Njengabanye abaninzi, ndaya kumsitho wokuhlonipha uMatthew kwidolophu yakowethu
Shepard. Lo mlindo wawungumzekelo ogqibeleleyo wamandla oququzelelo aqulethwe kwiGay
Uluntu lweLesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT). Kwisithuba seentsuku ezintathu, indawo yayisele yenziwe
ekhethiweyo, inkqubo yesandi epheleleyo yangaphandle ifunyenwe, uthotho lwezithethi ezicwangcisiweyo, kunye nobukhulu
ifowuni kunye nenkqubo ye-imeyile yesaziso iqalisiwe. Xa kwakunetha kakhulu iiyure ezimbalwa
phambi komlindo, enye indawo-icawa enkulu ye-Episcopalian ekufutshane-yafunyanwa kwaye
wonke umlindo wangena ngaphakathi. Ngentsimbi yesi-7:30 PM icawa yayisele imile kuphela kwaye kukho
abantu abangaphezu kwe-100 ngaphandle. Amakhandlela ayenikelwe ziivenkile ekuJoliswe kuzo kunye neGay
Ikwayala yamadoda yayiququzelele ukucula. Ubusuku yayiyinto emangalisayo kwaye ishukumayo
uququzelelo loluntu.
Ndifike kwangethuba ndahlala apho bendibukele kungena abantu. Abanye
bangena enkonzweni benosizi olubonakalayo, iintshukumo zemizimba yabo ezolile kwaye amehlo abo ejonge phantsi
Abanye bangena, bakhangela ubuso obaqhelileyo kwaye babiza ngolonwabo kubahlobo kunye
oogxa babo, ukuhleka kwabo kufana nokumbombozela kwamazwi azolileyo. Kanye inkqubo
waqala, izithethi zasuka ekugxininiseni ngokukodwa kuMateyu Shepard kunye nonobangela
ubundlobongela obuchasene nama-gay ukuxoxa ngonyulo oluzayo kunye nokubaluleka kwalo kwi-GLBT
uluntu. Kuyo yonke loo ngokuhlwa, ndandibabona yaye ndisiva abantu bekhala, izandi ezithambileyo zika
isililo sabo sidala isingqi sasemva kumazwi athetha epulpitini.
Umlindo wawusisiganeko esinamandla kwaye ubonakalisa amandla asekho
ukukhula, amandla azimisele ukubethelela umthetho oqaphela izenzo zolwaphulo-mthetho zentiyo kwi
isiseko sokuziqhelanisa nesondo.
Kodwa kufuneka ndiyivume loo nto, kunye nentlungu yam yokufa kuka
UMatthew Shepard kunye nokuqonda kwam okuphakamileyo kwemikhosi yentiyo ehlanganisene ngokuchaseneyo
Imizimba yabantu be-GLBT, ndaye ndaziva lusizi olungadityaniswanga kwezi zinto. Enye ye
izithethi zakuqala ngorhatya, owasetyhini osebenza njengomququzeleli ochasene nobundlobongela kwindawo yasekuhlaleni
I-arhente, yachaza ukuba ubundlobongela obusekelwe kwisini okanye isini
uhlobo lwesithathu olukhulu lolwaphulo-mthetho olunentiyo eUnited States, lufikelela kwi-11 ekhulwini lilonke
ulwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo olurekhodiweyo. La magqabaza andinqanda yaye andenza ndangonwabi.
Ndathatha inxaxheba ngorhatya lokucingisisa, ngorhatya apho i
ubukho bolwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo babugxekwa ngokuvakalayo nangokuphindaphindiweyo, kwaye kwakhankanywa nje ngokufutshane
olwenziwa ngabo banethuba elingakumbi lokuba ngamaxhoba entiyo
ubugebenga kunabantu be-GLBT: abafuduki kunye nabantu bebala. Siyayazi loo nto emva kukaMateyu
U-Shepard wabethwa kabuhlungu, abafundi bekholeji abafanayo bahlasela iLatinos ezimbini kunye nepistol
wababetha kwangalaa mpu babewusebenzise kuMateyu.
Kwabenzi bobubi, unxibelelwano phakathi kukaMateyu kunye nemizimba
yamadoda amabini Latino ngqo kwaye iqondwa. Kodwa kuluntu lwam, uluntu olu
sihlanganisene ukugxeka ukufa komfana sibona ukuba ungomnye wethu, ukuba
uxhulumaniso lubonakala ngathi lulahlekile.
Usizi lwam lumalunga nesenzo sokucinga. Imalunga nantoni
kwenzeka xa, kwintlango yentlungu, sibizwe ukuba sicinge ezethu kwaye sizive
ukubakhusela.
