History Main / HomophobicHateCrime

[[HeteronormativeCrusader There are people who think that being LGBT+ is wrong]], but not just wrong enough to avoid these people. No, they believe they must take it upon themselves to punish and harm gay people, or even try to wipe them off the face of the Earth.

* In ''Series/TheSopranos'', the murder of [[{{Gayngster}} Vito Spatafore]] by Phil Leotardo and his men was motivated by Leotardo's homophobia and the homophobic culture of the Sicilian mafia in general. This one's especially wrenching because of the cold-blooded way the whacking is carried out and the look on poor Vito's face when he realizes that he is going to die, and it is easily [[MoralEventHorizon Leotardo's vilest moment]].

* ''Film/KnockAtTheHeart'': Andrew was hit over the head with a bottle by a man in a bar who'd overhead him discussing his relationship with his boyfriend Eric. Due to this, he grew paranoid and resentful toward people. When the strangers come to the cabin, he at first suspects it's because of him and Eric. [[MotiveMisidentification This turns out to not be true]], though one of them is the same man who'd attacked him.

* In ''Film/BoysDontCry'', a group of men believe that trans male Brandon is a lesbian and beat him up then rape him for this idea in general, and also because they think he's "stealing" and "corrupting" their girls. This film was based on the real-life murder case of Brandon Teena (see Real Life below).

* In ''Literature/BeautifulMusicForUglyChildren'', trans boy Gabe is threatened online by two men who go by [[Film/FridayThe13th Jason]] and Film/{{Scream}}. The two also harass and assault him in person, wearing the same masks as their namesakes. The two also target his friends -- they go to Paige's workplace to push her and make death threats. They crash an Ugly Children Brigade gathering, where [[spoiler:Scream [[BatterUp hits John with a baseball bat]], putting him in a coma for a week. They turn out to be Gabe's former classmates, Paul Willard and Kyle Marshall. Paul wants revenge on Gabe because his girlfriend, Heather Graves, has been flirting with Gabe over text. Heather changes boyfriends every few months, but Paul seems to be especially upset that she liked a trans guy more than him]].

See also the HeteronormativeCrusader and the ArmoredClosetGay. When this gets out-of-hand and becomes ingrained into society, you may be looking at people who see it as a FinalSolution.[[note]]Such as the TropeNamers [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany themselves]].[[/note]] It can overlap with DisposableSexWorker, from the trope of queer folk and particularly trans women who are often depicted as sex workers and punished for this. Also remember, this trope only applies if bigotry was a ''motivating factor'' in the commission of the crime; this does not apply to [[Administrivia/SquarePegRoundTrope any and all violent crime against a member of a sexual minority]]. If the perpetrator is EqualOpportunityEvil or HatesEveryoneEqually, they're unlikely to count.

See also the HeteronormativeCrusader and the ArmoredClosetGay. When this gets out-of-hand and becomes ingrained into society, you may be looking at people who see it as a FinalSolution.[[note]]Such as the TropeNamers [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany themselves]].[[/note]] It can overlap with DisposableSexWorker, from the trope of queer folk and particularly trans women who are often depicted as sex workers and punished for this. Also remember, this trope only applies if bigotry was a ''motivating factor'' in the commission of the crime; this does not apply to [[Administrivia/SquarePegRoundTrope any violent crime against a member of a sexual minority]]. If the perpetrator is EqualOpportunityEvil or HatesEveryoneEqually, they're unlikely to count.

See also the HeteronormativeCrusader and the ArmoredClosetGay. When this gets out-of-hand and becomes ingrained into society, you may be looking at people who see it as a FinalSolution.[[note]]Such as the TropeNamers [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany themselves]].[[/note]] It can overlap with DisposableSexWorker, from the trope of queer folk and particularly trans women who are often depicted as sex workers and punished for this. Also remember, this trope only applies if bigotry was a ''motivating factor'' in the commission of the crime; this does not apply to [[Administrivia/SquarePegRoundTrope any violent crime against a member of a sexual minority]].

