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Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company The New York Times August 7, 1999, Saturday, Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section A; Page 14; Column 1; National Desk LENGTH: 301 words HEADLINE: Killer of Gay Man in Alabama Gets Life in Prison Without Parole BYLINE: AP DATELINE: ROCKFORD, Ala., Aug. 6 BODY: The man who killed a homosexual because of what he called an unwanted advance was sentenced today to life in prison without parole. The family of the victim, Billy Jack Gaither, opposes the death penalty and had requested that the killer, Steven Mullins, not be executed. Mr. Mullins, 25, pleaded guilty in June in the killing of Mr. Gaither. His accomplice, Charles Butler Jr., 21, was convicted of capital murder on Thursday and sentenced to life without parole. Mr. Gaither, 39, was beaten to death on Feb. 19 and then burned atop kerosene-soaked tires. Mr. Gaither, a computer operator from Sylacauga, was a drinking buddy of Mr. Mullins. Both Mr. Mullins and Mr. Butler accused Mr. Gaither of propositioning them. Mr. Butler blamed Mr. Mullins for the killing, and Mr. Mullins admitted cutting Mr. Gaither's throat and cracking his head open with an ax handle. Mr. Butler admitted helping Mr. Mullins burn the victim's body and torch his car to destroy evidence, but he said he was acting on orders from Mr. Mullins. "I was in shock and didn't know what to do," Mr. Butler said on Thursday. Judge John Rochester sentenced the men to life in prison without parole, rather than the death sentence, at the request of Mr. Gaither's family and the prosecutor. The judge said he had no choice on sentencing when the prosecution did not seek the death penalty. "We don't believe in the death penalty," Randy Gaither, a brother of the victim, said on Thursday. "The only one who's got a right to take a life is God." Mr. Butler's relatives declined to comment on Thursday as they left the courtroom in tears. Mr. Gaither's family members hugged each other repeatedly outside the small-town courthouse. "I know Billy Jack knows what's going on," Randy Gaither said, "and he's pleased."
http://www.nytimes.com GRAPHIC: Photo: Steven Mullins, 25, being escorted to court yesterday in Rockford, Ala., before his life sentence. (Bob Crisp/The Daily Home, via Associated Press)
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: August 7, 1999
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| 2 Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company The Boston Globe View Related Topics August 6, 1999, Friday ,City Edition SECTION: NATIONAL/FOREIGN; Pg. A18 LENGTH: 347 words HEADLINE: Man guilty of slaying homosexual BYLINE: Associated Press BODY: ROCKFORD, Ala. - A man accused of assisting in the murder of a homosexual because of an unwanted advance was convicted yesterday of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole. Charles M. Butler Jr., 21, a former construction worker, was convicted in the slaying of Billy Jack Gaither, 39, who was beaten and whose throat was slashed. His body was burned on a pile of old tires. The victim's father, Marion Gaither, had asked that Butler not be sentenced to death. "I can't see taking another human being's life, no matter what," he said. The father voiced hope that his son would not be remembered as a gay murder victim, but as "one of the finest sons a man could want." The case drew national attention after authorities said Gaither had been killed because of his sexual orientation. President Clinton compared the Gaither slaying to the dragging death of a black man in Texas and the fatal beating of Matthew Shepard, a homosexual Wyoming college student who was lashed to a fence. The man who committed the murder, Steven Mullins, 25, pleaded guilty earlier and testified against Butler. He is scheduled to be sentenced today, and the prosecution said it will recommend that he also get life without parole. Butler had said he had no idea that Mullins, a skinhead, had planned to kill Gaither when he was asked to meet the two men one February night. In testimony, Mullins said he had decided to kill Gaither because the victim had made a pass at him. He said that he had asked Butler along, and that Butler understood what was to happen. Mullins cut Gaither's throat, and when the victim fought back, cracked his head open with an ax handle. "I was in shock and didn't know what to do," Butler said yesterday about his reaction. But District Attorney Fred Thompson said that Butler had numerous chances to flee the crime or get help for the victim and did not. "You went along every step of the way?" he said. "Yes, sir," Butler replied. Mullins said he and Gaither had been drinking buddies until Gaither propositioned him. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: August 06, 1999
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Copyright 1999 The Buffalo News The Buffalo News August 6, 1999, Friday, S-TIER EDITION SECTION: NEWS, Pg. 11A LENGTH: 144 words HEADLINE: MAN CONVICTED IN SLAYING OF GAY BYLINE: Associated Press DATELINE: ROCKFORD, ALA. BODY:
