Columbia Mayor Added to Litany of Speakers for Sean Kennedy Memorial Vigil

Columbia, South Carolina, USA(SANEPR.com) June 28, 2007 --

JULY 1, 2007 – At 3:30 pm Sunday afternoon, South Carolinians from around the state will gather at the State House to commemorate the life and mourn the death of 20-year-old Greenville resident Sean Kennedy. Opening performances by local artists and musicians will begin at 3:30 pm. The full program will begin at 7pm and will include statements from local leaders, followed by a candle-lighting ceremony led by Sean’s mother, Elke Kennedy, and his sister, Dawn Kennedy.

Included in the program as speakers are Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, SC Representative Seth Whipper (D-Charleston), Elke and Dawn Kennedy, Reverend Candace Chellew-Hodge (Garden of Grace United Church of Christ), Ed Madden of the South Carolina Equality Coalition, and Harriet Hancock of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

The statewide vigil this Sunday is being organized as community outrage has skyrocketed following Kennedy’s death. Speculation has mounted that he was attacked because he was a gay man. Witnesses say that Kennedy was punched in the face, knocking him to the ground as he exited a Greenville establishment on May 16th. When his head hit the pavement, he was fatally wounded. An investigation into the crime continues, including a probable motive that Kennedy’s killer uttered anti-gay comments either before or after the attack.

"I remember when I was carrying Sean and all of the dreams and hopes I had for him," said Elke Kennedy, Sean’s mother. "He had reached all the dreams and hopes a mother could ask for, and he accomplished this in only 20 years.”

As the mother of a gay child, Harriet Hancock of PFLAG echoes Mrs. Kennedy’s sentiment. “Parents live in fear that their gay child will be beaten or even killed because they are gay,” said Hancock. “We must do everything in our power to stop the violence. We can begin by working diligently to see that hate crimes legislation is passed in South Carolina and the United States Congress.”

Currently, South Carolina on a statewide level has penalty enhancement laws in place that exclude hate crimes provisions, and the United States on a federal level has hate crimes laws that exclude disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation. In the SC House, Representative Whipper has introduced a bill to amend existing penalty enhancement laws to prohibit hate crimes against any group, including discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. In the U.S. Congress, the Matthew Shepard Act has passed the House of Representatives and is headed onto the Senate.

“South Carolina must join the rest of the country in emphasizing the importance of human life,” said vigil speaker, Seth Whipper. “That is what this hate crimes bill is all about.”

The South Carolina Equality Coalition, a statewide coalition of fair-minded individuals, religious groups, and social justice organizations, has been working to enact public policy inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people on a statewide level since its incorporation in 2002. Currently, they are championing non-discrimination legislation in the SC House and Senate which would protect marginalized groups, including LGBT South Carolinians.

“SCEC is proud to work in coalition with fair-minded South Carolinians, legislators, clergy, and social justice organizations to build support for inclusive legislation in our state,” said Ed Madden, South Carolina Equality Coalition Board Member.

This event marks the third vigil held in Kennedy’s memory since his death last month. The first event took place on June 3 and was attended by an estimated 275 members of the Upstate community and Kennedy’s family in downtown Greenville. Two days later, the Center Project in Myrtle Beach held a vigil for Sean. This tragedy and the community’s response to it has attracted consistent and widespread media coverage.

Read the full text of the South Carolina non-discrimination bills by visiting www.scequality.org. For more information on the Matthew Shepard Act, visit www.matthewshepard.org.