The star witness in the trial against George Zimmerman has offered some new insight into the case, citing a “gay panic” defense, in her first interview since testifying on Piers Morgan Live last night.
Rachel Jeantel, who was reportedly on the phone with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin when the fatal altercation with Zimmerman began, told Morgan that both she and Martin “absolutely believed” Zimmerman was “pursuing” him, adding that they believed he “might be a rapist.”
“For every boy or every man who’s not that kind of way, seeing a grown man following them, would they be creeped out?” she asked Morgan. Fearing that Martin could become a rape victim, Jeantel says she instructed him to “run, run, run.”
But the Drudge Report points out that this is not a new development at all, claiming the jury focused more on her description of Zimmerman as a “creepy-ass cracker” instead of a gay panic defense. Some media outlets have since labeled Martin “homophobic,” a “bigot,” and even a “gay basher.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Surprisingly, Rush Limbaugh was one of the first to point out the allegations and use them to his advantage in claiming that Trayvon Martin was homophobic.
DR highlighted comments made on Limbaugh’s blog this afternoon:
Do you understand, ladies and gentlemen, what she just said? Let me spell it out for you. When Trayvon described Zimmerman to her, “creepy ass cracka,” she began to fear that Zimmerman was gay. A rapist. She then told Trayvon to run, run, run…
“For every boys [sic], or every man, every who’s not that kinda way,” meaning everybody who’s straight, “see a grown man following them, would they be creep out?” She’s telling us the reason Trayvon Martin descended on Zimmerman and started pummeling him was because he was offended. He thought, because what she said to him, that Zimmerman was gay. Zimmerman got beat up because Trayvon thought he was gay.
The allegations obviously cannot affect the jury’s verdict in hindsight. But if the altercation was, in fact, motivated by homophobia, would it change the way you feel about the case?
Tell us in the comments below:
2eo
Turns out Zimmerman was a r@cist cold blooded murderer instead.
Spike
A rapist, well then that just makes that much more sense why rather then avoiding the Zimmerman troll and going back to his Dad’s fiance’s condo, he engaged him and ended up dead. Well that makes me feel so much better now.
The girl did her friend no favors while on the witness stand, she needs to just STFU.
Spike
@2eo: Agreed, unfortunately this girls choice to keep talking also leads to an alternative conclusion that TM was a black teen homophobe who thought he was being followed by a .f.a.g. with sexual intentions and decided to physically engage him, which last I checked might otherwise be referred to as gay bashing. NOT SAYING THAT TM deserved to be shot dead. But this girl was a witness for the prosecution, so if we are to believe her testimony, we must believe these statements to be true as well.
Ajai
A minor was being stalked by a grown ass man! This should raise an alarm, whether you’re gay or straight. This is NOT gay panic, it is fear of being RAPED. These two are not the same, unless you equate all gay men with rapists. This is such drivel.
Chance
The question is “why should this change the fundamental facts of the case?” The sense I get from this article is that it derails the conversation and moreover perpetuate the myth of black homophobia. In the end, Martin felt that his life was in danger, he fought Zimmerman in self-defense, Zimmerman shot him (after racially profiling him). It sucks “if” Martin really thought Zimmerman was chasing him because of some kind of gay panic but it shouldn’t change the fundamental issues surrounding Martin’s murder (like racial profiling, the institutional racism of the justice system). In the end, we still shouldn’t feel that this is any less of an injustice. Moreover, are we really going to try to say that it is alright to say that Martin had it coming to him now that we know he may have said or thought something homophobic?
Ajai
‘Gay panic’ generally refers to someone attacking a gay person because they were hitting on them, not a stranger with a gun stalking them. Seriously queerty, shame on you for this rubbish.
TommyBr
Trayvon Martin was a big, tall, strong 17-year-old, a young adult actually, and not a “child” as some Queerty readers like to call him for their own reasons. Anyhow, he has been officially canonized here and in other liberal venues, but why would you expect him to mirror your values, be politically correct, or even respect or accept you as an equal? Gay kids in the circles Trayvon moved in have it REALLY TOUGH (and that applies to both black and white working-class environments, of course). Sad but true. If only he had the chance, he might have “evolved” and matured into a fine man.
“Gay Panic”? Maybe gay disgust, but probably not panic.
Twelvepla
I have got to say this buy far was one of the most ludicrous things I’ve ever heard in my life!!! For a litany of reasons! First off, what part of Trayvon Martin thinking that GZ could possibly rape him or try to molest him is homophobic??? Is it not possible that a grown man could molest/rape a teen and it not be about homosexuality? On top if the fact that what Rachel ACTUALLY said was that a person who is not gay, may not like to feel that they are being targeted in a sexual way. She didnt say anything about gay people or anything offensive about gay people. The comment would have been the same if Trayvon was a female, and she felt that she was being followed by a grown ass man and didnt know what his purpose was.
Secondly, why the hell are we continuing to put the VICTIM on trial??? Can we not mourn the loss of a KID? Or is it that the fact that he is black that makes his death insignificant? Because no one from GZ himself, to the JUROR that came forward, or the defense themselves has expressed the the significant loss of life. And that should be the focus of this story!
