I am appalled at Zach Calef’s commentary in the Thursday Daily. To say that a woman who kills her rapist would not be charged with murder is misleading. If the woman were to kill her rapist during the act, it would be self defense — her life is at risk. If it were after the act, it’s plain murder.

The fact that the assailants were not sleeping with Gwen Araujo when they discovered she was a male means that the murder — based on discovering she was a male — is a hate-crime murder.

The gay-panic idea that Calef propagandizes as an acceptable response and as a reasoning for lesser charges has been thrown out of court cases for many years now. Matthew Shepard’s killers — Aaron McKiney and Russel Henderson — would be let off on minor charges under Calef’s argument when even he must see they killed Shepard in cold blood.

Matthew Shepard was killed because someone found out who he was and didn’t like it. Gwen Araujo was murdered because someone found out the truth of who she was and didn’t like it. Zach Calef says this was OK.

Does finding out who someone is really justify killing them, Zach?

Joel Taylor

Sophomore

Political Science

Special Projects Coordinator, LGBTA Alliance