On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay 21-year-old college student, was abducted by two men who took him to a remote area, tied him to a fence, severely beat him with the butt of a pistol, and left him to die in the cold of the night. Matthew Shepard’s death became one of the most notorious anti-gay hate crimes in America, and 18 years later, it wasn’t the last. June 12, 2016 brought upon a new era of anti-gay hate crimes when 49 people were killed and 53 were injured in the Orlando night club shooting. Following the shooting, a candlelight vigil was held in Salt Lake City to mourn the tragic loss of lives. At the vigil, Republican Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox delivered a speech addressing his personal thoughts on the act of hate that
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While he acknowledges that the United States has come a long way in terms of accepting LGBTQ people, he also acknowledges how there are still some lingering hostilities amongst the straight and LGBTQ community, mostly coming from the side of the straight community. Addressing this topic, he says, “A crossroads of hate and terror. How do we respond? How do you respond?” (8). Cox begins by acknowledging the audience with first person collective, which places him as one of the LGBTQ community, while also creating a sense of unity amongst them. Changing from first person collective, Cox goes on to utilize second person point of view, which acknowledges an individual rather than the group as a whole. The point of view shift from first person collective to second person works to have each individual think about what he or she could do to bring more love to the LGBTQ community and keep away the hatred. Also, by including second person, Cox emphasizes how it only takes one individual to make a change, and in his case, this means changing the negative feelings towards LGBTQ people into positive feelings. Shifting from first person collective to first person singular, Cox says, “We are Orlando. We love you. I love you” (18). Though first person collective, Cox is able to demonstrate to Orlando how Utah as a whole stands with them in this time of grievance. When he switches to first person singular, he is able to express his personal feelings toward Orlando, which is solely love. This furthers his call for reform regarding the increasing hate towards the LGBTQ community because it demonstrates his own personal drive to abolish the hatred that plagues the
While he acknowledges that the United States has come a long way in terms of accepting LGBTQ people, he also acknowledges how there are still some lingering hostilities amongst the straight and LGBTQ community, mostly coming from the side of the straight community. Addressing this topic, he says, “A crossroads of hate and terror. How do we respond? How do you respond?” (8). Cox begins by acknowledging the audience with first person collective, which places him as one of the LGBTQ community, while also creating a sense of unity amongst them. Changing from first person collective, Cox goes on to utilize second person point of view, which acknowledges an individual rather than the group as a whole. The point of view shift from first person collective to second person works to have each individual think about what he or she could do to bring more love to the LGBTQ community and keep away the hatred. Also, by including second person, Cox emphasizes how it only takes one individual to make a change, and in his case, this means changing the negative feelings towards LGBTQ people into positive feelings. Shifting from first person collective to first person singular, Cox says, “We are Orlando. We love you. I love you” (18). Though first person collective, Cox is able to demonstrate to Orlando how Utah as a whole stands with them in this time of grievance. When he switches to first person singular, he is able to express his personal feelings toward Orlando, which is solely love. This furthers his call for reform regarding the increasing hate towards the LGBTQ community because it demonstrates his own personal drive to abolish the hatred that plagues the