A man accused of helping kill a homosexual because of an unwanted advance was convicted Thursday of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole. Charles M. Butler Jr., 21, a former construction worker, was convicted in the slaying of Billy Jack Gaither, 39. Gaither was beaten to death, his throat was slashed and his body was burned on a pile of tires. The victim's father had asked that Butler not be sentenced to death. "I can't see taking another human being's life, no matter what," said Marion Gaither. He said he hoped his son would not be remembered as a gay murder victim but as "one of the finest sons a man could want." The man who committed the murder, Steven Mullins, 25, pleaded guilty earlier and testified against Butler. He was to be sentenced today, and prosecutors said they would recommend he get life without parole. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: August 8, 1999
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| 4 Copyright 1999 Times Mirror Company Los Angeles Times View Related Topics August 6, 1999, Friday, Home Edition SECTION: Part A; Page 15; National Desk LENGTH: 458 words HEADLINE: SECOND MAN CONVICTED IN SLAYING OF GAY IN ALABAMA BYLINE: From Times Wire Services
DATELINE: ROCKFORD, Ala. BODY: A former construction worker accused of helping kill a gay man, allegedly because of an unwanted sexual advance, was convicted Thursday of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole. Charles M. Butler Jr., 21, was convicted in the slaying of Billy Jack Gaither, 39, who had his throat slashed and was beaten to death. His body then was burned on a pile of old tires. The victim's father asked that Butler not be sentenced to death. "I can't see taking another human being's life, no matter what," said Marion Gaither. The father hoped that his son would not be remembered as a gay murder victim but as "one of the finest sons a man could want." The case drew national attention after authorities said Billy Gaither was killed because of his sexual orientation. President Clinton compared the Gaither slaying to the dragging death of a black man in Texas and the fatal beating of Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming college student found tied to a fence. The man who committed the murder of Gaither, Steven Mullins, 25, pleaded guilty earlier and testified against Butler. He was scheduled to be sentenced today, and the prosecution said it will recommend life without parole. Butler said he had no idea that Mullins, a skinhead, planned to kill Gaither when he was asked to meet the two men one February night. In testimony, Mullins said he decided to kill Gaither because the victim had made a pass at him. He said that he asked Butler along and that Butler knew what was to happen. Mullins cut Gaither's throat and, when the bloodied victim fought back, cracked his head open with an ax handle. "I was in shock and didn't know what to do," Butler, wiping away tears, said Thursday about his reaction to the slaying. But Dist. Atty. Fred Thompson alleged that Butler had numerous chances to flee from the crime or get help for the victim, and did not. Mullins said he and Gaither had been drinking buddies until Gaither propositioned him. He testified that Butler went along with a plan to lure Gaither to a remote area Feb. 19 with the promise of a sexual threesome--something Butler repeatedly denied in his testimony. Witnesses testifying Thursday suggested that Mullins killed Gaither to cover up what they said were his own sexual experiences with men. Jimmy Dean testified that he had oral sex with Mullins during a party of gay men last fall in a neighboring county. Two lesbians also testified that they saw Dean and Mullins dancing together. The women said Mullins was concerned whether anyone else from Sylacauga would see him at the party. Gaither's brother, William Gaither, has contended that Mullins killed his brother to keep the gay man from telling anyone that they had a relationship. LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: August 6, 1999
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| 5 Copyright 1999 The Seattle Times Company The Seattle Times August 06, 1999, Friday Final Edition SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A4; ACROSS THE NATION LENGTH: 696 words HEADLINE: FAMILY OF MURDERED GAY MAN OPPOSES DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLERS BODY: ROCKFORD, Ala. - Two men who murdered a homosexual over unwanted advances will avoid the electric chair because the victim's family opposes the death penalty. A jury convicted Charles Butler Jr., 21, of capital murder yesterday in the slaying of Billy Jack Gaither, who was beaten to death and burned. Judge John Rochester sentenced Butler to life in prison without parole, rather than the death sentence, at the request of Gaither's family and the prosecutor. "The only one who's got a right to take a life is God," said Randy Gaither, the victim's brother. Steven Mullins, 25, who pleaded guilty to the murder and testified against Butler, also was sentenced today to life in prison without parole. The victim's father, Marion Gaither, said he hoped his son would be remembered not as a gay murder victim, but as a loving son who lived with - and looked after - his aging parents. "He was one of the finest sons a man could want," he said. Gaither, 39, a computer operator from Sylacauga, was a drinking buddy of Mullins. Mullins and Butler accused him of propositioning them.
