120. Terror in a Texas Park: John Griffin and Tommy Lee Trimble

 What pops in your head when the state of Texas is mentioned? Cattle? Oil? Football? Music?
Texas is the 2nd largest state in the United States and Austin, Texas always makes it on the best cities to live in lists.

Another list that Texas has made isn't quite as positive. That is Rolling Stones November 2014 list of 5 Worst States for LGBT People.

In the 1980s and 90s, queer-bashing was a popular pastime for some Texas high school kids. In just 10 years, 1988 to 1998, at least 28 gay men in Texas had been killed in a hate crime.

Today Cam and Jen discuss the deaths of two of these men, John Lloyd Griffin and Tommy Lee Trimble.

This episode was written and researched by Jeremy Wayne.

Listener discretion by OctoberpodVHS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQk-oAsjZNG18y8bX24c6w

Theme music and editing by Nico Vettese
wetalkofdreams.com

Sources:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-5-worst-states-for-lgbt-people-198931/

https://books.google.com/books?id=UWMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=gay+bashing+in+texas+since+1988&source=bl&ots=wmGoPGXlWo&sig=ACfU3U35tY34977QkdxEAwRoZxkrPtd4dg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjpqZyLh6DwAhXmMlkFHRFlBfkQ6AEwBnoECAYQAw#v=onepage&q=gay%20bashing%20in%20texas%20since%201988&f=false

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1995/02/texas-murder-199502

https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/breaking-down-texas-hate-crime-laws/285-2bf9d3c9-6a02-4fa5-873f-084bb360ea91

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1584549/

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1755439/m1/1/

https://lgbt-history-archive.tumblr.com/post/153780039737/shame-on-you-judge-bednarski-drove-many-miles

https://antifadallas.wordpress.com/2019/11/07/throwback-thursday-homophobic-killings-in-1988/

http://www.texasobituaryproject.org/051588trimble-griffin.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/17/us/texas-judge-eases-sentence-for-killer-of-2-homosexuals.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/12/17/judges-remarks-on-gays-protested/649e6016-616e-4a72-892e-b9775fafcdd9/

https://apnews.com/article/4285a88eca4b1466b31081086ef54c93

https://apnews.com/article/39b2034e2a22e92ea6d8ce43147b6203

https://www.newspapers.com/image/624474942/?terms=john%20griffin%20tommy%20lee%20trimble&match=1

https://exhibits.library.unt.edu/resource-center-exhibit/hate-crimes/