Although few hard facts have emerged about the alleged murder of Marco McMillian, the black openly-gay mayoral candidate found dead in Mississippi last week, family members, friends and civil-rights advocates say that the crime does not appear to be a random act of violence. They're calling on officials to mount a full investigation that includes the possibility the crime was motivated by hate.
Over the weekend, McMillian's family released a statement indicating that the 33-year-old politician's body was found after having been beaten, dragged and burned. Local officials have released few details about the crime or the condition of McMillian's body when it was found, but have indicated that they have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, despite the fact that Mississippi law includes no specific or additional punishments for crimes motivated by anti-gay bias.
But regardless of local law enforcement's insistence that they will pursue all possible avenues, legal experts say that McMillian's death and the ongoing investigation highlight the difficulty and complexity of life for openly gay black men in Mississippi, the extremely limited legal protections the state offers its minority residents and the state's own record of identifying and reporting hate crimes.
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Although few hard facts have emerged about the alleged murder of Marco McMillian, the black openly-gay mayoral candidate found dead in Mississippi last week, family members, friends and civil-rights advocates say that the crime does not appear to be a random act of violence. They're calling on officials to mount a full investigation that includes the possibility the crime was motivated by hate.
Over the weekend, McMillian's family released a statement indicating that the 33-year-old politician's body was found after having been beaten, dragged and burned. Local officials have released few details about the crime or the condition of McMillian's body when it was found, but have indicated that they have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, despite the fact that Mississippi law includes no specific or additional punishments for crimes motivated by anti-gay bias.
But regardless of local law enforcement's insistence that they will pursue all possible avenues, legal experts say that McMillian's death and the ongoing investigation highlight the difficulty and complexity of life for openly gay black men in Mississippi, the extremely limited legal protections the state offers its minority residents and the state's own record of identifying and reporting hate crimes.
Read More...
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