Charlotte-based National Gay Rights Advocate Speaks Out After Horrific Rock Hill Attack

ROCK HILL -- The brutal beating of a gay man has prompted local representatives to re-introduce a hate crime bill when the state Legislature reconvenes next week, but those intentions are being met with resistance.

The measure, led by SC state Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, was prompted by the beating of Joshua Esskew at a convience store, which was caught on the store's video tape.

King's hate crime bill, which went nowhere in the General Assembly when first introduced last year, is expected again to be met with opposition. A spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley told a reporter from the Rock Hill Herald that the newly elected governor does not support state hate crime laws.

Shane Windmeyer,
Campus Pride Executive Director
"Individuals who believe that a crime is a crime is a crime do not understand the definition of a hate crime or the unique impact a hate crime has on an entire targeted community," says Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride, a national, Charlotte-based nonprofit for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities.