Rep. Virginia Foxx Calls Matthew Shepard a Hoax
NC Rep Has Long Record Opposing Equal Rights for the LGBT Community
Apr 30, 2009
When North Carolina Representative Virginia Foxx called Matthew Shepard a "hoax," it was only a small part of her long-standing opposition to LGBT equality under the law. For years, she has worked against the LGBT community in areas such as anti-discrimination laws and same-sex marriage. But when she called the murder of Matthew Shepard a "hoax" being used to justify hate crime legislation, she sparked new outrage.
Foxx Calls Matthew Shepard a Hoax
During a debate in the House, Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina claimed the murder of Matthew Shepard was a "hoax" to justify passing federal hate crime legislation. Matthew Shepard was a gay Wyoming student who was infamously beaten and left tied to a wooden fence to die in 1998. Foxx claims the motive for the murder was not his sexual orientation but robbery and so his death should not be used to justify hate crime legislation.
"It wasn't because he was gay," said Rep. Foxx. "The bill was named for him, (the) hate crime bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."
Rep. Foxx has since apologized for her statement. "The term 'hoax' was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate-crimes bill," she said. "Mr. Shepard's death was nothing less than a tragedy, and those responsible for his death certainly deserved the punishment they received."
Foxx Opposed to LGBT Anti-Discrimination Law
This is not the first time Rep. Foxx has made her opposition to LGBT equality very clear. She voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would make it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, including actions based on the actual or perceived sexual orientation of a person who an employee is associated with. Opponents claimed that it was inappropriate to make perception illegal under federal law.
Foxx Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage
Rep. Foxx is vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage. In June 2008, she co-sponsored an amendment to the Constitution that would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The amendment stated, "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."
It comes as no surprise that Rep. Foxx has a 0% rating from the Human Rights Campaign, indicating an entirely anti-gay stance.
Though Rep. Foxx's lack of support for the LGBT community has always been evident in her voting record, her statement about Matthew Shepard has sparked new outrage among politicians, activists and constituents.
Rep. John Lewis of Georgia said Rep. Foxx's statements were "unreal, unbelievable."
Fellow North Carolinian Jim Neal also spoke out against Rep. Foxx's statement. "I'm baffled that any kind of elected representative would make that kind of absurd and heartless comment about a young man whose life was taken away from him, and taken away because he was gay," he said. Neal is a former candidate for the US Senate and is also openly gay.
Many people are decrying Rep. Foxx. Some are demanding she formally apologize to Matthew Shepard's family. Others are demanding she resign. But despite the words of Rep. Foxx, the Matthew Shepard Bill still passed.