Thousands of firefighters battling blazes in Nevada
GRAPHIC: PHOTO; BILLY JACK GAITHER LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: August 7, 1999
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| 6 Copyright 1999 Times Mirror Company Los Angeles Times View Related Topics August 5, 1999, Thursday, Home Edition SECTION: Part A; Page 10; National Desk LENGTH: 94 words HEADLINE: NATION IN BRIEF / ALABAMA; SKINHEAD DESCRIBES PLOT TO KILL GAY MAN BYLINE: From Times Wire Reports
BODY: A skinhead who pleaded guilty to killing a gay man testified in Rockford, Ala., that his co-defendant did not strike the fatal blows but joined him in a scheme to lure the victim to a remote area with the promise of sex. Steven Eric Mullins, 25, has pleaded guilty to capital murder in the Feb. 19 death of Billy Jack Gaither, 39, who was beaten with an ax handle and whose throat was cut. Charles M. Butler Jr., 21, told police that he helped Mullins burn Gaither's body and set Gaither's car afire to destroy evidence, but he blamed Mullins for the murder. LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: August 5, 1999
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| 7 Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company The New York Times August 4, 1999, Wednesday, Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section A; Page 8; Column 1; National Desk LENGTH: 825 words HEADLINE: Trial in Gay Killing Opens, To New Details of Savagery BYLINE: By DAVID FIRESTONE DATELINE: ROCKFORD, Ala., Aug. 3 BODY: Five months after Billy Jack Gaither's charred and battered body was found by the side of a creek not far from here, prosecutors told a jury today of a hate-inspired conspiracy by two construction workers to murder him because he was gay. "Billy Jack Gaither was a homosexual, and that is the only reason they killed him," Fred Thompson, the Coosa County District Attorney, said in his opening statement at the capital murder trial of Charles Monroe Butler Jr., one of the two men. The other man, Steven Eric Mullins, pleaded guilty in June to the Feb. 19 killing of Mr. Gaither, a 39-year-old factory worker who lived in nearby Sylacauga. Mr. Butler was expected to accept a similar plea agreement, but on Monday he rejected an offer of life imprisonment without parole, and his trial began today before a jury of six men and six women. Prosecutors said it was Mr. Mullins who had actually killed Mr. Gaither, but they accused Mr. Butler of being a willing accomplice who had helped to burn the victim's body. His lawyer told the jury that Mr. Butler had known nothing of Mr. Mullins's plans and had been forced to help by the other man, who was larger and stronger. Both Mr. Mullins and Mr. Butler have admitted to the police that Mr. Gaither was killed because he was gay and had made an overture toward Mr. Butler at a bar in Sylacauga, about 40 miles southeast of Birmingham. Like the slaying of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming, the murder of Mr. Gaither became a national symbol of antigay violence, made especially poignant by his closeted life in a small Southern town where even his parents did not know of his homosexuality. But trial testimony today revealed new details of the slaying's savage nature, and of Mr. Gaither's desperate efforts to resist. Jurors shook their heads in revulsion when shown large color photographs of his body, the abdomen of which had been reduced to ashes by the flaming tires placed on him after his head had been crushed by an ax handle. In a taped statement given to the police in February and played for the jury, Mr. Butler said the three men had been in the bar together when Mr. Gaither made an overture to him, apparently in the parking lot. "He started talking, you know, queer stuff, you know, and I just didn't want no part of it," Mr. Butler said in that statement. He said he had begun kicking Mr. Gaither to the ground but had left to use the bathroom. Mr. Mullins then began beating Mr. Gaither, Mr. Butler said, punching him and slashing his throat before stuffing him into the trunk of his own car. With Mr. Butler sitting next to him, Mr. Mullins then drove the car to his house, where both men got some tires, kerosene and matches, Mr. Butler said. Then they drove to a trash dump alongside a remote creek, he said, and Mr. Mullins took the tires from the trunk and set them afire with the kerosene. They assumed Mr. Gaither was either dead or unconscious, but he surprised them by suddenly rising from