate crime, it deserves to be cross-posted both to the local service and the full-fledged Bilerico.

From whence did the statement, "Their lifestyle obviously is something that has to be looked at," derive? I cannot find it in the two WTHR stories or the two IndyChannel6 stories. Did they edit their story?

This event sickens me in that they will find evidence that saw this coming. My partner and I, in our late 50's have been caught in the cross-hairs of Hate for decades living in a rural area. I am sure that many have turned their heads to prior events prior to this Crime, because we live in a culture that has cultivated that Gay Folks should have EXPECTATIONS of being harassed. And EXPECTATIONS of those events being minimized. Often those investigations are like being victimized again.That our shared Culture's dark side, has more rights to express it's Hate then we do at living at Peace. It is easier to ignore us then stand in our corner.

May they rest in Peace

The 10th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)is Nov. 20, 2008. See transgenderdor.org

My interest in TDOR has led me to study the "Trans-Panic" and "Gay-Panic" defenses that confessed killers often use, sometimes successfully, to get sympathy from judges and juries and to mitigate punishment or even go free. Reading about the deaths of people like Billy Jack Gaither and Gwen Araujo and their confessed killers can be sickening. The killing of homosexuals and transgenders continues unabated.

Reading people's opinions is important, but I wanted to learn what the experts had to say about the panic defenses. Dr. Jillian Weiss' post 'Banning the "Trans Panic Defense"' to The Bilerico Project on September 23, 2008 is a good, informative read, but she did state in the article: "This is slightly outside my usual area of research..." Victoria Steinberg has a good article on "Trans-Panic" available online. You can also read and download an in-depth study of "Gay-Panic" by Cynthia Lee, a professor of law at GWU Law School and an expert in panic defenses.

It is a lot of information, and I have had to do a paper of talking points to help me understand what I am reading.

I am telling you this, because if the killers are caught, prosecutors may plea bargain and the killers may get a reduced sentence. Unless you believe 100% in the area's law enforcement and legal systems, a strong, informed oversight by the whole community, if possible, will be necessary to ensure that justice is done.

Cathy

This is tragic.

Bil says: "it does go to show that at least we're not invisible now."

I suppose. And all of this ought to provide food for thought concerning the need for hate crimes legislation in Indiana.

But even absent the hate crimes debate, does anyone doubt that had a straight elderly couple, at least one of whom was a invalid, been such victims, the story would have been the subject of a lot more attention? Or are the 12 days before the November election so suffocating that nothing else gets any real coverage?

I wonder if Obama could be persuaded to say something about it, while in Indy today? Or would be moved to say something, if he were to hear of it? That is if his schedule hasn't changed.

FBI announced in a press release today that 2007's hate crime stats are now available. There are state-by-state stats, but I think depending on each state's rules as far as what needs to be reported and how local law enforcement prioritizes the reporting of hate crimes, these numbers may not include every incident (for instance, Indianapolis supposedly had no hate crimes in 2007, but I wonder how true that is). The link for national information: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2007/index.html

15 commenters on a dead gay guy.

0 commenters on a murdered trans woman.

Thanks for telling me who matters in LGBT land.

Since I commented here, 17 people have posted on Duanna's murder elsewhere on this site. Including one idiot who is already complaining that dead gay guys are losing the spotlight to Duanna.

I am impressed that people are talking post hoc about disposable women. I am less than impressed with LGB self absorption and general whininess.

That said, maybe for an encore we can actually do something to stop the slaughter instead of griping whenever gay male isn't center stage 24/7.

Or we can continue the jerkoff pursuit of gay marriage and race baiting for gay and lesbian failure to bring it on Prop 8 instead of doing what should matter most: Keeping TBLG people out of graves.

Note: The FBI does not recognize or track gender identity based hate crimes. They don't even care about counting the bodies, and the LGB types are perfectly happy to exploit trans deaths to bloat their own statistics. Elizabeth Birch was just one shining example of gay appropriation of trans deaths for trans exclusive special rights. She is far far from alone in exploiting transfolk this way.

Let the gay male centric scramble for the dead begin, and pardon me for running like Hell...