Even in the midst of a cultural shift that is more inclusive of gay individuals, violence and bullying against gay and transgender people is a common event in US society.
The body of Nick Hawkins was found in an Alabama dump site. A few days before his disappearance, Hawkins texted his grandmother around 7:30pm, saying that he would be heading home after a beauty pageant. Thirty minutes later, he called his mother, telling her that someone was trying to kill him. He was found wrapped in blankets inside of an illegal dump site.
Possible Suspects
After Hawkin’s car was found, Joshua Adam Reese, 21, was arrested in a nearby county. Even though he was arrested due to another unrelated incident, he was deemed as a potential person of interest. It’s been noted that Hawkins actually mentioned Reese during his phone call to his mother.
Update
Details have emerged that Reese was in an alleged relationship with Hawkins and his mother. On the night of the murder, Hawkins was riding inside of a truck with Reese and two other men, Cory Daniel Conner, 28, and Danny Lee Jarvis, 22. An alleged argument broke out in the truck between Reese and Hawkins. After Reese went indoors following the argument, Hawkins called his mother. Reese stopped at an abandoned lot to pick up blankets, and Hawkins took the opportunity to run away. As he was fleeing, he was shot in his back.
Hawkins was well liked in his immediate community, with many remarking how Hawkins came out as bisexual and was one to proudly wear his sexuality on his sleeve.
We Still Have A Lot Of Work To Do
About 90% of LGBT students hear anti-gay comments from schoolmates, well before ever reaching adulthood. Regardless of whether or not you think bullying is a normal or perverse part of school culture, it has negative ramifications. Constant bullying not only erodes the person who is subjected to it, but it also dehumanizes the person, encouraging public harassment and being treated as less than human.
For a press conference updating the public on the status of this case, see the video below:
Featured image by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Flickr available under an Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 license.
