 "Photo: Picture from Fox Carolina")
Elke Kennedy, gay rights activist and mother of hate crime victim Sean Kennedy, spoke to Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Student Alliance members Tuesday night.
Her son Sean Kennedy was killed outside a Greenville bar in 2007 when a man called him a “faggot” and punched him so hard that his brain separated from his brain stem. Stephen Moeller, 18, was sentenced to involuntary manslaughter and a five-year prison sentence, which he was released early from in January.
Kennedy formed Sean’s Last Wish two weeks after her son’s death to raise awareness of the lack of hate crime legislation in South Carolina. Since then, Kennedy has traveled more than 76,000 miles promoting her cause.
“I’m doing this to stop the senseless hate and violence,” Kennedy said. “If I can touch one or two people or prevent people from getting hurt then I am fulfilling Sean’s wish.”
Currently, South Carolina, along with five other states, has no legislation on hate crimes. South Carolina also has the highest hate groups per capita of any state.
Kennedy encouraged the audience to contact local legislators to change hate crime laws.
“We don’t have a way to protect the LGBT community, and it’s promoting hatred toward them,” Kennedy said. “Even though President Obama is supportive of us, he can’t do it by himself. We have to be there behind him every step of the way.”
She said only two of South Carolina’s six House representatives in Washington support the Matthew Shepard Act, which would expand federal hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation. Kennedy said Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint don’t represent their full constituencies.
“We need to stand up for our rights and demand a voice in Washington,” Kennedy said.
Lawrence Chatman, a second-year media arts student, said he appreciated having a supportive voice on campus.
“I don’t know too many gay people who have gone through that kind of hate,” Chatman said. “Elke’s voice for change is an important one that all of us in the gay community should hear.”
To mark Homophobia Awareness Week, Kennedy’s husband, along with members of USC’s BGLSA, set up a 40-foot sign explaining Sean’s death and hate crime legislation on Greene Street Tuesday.
“Hatred and bigotry aren’t natural — they are taught,” Kennedy said. “If we are really going to make an impact, we have to teach people this is wrong at a young age.”
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