Njengabanye abaningi, ngaya emlindelweni edolobheni lakithi ukuze ngihloniphe uMatthew
Shepard. Lo mlindelo wawuyisibonelo esihle samandla okuhlela aqukethwe ngaphakathi kweGay
Umphakathi WamaLesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT). Ezinsukwini ezintathu, indawo yayisele
okukhethiwe, kutholwe isistimu yomsindo wangaphandle egcwele, uchungechunge lwezipikha ezihleliwe, kanye nenani elikhulu
Ifoni kanye nesistimu yokwazisa nge-imeyili iqalisiwe. Lapho lalina kakhulu amahora ambalwa
ngaphambi komlindelo, kwatholakala enye indawoโisonto elikhulu lama-Episcopalian eduzeโfuthi
wonke umlindelo wangena ngaphakathi. Ngo 7:30 PM isonto lase limile nje bekhona
abantu abangaphezu kwe-100 ngaphandle. Amakhandlela ayenikelelwe yizitolo eziku-Target kanye neGay
I-Men's Chorus yayihlele ukucula. Ukuhlwa kwakuyisiqephu esimangalisayo nesinyakazayo
ukuhlela umphakathi.
Ngasheshe ngafika ngahlala lapho engangibukela khona abantu bengena. Abanye
bangena esontweni benosizi olubonakalayo, ukunyakaza kwemizimba yabo kuhloniphekile futhi amehlo ebheke phansi
Abanye bangena, babheka ubuso obajwayele futhi babiza ngokujabula abangane futhi
ozakwabo, uhleko lwabo lukhona njengokububula kwamazwi athule. Kanye uhlelo
kwaqala, izikhulumi zasuka ekugxileni ikakhulukazi kuMathewu Shepard kanye nembangela ye
udlame olumelene nezitabane ukuze kuxoxwe ngokhetho oluzayo kanye nokubaluleka kwalo ku-GLBT
umphakathi. Ubusuku bonke, ngangibona futhi ngizwe abantu bekhala, imisindo ethambile ye
ukukhala kwabo kudala isigqi emhlane emazwini akhuluma epulpiti.
Umlindelo wawuyisenzakalo esinamandla futhi ubonisa amandla asekhona namanje
ukukhula, amandla azimisele ukugxilisa umthetho oqaphela ubugebengu obunenzondo
isisekelo sokuthambekela kwezocansi.
Kodwa kufanele ngikuvume lokho, kanye nosizi lwami ngokufa kuka
Matthew Shepard kanye nokuqwashisa kwami โโโโokuphakeme kwamandla enzondo ahlangene ngokumelene ne
Imizimba yabantu be-GLBT, ngiphinde ngezwa ukudabuka okungaxhumene nalezi zinto. Okukodwa kwe
izikhulumi zakuqala ngalobo busuku, owesifazane osebenza njengomxhumanisi wokulwa nodlame endaweni
isikhungo, sathi udlame olusekelwe kwezocansi noma ukuveza ubulili
uhlobo lwesithathu ngobukhulu lobugebengu obunenzondo e-United States, obuhlanganisa amaphesenti angu-11 awo wonke
ubugebengu benzondo aqoshiwe. Lokhu kuphawula kwangimisa futhi kwakhulisa ukungakhululeki.
Ngaba nengxenye ngobusuku bokucabanga, ubusuku lapho i-
ukuba khona kobugebengu obunenzondo kwagxekwa kakhulu futhi ngokuphindaphindiwe, futhi kwashiwo kafushane nje
eyenziwa yilabo ababa nethuba elikhulu nakakhulu lokuba izisulu zenzondo
ubugebengu kunabantu be-GLBT: abokufika kanye nabantu bebala. Siyazi ukuthi emva kukaMathewu
UShepard washaywa ngesihluku, abafundi basekolishi abafanayo bahlasela amaLatinos amabili nesibhamu
wababhaxabula ngaso leso sibhamu abasisebenzisa kuMathewu.
Kwabenzi bobubi, ukuxhumana phakathi kukaMathewu nezidumbu
kwamadoda amabili aseLatino ayeqondile futhi aqondwa. Kodwa emphakathini wakithi, umphakathi owa
sibuthene ukugxeka ukufa kwensizwa esibona ukuthi ingeyethu, lokho
ukuxhumana kubonakala sengathi kulahlekile kakhulu.
Ukudabuka kwami โโkumayelana nesenzo sokucabanga. Kumayelana nani
kwenzeka lapho, ehlane losizi, sibizwe ukuba sicabange okwethu futhi sizwe
ukuzivikela kubo.