SubTrope to HateCrimesAreASpecialKindOfEvil. SuperTrope to RapeAndSwitch, being the idea of "corrective rape".

SuperTrope to RapeAndSwitch, being the idea of "corrective rape".

* In ''Literature/GracefullyGrayson'', The day that trans girl Grayson is supposed to star in the school play as Persephone, bullies Tyler and Ryan chase her down and [[StaircaseTumble shove her down a flight of stairs]], fracturing her wrist. [[TheShowMustGoOn She appears on stage later that day]], wearing a pink cast with her costume.

* After being accused of homophobia for some comparatively tame lyrics and [[PrankCall skits]] on ''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'', Music/{{Eminem}} mocked the reaction in his later song "Criminal" by getting ten times worse. The song's first verse starts, "''[[{{Metaphorgotten}} my words are like]] a dagger with a jagged edge, that'll stab you in the head, whether you're [...]''", before delivering a RhymingList of homophobic slurs, [[UnacceptableTargets mocking]] the (likely homophobic) murder of Gianni Versace, before ironically declaring himself "a [[SuddenlyShouting CRIMINAL]]!" for his lyrics. The joke is that Eminem ''isn't'' a criminal because he's not actually stabbing anybody in the head, but [[NeverLiveItDown it was lost on many]], and even many of those who understood the joke found it to be in poor taste. The song led to gay rights groups picketing him on the street wherever he performed, claiming his lyrics were hateful and encouraged homophobic assaults, a panic that only settled down somewhat after Eminem got a cosign from Music/EltonJohn, who insisted that the song was satirical.

* In ''Series/TheSopranos'', the murder of [[{{Gayngster}} Vito Spatafore]] by Phil Leotardo and his men was motivated by Leotardo's homophobia and the homophobic culture of the Sicilian mafia in general. This one's especially wrenching because of the cold-blooded way the whacking is carried out and the look on poor Vito's face when he realizes that he is going to die.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* 20th-century American socialite [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Daly_Baekeland Barbara Baekeland]] was infamous for having performed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrective_rape corrective rape]] upon [[ParentalIncest her own son]], Antony "Tony" Baekeland, leading to her death at his hands.
* The 1993 murder of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Teena Brandon Teena]], a 21-year old trans man who was raped and later murdered along with two other people in Humboldt, Nebraska. Brandon's case was the subject of both the film ''Film/BoysDontCry'' and the film ''Film/TheBrandonTeenaStory''. His life also illustrated that legal and medical discrimination against him were a major contributor to his violent death.
* One well-known example is the death of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard Matthew Shepard]], a young gay man who was tortured and left to die in rural Wyoming in 1998 due to his sexuality. This incident led to the expansion of federal legislation, known as the Matthew Shepard Act, to include sexual orientation in the definition of hate crime.
* Another fairly well-known example is the 1995 murder of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Scott_Amedure Scott Amedure]], a gay man who appeared on an episode of ''The Jenny Jones Show'' where he confessed to having a crush on an acquaintance named Jonathan Schmitz. Schmitz, who was soon found to have a long-standing history of mental illness, reacted violently to this and shot Amedure dead in his home. Schmitz was subsequently tried and found guilty of second-degree murder, and the victim's family later sued the show's producers for wrongful death, but the case was overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
* Venus Xtravaganza, a trans drag performer/sex worker profiled in the film ''Film/ParisIsBurning'', was murdered whilst the documentary was being filmed. Her murder is still unsolved, but it is generally thought that she was killed by one of her clients when he discovered she was trans.
[[/folder]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Rain}}'': Rain (a trans girl), is attacked by her older sister in her sleep, who cuts her hair so that she'll have a harder time passing. There's also Todd, a bully at school who often beat up Rudy for being openly gay (to the point of breaking one of his ribs on at least on occasion) and tried to attack Chanel for being a lesbian (and was only stopped by Maria, who got expelled while Todd suffered no punishment).

* ''Film/HighrLearning'': The Neo-Nazis beat up a couple queer guys on campus (or at least, they assume they're this) near the end of the film.