From: Heather Wright Subject: PFLAG News Alert: Schmitz Conviction is a Victory for Families Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 14:12:19 -0400 August 26, 1999 Contact: Eric Ferrero 202-638-4200 x212 Schmitz Conviction is a Victory for Families; Group Calls Verdict a 'Clear Rejection of Victim-Blaming' Today's second-degree murder conviction of Jonathan Schmitz sends a critical message to perpetrators of hate crimes, according to Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbains and Gays (PFLAG). Schmitz, who killed Scott Amedure after a taping of the "Jenny Jones" show in 1995, sought a lesser conviction because, he claimed, Amedure pursued him. "Hate crimes send messages to entire communities. With its verdict, this jury sent a message back: No matter what their excuse, people who murder based on prejudice will be punished," said PFLAG Executive Director Kirsten Kingdon. Although the Schmitz case has been dubbed "The Jenny Jones Trial," it was actually about hate and homophobia, Kingdon said. "This was never about talk shows. This was about one man's homophobia, which was brought to light in the most tragic way by a scheduled appearance on national television." Kingdon noted that "hate crimes hurt families and entire communities." Many PFLAG members have been the victims of hate crimes, and many have even lost family members to anti-gay murders. "We hope this verdict brings an end to the Amedure family's four-year ordeal," Kingdon said. "No family should suffer the loss they did, and they have handled themselves with grace and dignity in the face of intense public scrutiny of their beloved son's life. We stand with them, and ask all Americans to respect their privacy." In the wake of the verdict, PFLAG again called on Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), which President Clinton has said he will sign. The Senate passed the measure in July, and will negotiate its fate with the House in upcoming Conference Committee meetings. The HCPA would add gender, disability and sexual orientation to existing federal hate crime laws. # # # Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families & friends through support, education, and advocacy. Serving nearly 77,000 members & supporters, PFLAG affiliates are located in 425+ communities in the U.S. 1101 14th St. NW, Suite 1030, Washington, DC 20005 . phone: 202-638-4200 fax: 202-638-0243 Email info@pflag.org Web http://www.pflag.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe from PFLAG's Email Alert, send an email, subject line "unsubscribe" to info@pflag.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~