the trunk and pushing Mr. Mullins into the creek. Mr. Butler, frightened, ran away, he said in his statement, while Mr. Gaither tried desperately to start the car. But Mr. Mullins had the keys, and when he emerged from the creek he pulled Mr. Gaither out of the front seat and beat him to death with the ax handle, Mr. Butler said. They jointly threw Mr. Gaither's lifeless body onto the fire, he said, and later burned the car. His lawyer, Billy Hill Jr., did not dispute Mr. Butler's statement, but took pains to note throughout the day that the defendant had never admitted doing the actual killing. He also noted that Mr. Mullins was 25 years old, 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds, while Mr. Butler was 21, 5 foot 3 and 120 pounds, suggesting that the older man had strong-armed the younger into participating. Unlike Mr. Mullins, who is likely to be sentenced to life without parole as a result of his plea, Mr. Butler faces the death penalty if convicted of the the most severe murder count against him. Although Mr. Hill said he hoped to have his client found not guilty, he seemed to be trying to guide the jury toward a lesser conviction, as he did not try to mitigate Mr. Butler's own admission that he had accompanied Mr. Mullins throughout the incident. "My client didn't kill Billy Jack Gaither, he didn't kidnap him, he didn't know of a plot to kill him," Mr. Hill said. "He wasn't required to put his life in danger by trying to stop Mullins." Mr. Gaither's family sat quietly behind the defense table during the day, his elderly parents occasionally looking downward during the more gruesome testimony. His father, Marion Gaither, said during a break that he held Mr. Butler equally responsible. "He could have gotten out of the car and stopped it any time he wanted to," Mr. Gaither said, standing outside the courthouse in this tiny county seat of 500 people. "He could have told someone what was happening. But he didn't. It was his choice."
http://www.nytimes.com GRAPHIC: Photo: Charles Monroe Butler Jr. on his way into the Coosa County Courthouse in Rockford, Ala., yesterday for the start of his murder trial. Mr. Butler is accused of killing a factory worker because he was homosexual. (Philip Holman/Birmingham Post-Herald, via Associated Press) LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: August 4, 1999
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| 8 Copyright 1999 Times Mirror Company Los Angeles Times View Related Topics March 14, 1999, Sunday, Home Edition SECTION: Part A; Page 1; National Desk LENGTH: 2001 words HEADLINE: RURAL LIFE CAN BE LONELY, AND RISKY, FOR GAYS BYLINE: JULIE CART and EDITH STANLEY, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: FORT COLLINS, Colo. BODY: A survey of the license plates in the gravel parking lot of the Tornado Club tells the tale: Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska. For gay men and women seeking company in the sparsely populated Rocky Mountain West, this frisky dance club squeezed into a triple-wide trailer is pretty much it. It is where University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard often came, making the drive 90 miles south from Laramie in a rented limousine. His road trips, two or three times a month in his case, are a ritual common to gays and lesbians in rural America. If they live in a small town and hope to find a gathering place where they can be themselves without fear, it generally means driving as much as four hours to a large city and the safe haven of a gay bar. Social interaction is but one attraction of the bars and cafes. Increasingly, safety is another. With the killings of Shepard in Laramie last October and Billy Jack Gaither in Sylacauga, Ala., on Feb. 19--gay men who authorities said were targeted because of their sexuality--gay bashing is in the national consciousness as never before. "Safety is in your head," said Robert Foley, an upbeat 21-year-old student at Colorado State, one recent chilly evening at the Tornado Club. "You learn. You don't go by yourself. You are careful in the parking lot. As far as in Fort Collins, I'm straight when I have to be, gay when I can be." Years ago, life for openly gay people in rural America was practically insupportable. In recent years, it has improved in a number of ways: There are more social outlets in coffeehouses, bookstores and online; more kindred refugees from metropolitan areas; less ferocious hostility. Far from being ostracized, some gay men and lesbians