Judy Shepard rejects Rep. Foxx's apology in son's murder

This is a big problem in this country, The people will continue to re elect scum like this every election time. Rep. Foxx needs to be fired and bklackballed from any part of civilized society as a hate dissapater. And a sign needs to be placed in her yard indicating she is a professional hate disemenator.

Her apology is completely hollow and political.

You don't say something like that and not mean it.

I wouldn't accept her apology either.

Foxx has confirmed again my belief that most politicians are full blown idiots.

It must be tough to be a mother of a victim and have to hear 'hoax' (shrug)

I wouldn't accept her apology either.

Rep. Fox is a perfect example of why the gop is in trouble. Ms. Shepard is the perfect example of someone turning tragedy into triumph.

I am a huge advocate of gay rights, and equality, but unfortunately, the murder of Matthew Sheppard did not happen because he was gay as many thought it to be.
It has been recently uncovered that the murder happened because 2 kids high on crystal meth tortured him.
I am a recovered meth addict, for 4 years, and advocate & educator against meth, but I know firsthand the psychosis it can cause. meth does some messed up things to your head, unlike anything anyone who has never used it can understand. But there is no doubt in my mind that crystal meth had a huge hand in the awful death of that poor boy. But it wasn't because he was gay, and should not be celebrated as such.
Matthew Sheppard was not a victim of hate, he was another victim of crystal meth. And people need to remember that. Although very inconsiderate wording, Foxx is right in not wanting to use the murder to represent something that isn't true. it wasn't a hoax, it was just that people didn't have all the facts and were quick to judge the horrific murder a hate crime because there was no other way for people to explain what had happened. people just had no idea the havoc that crystal meth would spread all over the midwest, and the rest of America as well. and this murder was just the beginning of a living nightmare spreading through our towns.

Galway, if everyone, well, not everyone, but the majority of people that vote in her district think like she does, there is nothing that can be done. You can't force someone from office for not being politically correct.

Foxx is not entitled to her opinion if it fosters a backlash of hate! To minimize what happened to this young man, who was kidnapped and murdered for being gay,is unacceptable for an elected official and there is no excuse for her so called opinion! She should be forced from office!

Sad as is, she's not the only stuffed fart lawmaker, that's why we can't get medical marijuana legalized. These people still live in the day's when pot was something you did in dark parking lots. Gay bashing, hate, minorites, drug use it's all greek to them.

I feel for her, ignorance of the facts got Foxx's mouth in trouble.

I think we all need to realize Foxx was entitled to her opinion. As wrong and ignorant as it may be, we cannot lock her up, impeach her, "shoot her", etc... As soon as we do that we begin to lose our freedoms.

It is the job of the public and media to push her down and either get her to realize her faults or resign. In the end, she represents her region, and it is up to them.

Perhaps this is a call for the GBT community to reach out to rural or other areas which don't understand the issues.

You want to know why she is in office? Because people in her region think like she does. A lot of people in this country think like that. There is talk of the gay agenda. There are a lot of people across this country, and the right wing conservatives thrive on the controversy, that don't accept homosexuals, that aren't exposed to homosexuals in their community, that will never accept homosexuals in their lives. That is a fact. Look at Prop. 8 in CA. Look at the outlook of the Catholic Church. In fact, most religions will not accept it.

I know it's not politcally correct. I know that it is unpopular in some circles. But that is the way it is, and I think religion is the driving force behind most of it. Good thing I'm not religious.

Why are ignorant pieces of shit like foxx in a position to represent any political party? and further more, why are people who are in a position to remove her from office (or at least put her in a position to where she has to remove herself from office) not putting their foot down and doing something about this. Having people like foxx in any political office is dangerous.

Dont use this chunk of ignorance for the same ole they bad we good political bullshit.I distrust and despise most democrats and I want this toad of a women out of office.
People who do stuff like what happened to this poor kid should be shot.

