From One Iowa Executive Director Donna Red Wing: A Very Painful Reminder

A hate crime is an especially horrific act. The crime itself is motivated by bias. And the act, whether it is arson, beatings, vandalism, sexual assault or any other crime motivated by rage and intolerance, impacts the victims directly. It also simultaneously sends a message to everyone who identifies with that individual either personally or through people they know and love. The message, powered by rage and anger, heightens terror and tension across so many communities at once.

This past Sunday, hundreds of people gathered in Lincoln, Nebraska, at a vigil for a woman who had been brutalized in a bias-motivated attack. According to reports, she was bound at her ankles and wrists. Homophobic words were carved into her body. And, she was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Naked and bleeding, she crawled from her house screaming for help.

We are grieving for this woman, a survivor of senseless and outrageous violence. And we grieve for our community. While we continue to move forward, as equality becomes more of a reality, we sadly realize that there are those who will respond with intolerance and with violence. And this unthinkable and cruel tragedy is a very painful reminder of how much work we have ahead of us in the fight for full equality.

Each day, we work towards a society that embraces and celebrates diversity. We work for equality in our laws, in our communities, and in the hearts and minds of our neighbors.

But today we will stop for a moment and think about a woman targeted and brutalized simply because of who she was and because a group of men decided that she would be the focus of their fear and their rage.

Our thoughts and prayers are with this woman and with her family and friends. We hope that she will recover from her wounds and that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.