You may not have heard of 24-year-old Nathan Runkle. Even if you haven't, you've probably seen the startling undercover images shot inside the California egg industry last year. Those were filmed by Nathan's organization, Mercy for Animals. Nathan started the group in 1999, when he was just 15 years old. Today, Mercy for Animals is a national powerhouse in the animal protection movement. Their expose on the cruelties of California's egg factories was a major force in helping to pass Proposition 2.
On Saturday, December 27, 2008, Nathan was brutally attacked and severely beaten. His assailant went for his face. Nathan suffered facial fractures, a broken nose, a deviated septum and severe bruising.
The attack happened because Nathan is gay. His assailant was able to flee the scene unidentified.
I hadn't originally thought to write a follow-up to my earlier blog about anti-gay hate crimes, "When 'Disagreement' Becomes Murder," but felt compelled to do so by this brutal assault.
There simply couldn't be a kinder and more gentle soul than Nathan Runkle. He has devoted his young life to making the world a better place for all beings, to fighting tirelessly against ignorance and cruelty.
But to his attacker, Nathan was just a faceless, nameless target who deserved to die simply because he's gay. And Nathan is one of the lucky ones -- he survived, and despite his injuries, is expected to recover fully.
In response to my earlier piece, several readers wondered about my focus on gay, lesbian, and transgendered victims of hate. What about other victims, they asked, don't they matter?
Each victim of a hate crime is equally precious. Each is equally deserving of protection and justice.
But the sad fact is that in America, some victims are more equal than others. Crimes against gay, lesbian, and transgendered people are significantly underreported, but from FBI statistics we know them to be on the rise, at least 24% since 2005, and yet they are the only hate crimes excluded from federal and many state statues, making proper investigation and prosecution difficult, if not impossible.
Such is the case in Ohio, where Nathan was attacked. His assault won't officially be considered a hate crime by the authorities, nor will it be included in statistics.
The past two months have seen a surge in brutal attacks against gay, lesbian and transgendered people, or those just perceived to be so. Moses "Teish" Cannon was shot and killed in Syracuse, NY, for being gay and identifying as female in November. In December, Ecuadoran immigrant Jose Sucuzhanay was beaten to death with a baseball bat in Brooklyn by three men yelling anti-gay and anti-Latino slurs. A 28-year-old woman in San Francisco was assaulted and gang-raped by four men for being a lesbian. And just after Christmas, in Dayton, Ohio, Nathan became a target.
What can you do to fight for all these victims?
Write and call your local representatives and demand the introduction and/or passage of legislation that adds sexual orientation and gender to existing hate crime statutes.
Write and call your Senators, Members of Congress, and President-Elect Obama, and demand the immediate passage of the long-languishing Matthew Shepard Act, which would add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability to existing federal hate crime law, and also enable federal authorities to investigate and prosecute hate crimes local authorities fail to pursue.
Gandhi once said: "No one is free while others are oppressed." Members of Mercy for Animals have long understood the connection and have participated in marches for gay rights with banners bearing that very slogan, trying to make people see that all prejudice and abuse ultimately spring from the same source, whether its targets be humans or non-human animals.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.