RomeosTune, Tulsa (10/19/2009 10:30:09 PM)

ummmmm OK... If you say so.

No doubt these morons will be caught. Too bad he didn't have a firearm.

FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (10/19/2009 10:36:43 PM)

I think everyone can agree, Oklahoma is a dangerous place for gays to openly live. I'm not gay, but this reflects the realities of the state of mind of Oklahoman's. Not in general but, their are many who would not think twice about doing something like this. Not for criminal purposes but because of this persons sexual orientation. And that is sad.

tjayer01, (10/19/2009 10:38:00 PM)

What if he were your child?

edelweiss, Tulsa (10/19/2009 10:42:08 PM)

Thank goodness the Mathew Sheppard Act will soon be signed into law. No thanks to our two lousy homophobic Senators.

tbgalileo, Tulsa (10/19/2009 11:02:59 PM)

How sick to see that something like this is happening in our city! Seriously, Oklahomans... aren't we supposed to be one of the friendliest, christ-like states in the country? Or are we so prejudice and ignorant that we attack and cut a kid just because he's gay?

Unfortunately, these criminals will find a lot of sympathetic support from the "religious right".

jackpro, (10/19/2009 11:05:57 PM)

It does matter that this guy is gay. People aren't hating on you because your straight, male or female. People are hating on him because he was gay. It plainly says they were yelling homophobic slurs. So, as far as the victim being gay and having relevance is very true. These people will be caught, and they will be punished. There must be an example set. We will NOT tolerate violence because we are gay!

focuses, (10/19/2009 11:12:09 PM)

The Oklahoma hate-crimes law makes it a crime to “intimidate or harass another person because of the person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin or disability" but not sexual orientation...

Yes do add sexual orientation to the hate-crime law in Oklahoma.

IrishIndian, Tulsa (10/19/2009 11:18:05 PM)

Edelweiss is correct, the Matthew Sheppard Act is on the verge of becoming FEDERAL Law, which supercedes, any State Laws, aimed at discriminating Gays and Lesbians...

edelweiss, Tulsa (10/19/2009 11:21:56 PM)

Are you also aware that in Oklahoma it is totally legal to deny a person(s) housing and employment solely based on one's sexual identity? Gays can be fired from their jobs, and kicked out of their homes simply because they are gay. Very sad and disturbing.

IrishIndian, Tulsa (10/19/2009 11:22:37 PM)

Corntrader, not sure where You got YOUR information, but You need to do some research on Matthews brutal murder... It most certainly did NOT have anything to do with drugs... That was just what one of His Murderers said in their first statement, and then later recanted...
Besides, even IF it was a drug deal turned bad, that in NO WAY would make His murder justified...

fredsdad, Tulsa, OK (10/19/2009 11:25:51 PM)

Any person or group of people who inflict gratuitous violence on an individual need to be arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated. The fact that the claimed motivation was his sexual orientation as opposed to being fat/ugly, having brown hair, or wearing green socks makes no difference to me. Part of me wishes he had been able to inflict similar or worse injuries on them. Mostly, I just wish it had never happened and that the perpetrators would go somewhere and die quietly without creating any mess or odor.

According to the article, Tulsa is no more dangerous for gays than New York or Chicago - liberal enclaves exceeded only by the liberal Mecca of San Francisco. Incidentally, New York and Chicago have hate crime laws that cover sexual orientation, and, assumedly, non-homophobic Senators. Neither condition appears to have made much difference.

Folks driving an old Mustang and jumping people likely are not huge Reagan fans.

All that being said, my sympathies to the victim. Next time, carry a bat or a gun, or better yet, take Fred walking with you. Fred doesn't like morons.

edelweiss, Tulsa (10/19/2009 11:35:15 PM)

Gays are 2nd class citizens. But 1st class taxpayers. Hmmmm.

Carlos, Tulsa (10/19/2009 11:42:42 PM)

I have to agree with Future World. It has to be hard being gay in the buckle of the closed-minded, judgemental, holier-than-thou Bible belt. I hope they find who did this and post their pics so we can all see what the face of hate looks like.

Bullhead, Nicut (10/19/2009 11:55:45 PM)

An attack like this should be considered a hate crime. Doesn't matter what they attacked you for, if it's violent, it's hate filled.

How did the attackers know he was gay when he was only walking down the street? This part I do not understand.

jackpro, (10/20/2009 12:02:18 AM)

Bullhead, they assumed the victim was gay by what he wore, and how he walked. Terrible situation. Hopefully justice will be served!

FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (10/20/2009 12:02:58 AM)

Agreed Bullhead. This was not your everyday criminal assault. This was an attack filled with nothing but pure hate. Simply a hate crime in it's purest sense.

KarenD, (10/20/2009 12:11:18 AM)

Just another story where the "rest of the story" is yet to be told. Wait and see! The truth on this one will come out.

Thunder196, Tulsa (10/20/2009 12:11:39 AM)

Sorry it had to happen. It should not have happened.
.
I would say they had been watching him for a while, and this was an opportunity to attack him without witnesses.
.
Let's hope these jerks brag about it and someone decides they want a reward and turns them in to crime stoppers.

jackpro, (10/20/2009 12:12:30 AM)

KarenD that is the entire story. Nothing left to be told unless they catch the suspects in this violent random act. What do you think TW left out?

jonas x3, Tulsa (10/20/2009 12:12:43 AM)

How sad to see this happen in our city.

But, not totally suprised.

The hate filled religious intolerance and insecure uneducated attitudes are very prevalent in Oklahoma.

janeh, (10/20/2009 12:14:31 AM)

Thank you for the coverage, Tulsa World!

Markie Mark, Tulsa (10/20/2009 12:22:58 AM)

First, Corntrader shows his ignorance by not even knowing that Matthew was not tied to a tree -- it was to a wooden fence; second, by stating that it was the result of a drug deal gone bad Corntrader also perpetuates (willingly or otherwise) perpetuates a lie -- this issue was explored and shown to be false. But please do not take my word for it. Rather, look at the testimony given at trial or the statement of Laramie Police commander David O'Malley regarding the 20/20 story where this "angle" was proposed. The drug deal gone bad was just an attempt by the thugs who brutally murdered Matthew to try and get their charges reduced and avoid the electric chair. Matthew was killed because he was gay -- nothing more and nothing less.

I was opposed to the Matthew Shepard law until I read the stupid/ignorant remarks by people like Corntrader and Gene Tulsa. Knowing that someone like these could actually be on the jury at the trial of the criminals who committed this crime has caused me to reconsider my opposition to this legislation.

OSUArthur, Fayetteville (10/20/2009 12:23:42 AM)

This should be a hate crime, and making it so would be a step in the right direction, but it would be difficult being gay almost anywhere in the US. Being gay is different from "normal" (around %15 percent of most population samples is gay) and associated with physical weakness throughout the country. Tulsa was just ranked as one of the top-3 emerging gay-friendly cities. There are, unfortunately, still many social issues to tackle before the bulk of these incidents cease.

By the way, even if you think this law would compare sexual orientation to ethnicity, the current law also includes religion. How is this any different? It is still a behavior that a person practices out of conviction regardless of whether or not you think people "choose" it.

okie ridgerunner, Small Country Town State Line (10/20/2009 12:37:37 AM)

I hope they catch who ever did this. it is wrong to do this to another person for any reason.

These type of people would have found some one else to hate and do this to if it had not been him.this type seems to hate any one who is not just like them.

FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (10/20/2009 12:42:21 AM)

And that's the word Ridgerunner. This will happen to someone else unless these haters are caught.