Bone to pick with vigil story

I would like to say how impressed I have been overall with the Wildcat's coverage of the Matthew Shepard story, particularly Sarah A. Perry's story, "Vigil memorializes slain student." However, I have a few bones to pick.

In her story, Ms. Perry reports that "hundreds of students gathered on the UA Mall." This is only partially true. Apparently, she failed to observe that faculty, staff, and men, women, and their children from around town were in attendance as well.

In addition, she mentions that Tucson mayor George Miller and state representative Herschella Horton were in attendance, but did not make it clear they were present as speakers, not mere participants in the vigil.

Finally, she writes that "a similar attack about 25 years ago led to the passage of the city's hate-crime legislation...UA student Richard Hechan was murdered while exiting a gay bar."

There are two important errors here. First, Richard Heakin was not a UA student, but a resident of Lincoln, Neb., here visiting with friends when the attack occurred in June of 1976.

I invite Ms. Perry to consult M. Scot Skinner's excellent summary of the Heakin incident on the front page of last Tuesday's Star ("Attitudes changed after '76 killing shocked Tucson").

Second, the attack on Heakin did not result in city legislation on hate-crimes. It did, however, serve to bring together many lesbian and gay individuals and groups who worked to have "sexual orientation" included as a basis for discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation within the city limits. This wording was approved unanimously by the City Council in 1977.

Our state's hate crimes legislation, which does included "sexual orientation" as a basis for defining a hate crime, was passed only in the last year.

James Uhrig
Library staff