Akulungile ukuba, ngexesha lomlindo, ubusuku bonke bunokuba
esichithwe sixoxa ngamaxhoba olwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo kwaye sikhankanya kuphela ulwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo ngesiseko
Ukwaziswa ngezesondo. Akulungile ukuba xa, njengeqela sakhwaza, "siya
singabunyamezeli olu lwaphulo-mthetho,โ besithetha kuphela kulwaphulo-mthetho ngokwesiseko
ukuziqhelanisa nesondo kunye, kwabanye, imbonakalo yesini. Akufunekanga sikwazi ngokulula
yahlula phakathi kweentlobo ezahlukeneyo zolwaphulo-mthetho olunentiyo. Asifanelanga ukuba sikwazi ukwahlula omnye
enye, isithi i-homophobia ngaphandle kokuthetha ubuhlanga okanye ukuchasana nomphambukeli, isithi
UMateyu Shepard ngaphandle kokutsho uJames Byrd. Eneneni, ngokufuthi ulwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo lukwanjalo
ayihlukaniseki. Akunakwenzeka ukuthetha, xa umntu we-gay webala ehlaselwa
okanye i-lesbian-bobabini abamhlophe kunye nombala-uyahlaselwa, ukuba inkuthazo yolo lwaphulo-mthetho
kuphela uqhelaniso lwezesondo lwexhoba. Ubuhlanga kunye nesondo kufuneka zibandakanyeke ngokulinganayo kwaye, ngenxa
Ekuphela kwento esiyaziyo, isenokuba yeyona nto ibangela ukuba umenzi wobubi aqhankqalaze.
Akukho mathandabuzo engqondweni yam ukuba kufuneka sibe nemithetho evumayo
intiyo yolwaphulo-mthetho olusekelwe kwisini kunye nokubonakalisa isini. Le mithetho
ifuneka ngamandla kunye nokuvutha kobundlobongela obujoliswe kubantu be-GLBT emva kwe
Ukufa kukaMatthew Shepard bubungqina obungakumbi boku. Kodwa le nxalenye enye kuphela
ixesha lezopolitiko kunye neemvakalelo apho sihleli. Isicwangciso esiphambili selungelo
iphiko libe kukubeka umda phakathi kweentshukumo zamalungelo oluntu e-GLBT kunye namalungelo oluntu
iintshukumo zamanye amaqela, ngokukodwa, iLungelo ligxile kwi-African-American
amaqela amalungelo oluntu kunye neecawe.
Asinakukwazi ukuba negalelo kulo msantsa ucingelwayo. Ayiyo
kubuhlungu ngakumbi okanye kubi kakhulu ukubethwa okanye ukubulawa ngenxa yokuziqhelanisa nesondo kunokuba
kukuba sibe lixhoba lobundlobongela obusekelwe kubuhlanga okanye ubuzwe bethu okanye naluphi na
esinye isizathu. Ngalinye kolu lwaphulo-mthetho lwenzelwe ukuthi cwaka ngaphezu komntu ngamnye
bahlaselwe: ulwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo lujonge ukoyikisa ukuze kuthuleke lonke uluntu. Njengoko uMateyu
Abahlaseli bakaShepard babonisa ngezenzo zabo: inzondo yintiyo kunye nenyaniso yokuba
UMateyu wafa ngelixa amadoda aseLatino ayengenakukwazi ukuba nantoni na ngaphezu kwenyani
ukuba uMateyu wayeyedwa waza uMateyu wahlaselwa kuqala.
Sinethuba lokubonisa amandla entiyo kweli lizwe
ukuba siphendule ngamaxesha afana neli ngokuqaphela uqhagamshelwano lwethu nabanye
abafumana intiyo. Baninzi bethu abasemngciphekweni wokuxhatshazwa ngenxa
ukuba singobani kwaye ayingabo bonke abo "thina" bangama-gay, abathandana nabasetyhini, abathandana nabasetyhini okanye abatshintshe isini.
Xa sivala amehlo ethu size sibe nomfanekiso-ngqondweni wemizimba yabo bathi, kwintlungu yethu, sizive sishukunyiselwa kubo
khusela, vumela abantu abaninzi bahlale ezintliziyweni zethu. Xa sikwiindawo esihlala kuzo, siva ngabo
ababethwayo okanye ababuleweyo ngenxa yebala labo okanye ngenxa yokuba bengazalelwanga koku
lizwe, masikhumbule uMateyu size sizive sishukunyiselwa ukuba sithethe ngokuphandle, sisebenzisa amandla ethu
ukunyanzelisa amandla okusebenza ngokuchasene nalo lonke ulwaphulo-mthetho lwentiyo, esazi ukuba intiyo imele ijongwe
kungakhathaliseki ukuba luhlobo luni na okanye umntu ohlaselwayo.