are so plugged-in that, as is the case in a mountain town in rural Georgia, townspeople recently approached an openly gay businessman to enlist him to run for mayor. The gay rights movement, centered in big cities, often failed to address the needs of those in small towns. Some activists, seeking to broaden this focus, plan to launch an Equality Begins at Home campaign next Sunday in hopes of strengthening anti-discrimination efforts at the local level and in all 50 states. Hinterland Can Be Scary Still, even with the social changes of recent years, being out day to day in the hinterland can be scary and, more often, lonely. "Isolation is a big thing, but that's true for everyone in rural America," said Sue Anderson, executive director of Equality Colorado, which organizes grass-roots projects for the gay and lesbian community. The group has a program to place relevant books into rural areas where local libraries either don't stock such material or people are too intimidated to ask for them. Debra Dunkle, who lives in Cleveland, is doing doctoral research about lesbians and found it difficult to reach rural lesbians. Then she found the Web site ruralgay.com. "Gay farmers are talking about crops, gay cowboys are talking about rodeos, truckers are chatting," she said. "I spoke with a lesbian who was raised by a lesbian in a small town. Her mother died of alcoholism and she felt like the isolation contributed to her death. This was a woman who was so isolated that she was elated to receive a four-sentence e-mail." William Turner, a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and the co-chairman of the Lesbian and Gay Coalition for Justice in Tennessee, said rural gays frequently struggle to reconcile the tenets of their conservative upbringing with the truth of their sexuality. Some seek to resolve the conflict by marrying. "They typically end up living dual lives," he said. "These are people, who in an important sense, value a certain kind of conformity." Gays in small towns often don't see the option to "be themselves." For teenagers struggling with social acceptance and minorities who may already feel marginalized, the problem is especially acute. Yet these days, concerns about basic safety are overtaking fundamental issues of fitting in, making friends and getting and keeping a job. Even as crime continues to decline nationally, hate crimes based on sexual orientation rose 8% in 1997, according to FBI statistics. Even so, gay bashing is believed to be an underreported crime. Dunkle grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania's Amish country, where she was once crowned Farm Show Princess. She was careful not to tell anyone about her personal life. She now shares a 40-acre retreat in western Pennsylvania with a group of lesbians and generally feels safe in the country. But, she added, her neighbors watched recently as her farmhouse burned to the ground. No one called the fire department. Gay Men Learn to 'Butch Up' The West, despite its "live and let live" ethos, can be a daunting place for gays. A mid-size university town, Fort Collins is known to some in the gay community as Fort Closet. For many, remaining secretive is a requirement, even for holding a job. Only in safe places can they be themselves. "It's a talent that gay men must have in rural America," Foley said. "We say, 'butch up.' " When he and his friends are in unfamiliar territory, they dress, act and generally behave differently. A chameleon-like existence becomes second nature. David, who grew up in rural Minnesota, proudly remembered his high school experience of dating the most popular girls. Unbidden, he reached into his back pocket and extracted a prom picture. "I dated Miss Minnesota for four years," he said, gazing at the faded photo. "I wore a thousand masks." David laughed when asked about driving for hours to get to a bar. "I lived in Duluth, so it was nothing to drive four hours to Minneapolis. You get a group together, collect gas money, designate a driver and go. Or you can spend the night in a motel in town. It's the way it is out here." He and his partner, who is in the military, live on base, where, he said, turning serious, "we watch our P's and Q's. If I don't 'cowboy up,' I know I could jeopardize his career." Bars are often focal points for gay lives simply because there are no other social options. "When you come to a club like this, it's your only chance to be yourself. You don't have to hold back," said Brandon, a 20-year old from