Akulungile ukuthi, phakathi nomlindelo, kungaba ubusuku bonke
esichithwe sixoxa ngezisulu zobugebengu obunenzondo futhi sikhulume kuphela ngobugebengu obunenzondo ngesisekelo
ubulili. Akulungile ukuthi lapho, njengeqembu samemeza, "sizokwenza
singabubekezeleli lobu bugebengu," sasikhuluma kuphela ngobugebengu ngenxa yalokho
ukukhetha ubulili futhi, kwabanye, ukuveza ubulili. Akufanele sikwazi kalula
ukuhlukanisa phakathi kwezinhlobo ezahlukene zobugebengu obunenzondo. Akufanele sikwazi ukuhlukanisa oyedwa
isuka komunye, ithi ukuzonda abantu abathandana nabobulili obufanayo ngaphandle kokusho ukucwasa ngokwebala noma ukuphikisa abokufika, ethi
UMathewu Shepard ngaphandle kokusho uJames Byrd. Ngempela, ngokuvamile ubugebengu benzondo ngokwabo bunjalo
akuhlukaniseki. Ngeke kwenzeke ukusho, lapho umuntu oyisitabane sombala ehlaselwa
noma owesifazane othandana nabanye besifazaneโkokubili omhlophe nonombalaโuyahlaselwa, ukuthi isisusa salobo bugebengu siwukuthi
kuphela ubulili bomuntu ohlukunyeziwe. Ubuhlanga nobulili kumele kubandakanyeke ngokulinganayo futhi, ngokuba
esikwaziyo, kungaba yimbangela edale ukuthi umenzi wobubi adube.
Akukho ukungabaza engqondweni yami ukuthi kufanele sibe nemithetho eqaphelayo
ezonda ubugebengu ngokusekelwe ocansini kanye nokuvezwa kobulili. Le mithetho
okudingeka kakhulu kanye nokuqubuka kodlame oluqondiswe kubantu be-GLBT ngemuva kwalokho
Ukufa kukaMatthew Shepard kuwubufakazi obengeziwe balokhu. Kodwa lokhu kuyingxenye eyodwa kuphela
umzuzu wepolitiki nemizwa lapho sihlezi khona. Isu eliyinhloko lelungelo
iphiko bekuwukubeka umehluko phakathi kwezinhlangano ezilwela amalungelo abantu be-GLBT namalungelo omphakathi
ukunyakaza kwamanye amaqembu, ikakhulukazi, Ilungelo ligxile ku-African-American
amaqembu alwela amalungelo abantu kanye namabandla.
Ngeke sikwazi ukufaka isandla kulo mhosha ocatshangelwayo. Akuyona
okubuhlungu kakhulu noma okubi kakhulu ukushaywa noma ukubulawa ngenxa yokuthambekela kwethu kwezocansi
kufanele sibe isisulu sobudlova ngenxa yohlanga noma ubuzwe bethu nanoma yimuphi
esinye isizathu. Ngayinye yalezi zenzo zobugebengu zenzelwe ukuthulisa ngaphezu komuntu ngamunye
ukuhlaselwa: ubugebengu obunenzondo buhlose ukwesabisa ukuze uthulise wonke umphakathi. Njengoba uMathewu
Abahlaseli bakaShepard babonisa ngezenzo zabo: inzondo iyinzondo kanye neqiniso lokuthi
UMathewu washona ngenkathi amadoda aseLatino engakwazi lutho ngaphandle kweqiniso
ukuthi uMathayi wayeyedwa futhi uMathayi wahlaselwa kuqala.
Sinethuba lokukhombisa amandla enzondo kuleli
ukuthi siphendule ezikhathini ezinjengalesi ngokuqaphela ukuxhumana kwethu nabanye
abahlangabezana nenzondo. Baningi bethu abasengcupheni yokuhlukunyezwa ngenxa
ukuthi singobani futhi akubona bonke labo "thina" abayizitabane, abathandana nabobulili obufanayo, abathanda ubulili obubili noma abashintshe ubulili.
Lapho sivala amehlo ethu futhi sicabange ngemizimba yalabo okuthi, osizini lwethu, sizizwe sishukumiseleka kubo
vikela, abantu abaningi mabahlale ezinhliziyweni zethu. Uma emiphakathini yethu, sizwa ngabo
abashaywa noma babulawe ngenxa yebala labo noma ngoba bengazalelwanga kulokhu
ezweni, masikhumbule uMathewu futhi sizizwe sishukumiseleka ukuba sikhulume, sisebenzisa amandla ethu
ukuhlela amandla okulwa nawo wonke amacala enzondo, azi ukuthi inzondo kufanele kubhekwane nayo
kungakhathaliseki ukuthi injani noma yimuphi umuntu ohlaselwayo.