Many of us have been shocked in the past several days to discover that lynching a female vice-presidential candidate in effigy is not considered a hate crime. Described by its perpetrator in West Hollywood as merely a Halloween prank, the Sarah Palin effigy was finally removed in response to mounting public pressure.
The relief among concerned women’s rights advocates was short-lived, however. The Bay Area Indymedia reported yesterday that the Palin effigy now hangs in the front yard of Registered Republican Dr. Charlotte Laws, a Greater Valley Glen Councilmember. Laws, an animal rights supporter, is displaying the effigy to protest Palin’s record as a hunter.
One has to wonder if Dr. Laws has ever displayed effigies of Bush and Cheney on her lawn. Guess being a male hunter doesn’t count?
In the meantime, the two men responsible for hanging an effigy of Barack Obama on the University of Kentucky campus last Wednesday have already been arrested.
Here’s the deal: federal law does not protect women against hate crimes. Wikipedia reports:
“The current statutes permit federal prosecution of hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's race, color, religion, or nation origin when engaging in a federally protected activity (see 1969 law, infra). Legislation is currently pending that would add gender, sexual orientation, gender-identity, and disability to this list, as well as remove the prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally protected activity (see attempted expansion, infra). The U.S. Department of Justice/FBI, as well as campus security authorities, are required to collect and publish hate crime statistics (see Hate Crime Statistics Act, infra and Campus Hate Crimes Right to Know Act, infra).”
Hate crimes aside, it has crossed my mind lately that the Sarah Palin effigy ought to have at least been considered a threat to the security of a national vice-presidential candidate. Oh, but then, Palin’s just a woman…
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Thank you for your intriguing post on a highly significant issue, especially for women. Although hate crimes are seen to spread from the focus of race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender (to name a few), many of the focuses are shrouded by the main focus on racial hate crimes. I found you have made a strong point in mentioning that although the Palin effigy was able to hang so long without forceful consequences, the presence of a Barack Obama effigy resulted in a swift removal and arrest. It seems particularly outrageous that there would be such a strong support for one presidential candidate while paying little regard to an equally significant vice-presidential (and female) candidate.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the fact that the effigy was claimed to be a joke for the sake of Halloween, the intent was negative and inappropriate and could even be construed as a threat to the life of the potential vice-president. To make the claim that this act was not in any way an act of a hate crime would be quite a generalization in the wrong direction. Hate crimes are identified to be acts with the intent of hurting, intimidating or instilling fear to individuals because of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, political beliefs or disability. The act towards Palin reflects intimidation as a result of political beliefs and possibly gender. It seems ridiculous for multiple reasons that this person was able to display such an image for so long without a greater force stopping them. I agree with what you have said, and if not for the sake of women's rights, actions should have been taken for the sake of national security. This is a history-making moment for women, with a female vice-presidential candidate and it should not be treated with such little respect so as to intimidate other women from taking a stand as Palin has.
Thank you for your insightful comment, Kim. Please do stop by again.
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