Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998 in an anti-gay hate crime, said a Washington Post story detailing a high school incident in which Mitt Romney forcefully cut the hair of a fellow student who was perceived to be gay was an “act of torment” — not a harmless stunt.
Shepard’s comments, via the Human Rights Campaign:
“While this may seem like an innocent prank to some, it was an act of torment against a child for being different. We expect the people we elect to be leaders in the charge against bullying so that all students are afforded the right to learn and grow in an environment free of fear. This incident calls into question whether Mitt Romney can be an advocate for the nation’s most vulnerable children.”
HRC President Joe Somonese weighed in as well:
“We cannot look past this incident now that Romney is the presumptive Republican nominee for president,” Solmonese said in a statement. “Mitt Romney’s unwillingness to understand or acknowledge the gravity of his actions and sincerely apologize is a troubling suggestion of a lack of character.”