I think that Representative Virginia Foxx acted unprofessionally and inappropriately when she spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives. Frankly, this is what the Republican Party does. They belittle and dismiss anyone or any issue that they disagree with. Rather than simply offer their reasoning, they have to go on the attack. We don't teach rhetoric much in school, anymore. We should. The ad hominem attack works for these bigoted ideologues because the average person doesn't recognize it when it is happening. Finding fault with a measure that seeks to protect LGBTs against the violent and deadly behavior of bigots represents a failure to grasp the promise of the US Constitution. All persons are to be treated equally under the law in this country. It is an important principle. When we don't protect LGBTs with stiff penalties, the behavior against valuable citizens and persons escalates. It took laws with teeth to meet the promise of our constitution with respect to African Americans and other minority groups. It will require the same to protect LGBTs. Adding sexual orientation and gender to the hate crime laws supports the spirit of this country. No one has to like LGBTs because of this addition to the laws. People are still free to say anything that they like. The addition to the hate crimes classification assures that those who believe that their beliefs entitle them to visit violence and death on LGBTs will be punished. That is as it should be. I think that Judy Sheppard is a hero within the wilderness. Our country is a better place because she is relentless about telling the story of the tragic murder of her son. It is only through understanding that our society continues to be the free country that we are. Our freedoms are not free. We must be ever vigilant against bigotry.

I'll bet that Rep.Foxx isn't the only one who suffers from a lack of sensitivity! when those we elect ignore the rights of all americans to carry on with their lives without this kind of descrimination,and in this case forfeiting their lives,and those we elect make it seem trivial,in the end we all suffer and it could happen to any of us no matter what demografic we belong to!

@ Galwayman. That comment closed the circle rather nicely. That was the point and you summed it up. How can we have elected officials that create laws that will affect all of us when they themselves are not educated on the issues!? This so called 'Legislator' obviously had no clue. Scary, very scary.

To call the murder of matthew shepard a hoax is unacceptable! it was kidnapping and murder plain and simple and these two scumbags set out knowingly to tortue and murder him! Life in prison is not enough for their actions! No one for race,religion,gay or straight should be subject to descrimination under any circumstances! Rep.Foxx should be booted from office!

You know what this reminds me of? 20/20 interviewing the killers of Matthew Shepard and portraying them as kids who were on drugs that didn't know what they were doing. I still demand an on-air apology from 20/20!

Matthew Shepard's death was personally monumental. When I read about his death and saw how deeply his family mourned it gave me the courage to come out of the closet. I came out days after his death. I decided that if he could die for who he was I should have the courage to live for who I am.

Featuring on the LGBT channel.

(shiver) I remember the trial and seeing the videos. I have stock video but I really do not want to post it, it's gruesome and serves no purpose at this point. What gets me crazy are these legislators, maybe if I had shown her the court video's she wouldn't thought this a 'hoax'.

I think this is necessary to post, this places everything into context Be prepared it's brutal.

"Shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Shepard met McKinney and Henderson in a bar. McKinney and Henderson offered Shepard a ride in their car.[4] Subsequently, Shepard was robbed, pistol whipped, tortured, tied to a fence in a remote, rural area, and left to die. McKinney and Henderson also found out his address and intended to rob his home. Still tied to the fence, Shepard was discovered eighteen hours later by Aaron Kreifels, who at first thought that Shepard was a scarecrow. At the time of discovery, Shepard was still alive, but in a coma."

And we wonder why we have so much Hate Crime in this country. Not only against Gay's and Lesbians but race, sex, national origin etc. A legislator like Foxx who can't even get her facts right is a disgrace. These are the people we entrust to protect us and create laws that will assist law enforcement and judges.

It's sick, just sick. To call the brutal, slow, and horribly tragic death of a young man a hoax. It's just sick.

Featuring this in US Politics.

This is an act of outright ignorance and arrogance. This is not inherited it is a part of the social network in this country. Religion is one source of this hate. Abortion is another. Religion may have made life easier during the hard days of the pioneers but this is the twentyfirst century and these fire and brimstone relics of an violent past need to be reined in. Some of our acts of religious violence reek of many of the acts of the islamic extremists, yet they are from our christian heritage. enough.