"Homosexual panic" claims another victim

I've avoided talking about the McNee case because a) I don't post about crime, and b) Jordan said everything I wanted to say far more eleoquently than I ever could. The "defence" of "homosexual panic" is based on bigotry and hate, and effectively licenses the murder of gays. And unfortunately, David McNee isn't its only victim. Again, the circumstances are dubious (to say the least), and the victim no angel, but there is no question that his killer went far beyond self-defence. The message sent by both judge and jury is that killing gays is acceptable, and that the standards we would apply on questions of provocation and appropriate force are lowered if the victim is homosexual. Dan White would be proud.

Voltaire's tagline was ecrasez l'infame. Well, this is an infamy that needs to be erased. If we do not treat every New Zealander as being of equal moral worth and their lives as being of equal value, then we have no right to call ourselves a civilised nation.