And to answer the question previously asked on the site. We in the gay community should care and be aware of the case! Think of the tragic loss of life we have experienced and are experiencing, with no party held accountable, has been great! What WE AS MINORITIES need to keep in mind is that we are on equal footing compared to our Anglo heterosexual male counterparts, when it comes to our treatment and mistreatment in this country.
erics
@Twelvepla: Exactly! Queerty is not only equating fear of a pedophile rapist with fear of gay men, but its also accusing TM of being a “gay basher” after he was the one killed.
Absolutely disgusting and shameful on this author’s part, and on Queerty’s.
erikwm
It’s not homophobia to fear a strange man stalking you might have sinister motives that include sexual assault. That can happen to anyone — gay or straight, male or female.
ToxicLittleQueen
Holy shit, Queerty. Fearing possible sexual assault at the hands of a large man stalking you at night constitutes ‘gay panic’? You’re implying all sorts of nasty shit about gay men in particular and masculinity in general. Not to mention how fucked your views on rape must be. So happy to see so many commenters fart on this article.
Vartan X.
Gay liberals love to speculate that it could have been a gay teenager instead of a black teenager who was being profiled. It’s only fair that Zimmerman supporters may also speculate that Zimmerman could been perceived as gay and, therefore, was a victim of a gay-bashing hate crime.
Twelvepla
But there is no evidence that GZ was gay. Even if Trayvon didn’t fear that GZ would rape him, the fear of other possibilities may have also came into play. What if Trayvon feared that GZ might serial kill him, or kidnap him and sell him into the sex slave trade? If that also not a possible scenario? I just don’t understand how the public and the jury can jump to the conclusion that Trayvon was this black scary youth in a neighborhood that wasn’t his own, and not also postulate from that same reasoning that Trayvon could have actually been the one that feared GZ.
Franklin
I think it’s reasonable for a teenager who is doing nothing but walking down the street to be afraid of some guy following him and watching him. It’s funny, a lot of people forget it was Zimmerman that chose to follow Martin even though he was doing nothing wrong and the 9-11 dispatcher told him not to follow him. It was Zimmerman that was carrying a gun even though the neighborhood watch protocols stated that he was not supposed to be carrying a gun. It was Zimmerman that was looking for a confrontation as evidenced by the fact that he stated on the phone that “these assholes always get away”. He even described Martin as the suspect when giving his statement of events to the police. Was Zimmerman guilty of murder. Maybe not. But given all these facts I’d say there is enough to hold him somewhat accountable for this boys death by ignoring every protocol put in place to prevent this very scenario from happening.
2eo
@Franklin: Yeah, but Zimmerman is white, so he’s allowed to follow and murder black people completely unprovoked. Such as the law allows.
Dixie Rect
Has anyone really looked at the evidence closely, chain of events and watched the trial? You may have a different opinion. The media has completely misled the country – its really horrible what the media has done, in an effort to get ratings.
ex_vrwc
Let me get this straight. I can observe a man following me. I can then speak to my girlfriend on the phone, use a homophobic slur to describe him, hear her tell me that he might want to rape me and go home and rape my little brother. I can then attack the man, break his nose, and slam his head into the concrete. But, unfortunately for me, the man has a gun, and I end up dead during my assault on him.
Then the LGBT community will say that I was the victim and the man I thought was a potential gay assailant is guilty of murder. Do I have this straight? I just want to make sure the next time I hear LGBT people tell me about their human rights, what it is they really believe.
2eo
@ex_vrwc: Another new account LawDoc, you’re busy today. Your point and opinion is still worthless no matter the name.
MK Ultra
@ex_vrwc:
Wow, the right wing think tanks are really trying to push this whole “homophobic” angle.
Sorry bud, we don’t operate on such a low, base level like you guys.
Try another spin, why don’t you?
d4divine
@TommyBr: It is shameful that Queerty would publish such a ridiculous and pointless article. A young man was murdered, basically because he was black, by a vigilante cop wanna be and said wanna be GOT AWAY WITH MURDER. It does not matter if Trayvon was afraid that GZ was gay, straight, purple or green. Trayvon is the DEAD!!! HAVE SOME RESPECT QUEERTY
Bee Gaga
@TommyBr: A big tall strong 17 year old? Girl he was 5’11 and 158 pounds what the hell are you talking about, hell you sound as if you slept with him? Last time I checked 17 was under 18 which is considered a child in court, if a 20 year old man was convicted of distributing “child pornography” for receiving a nude picture from his 17 year old girlfriend then trayvon martin is a child as well.
Bee Gaga
@Spike: So basically you’re equating gay people to rapist/pedohphiles? Having a fear of being raped by a grown ass man and a fear of a as you said “f.a.g.” are two totally different things but I guess they’re the same to you….and you want to talk about the alternative conclusive to TM being a homophobe oh honey internalized homophobia is written all over your comment
Bee Gaga
Queerty…shut the hell up y’all sound so stupid right now, talk about stretching for dear life have SEVERAL seats
iluvcakes
Rumor has it Zimmerman raped his cousin so it looks like his fears are justified
http://www.atoast2wealth.com/tag/george-zimmerman-rape-charges/