DISREGARD FOR LIFE

McInerney-King Trial: If “Gay Panic” Is A Legal Defense, Then How About “Straight Panic”?

The day before Brandon McInerney killed his openly-gay middle school classmate Lawrence King, King allegedly passed McInerney in the hallway and called out, “Love you, baby!” Ooooh! Those repeated come-ons made McInerney so darned mad!!! Why, he simply had no choice but to blow out King’s brains with a .22-caliber handgun as his 24 horrified classmates watched on.

Sounds reasonable… to people who confuse Grand Theft Auto with real life. But the rest of the sane world considers the “gay panic” defense complete crap. Why is it always the most thuggish straight guys who go into a four-alarm hissyfit and begin killing people when they think some dude wants a kiss? If a girl hits on me, can I kill her and claim “straight panic”? How about “Hispanic panic”? That sounds like a good defense… or a good name for a mariachi rock band.

Anyway, three men escaped first-degree murder charges for beating and strangling transgender teen Gwen Araujo to death in 2006, California passed a law where judges can advise juries to disregard a victim’s sexual identity while deliberating—basically blunting a “gay panic” defense. Prosecutors have asked the judge presiding over the McInerney-King case to do the same thing. But will the judge follow through?

McInerney has been charged with a hate crime… which sounds like a good name for a metal band.

What would GOProud-gun Jimmy LaSalvia say about this gun play?

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated