You can get more details, including video, on the case here and here.

This story bothers me on so many different levels. Michael used internet chat rooms to meet his murderer. While I’m not opposed to chat rooms, or the use of the internet to meet people, this should be a wake-up call to everyone to use extreme caution when meeting people face-to-face for the first time.

It’s also made me think about hate crimes in general, and so-called hate crimes laws. I’m not impressed by hate crimes laws. They vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Hate is not something you can legislate away. And what kind of sentencing “enhancements” are going to scare people enough to stop hating gay people? I don’t want people to not hate me just because they don’t want to go to jail. I’d like for them to actually respect me. In this particular case, it is possible that the murderer is also gay. Is hating yourself also a hate crime? Is a criminal who commits a crime against a minority group that he is also a member of, committing a hate crime? Finally, what will a hate crime law do to bring Michael Scott Goucher back?

If we want to eliminate hate, laws are not going to do it. Remembering someone like Matthew Shepherd and Michael Scott Goucher will remind all of us, including those who hate us, that hatred of others and even of oneself, can lead some of us to do terrible things. Maybe, just maybe, some people will begin to realize their words and actions can and do encourage hatred. That’s for all those who claim to be Christian and use the Bible to attack and slander gay people as a group, and fail to look at each one of us as an individual.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Michael would have gone on to do even more great things in his community. From everything I’ve read about him, it’s obvious that he loved his family and his community. He was motivated to do good things.

It’s great being back in my hometown. It’s sort of like my life coming full circle. I think our nation is at one of those moments in history. We have the chance to change things for the better. And this is probably where I should be at such a moment.
Being back home has also been an opportunity for reflection on my life and struggles. There are episodes in my past I haven’t thought about for years that have come back to me since returning home.
Ten years ago I was an international student in summer school at the University of Madrid in Spain. I met a lot of wonderful people there. I made friends I’d thought I’d have forever, but most of us have drifted apart from one another. One has remained though despite everything.
We often went out in groups, seeing the sights, going to clubs, trying all the food - including McDonald’s gazpacho - and just having a great time. Another student and I became close and as we were preparing to head back to the United States, she confessed that her interests in me were more than platonic. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I know that I told her the feelings weren’t mutual. I know I wasn’t very kind about it. And I know that it hurt her.
What took even more time to realize was that I hurt myself. I had deceived her. It wasn’t an outright lie, but I had been dishonest with myself. I knew it wouldn’t work out between us, but I wouldn’t say why. My dishonesty and cowardice had reached beyond me to hurt someone else - someone who didn’t deserve to be treated that way.

Less than two years later I came to terms with my sexual orientation. For a long time I had known I was gay, but I fought it every step of the way. It was not only a battle that couldn’t be won, but a battle that shouldn’t have been fought. Sitting alone in my barracks room, thinking about the lies and excuses I had given her on that patio in Madrid, I decided I would never do that to anyone again. She didn’t deserve that. My reformation would start with me being honest with myself.

I support policy changes making quality-of-life better for all of our troops and initiatives helping them to realize their goals as soldiers and as citizens, but when will relief come for gay, lesbian and bisexual troops serving under the threat of Don’t ask, Don’t tell? It’s not a policy SecDef Gates can change by himself, but he could make it clear to Congress that he supports that change. When he does that, the Congress will get his message.

“We need to do things that support the troops and their families,” says says Geoff Morrell, Gates’s press secretary. “Whether it’s giving them force protection, or the tools they need to succeed, the medical care they deserve, or the respect they’ve earned.”

I would love to see all of our troops get the respect they deserve.

This story comes to us from Kansas, where a woman was discharged after a civilian coworker saw her in Walmart with another woman, kissing. It turns out that Amy Brian was a civilian employee of the Guard as well as a soldier. Her coworker turned her in.

Woman’s Discharge Heightens Debate About “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”

 Ousted ROTC Student Praised

Komo said within two hours of the article’s publication, more than 30 people looking to take steps against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” had contacted him

“This is really indicative of how destructive ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ truly is,” Komo said, adding that he does not hold Perry, Trimis or the military responsible. “I commend their efforts in defending our country. I am a huge supporter of NROTC. It just saddens me that they have to uphold ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ ”

Now well into his second semester without 5:30 a.m. alarms waking him up for training, Belok has found that he has more free time on his hands - time he plans on spending trying to raising awareness to his situation and others affected by the federal policy.

“I still want to be in the military,” Belok said. “It is just a matter of time until the law changes.”