Longmont, Colo. He looked fondly around the smoky club. "I have a friend who comes here from Nebraska--he's out on the dance floor now. This place is so important to him. There is nothing where he lives." James Farris, who works the door at the Tornado Club, remembers growing up in rural Iowa. "I had to drive 60-70 miles to get to a gay bar. To go to a club, you're talking 4-5 hours to Kansas City. Here, the Laramie kids will drive here in 2 feet of snow, and if I-25 is closed, they take the back route." Shepard was one of the most enthusiastic of the Laramie crew. He organized car pools and rented limos to get to the club, where he is remembered as always smiling, always laughing. Farris said he sees a change in customers, who appear to blossom as they come up the wooden ramp and through the door. "You get cooped up and tired of hiding," he said, pulling on a cigarette. "You have to hold back. You have to shake the gayness out of you. Here, everyone is welcome to be what they are. Men, women, gay and straight." The rambling club is host to a rainbow of people. Most are college age, some younger. On any night there is a contingent of straight couples, drawn to the DJ's eclectic mix. Casual dress is the norm, and there is a pool table, if it can be seen through the smoke. Although this is the only gay bar in the region, there are scattered part-time gay bars, like the one in Grand Junction, Colo. which is a cowboy bar by day and gaybar after 9 p.m. Other bars accommodate a gay and lesbian clientele by setting aside a particular night and using code words such as "disco night." Still, the bars are seldom welcome in remote towns. "I heard they tried to open a gay bar in Cheyenne, but the rednecks closed it down," Farris said. "It ended up being a straight bar where gay kids hang out." Small Towns Can Be Preferable On the other side of the country, at the Tool Box, the gay bar in Birmingham, Ala., that was frequented by Billy Jack Gaither, general manager Ray Rice said business is booming. "We get people from everywhere here because in the smaller towns they don't have a place to gather. Of course, with the attitudes of people in a small town, you would be foolish to open one." But for many gays, small-town life is a preferred option, not a bleak outpost. Jeannette Johnson Licon, program coordinator for the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life at Duke University in North Carolina, recalled the reactions of her friends in her small Texas hometown when she came out at age 18. "People asked me when I was moving to San Francisco, and I told them I don't want to move to San Francisco," she said. "I'm a small-town girl at heart. I want to continue to enjoy small-town living and Southern hospitality and all of the things about rural life that have such meaning to me." Ellijay, Ga., is a small town in the mountains 65 miles north of Atlanta that is the sort of charming destination which draws city folk for a quiet weekend. It is where David Corley, 37, and James Crocker, 33, of Atlanta chose to open their bed and breakfast, the Elderberry Inn, and its companion restaurant, the Good News Cafe. The men have been living in Ellijay for five years. They say most people know they are gay and there have been few problems. Three members of the Ku Klux Klan recently marched on the picturesque town square against migrant workers, paying no mind to the nearby gay businesses. "We go about our life in our own manner, and we don't try to force it on anyone else or bring it into their faces," Corley said. His business co-sponsored a float in Atlanta's Gay and Lesbian parade last summer that sought to prove there was gay life outside the Atlanta bar scene. "Come roll in the hay in Ellijay!" was the theme. "There are people in this town who probably don't want us here, but they are not the type to be forceful and vindictive about it," Corley said. Yet, the men told the story of a local high school student who worked at their restaurant. She arrived at work one evening and told them that a teacher at her Christian school had told her not to work for gay men. The teacher had also admonished the 15-year-old for wearing Calvin Klein perfume because "she was supporting gays." The next evening, the girl's father came to the restaurant, hugged the men and apologized. He said he was taking his daughter out of the school. Corley is so ensconced in local life that he was asked to run for mayor. He declined but is mulling a run for city council. Across the square is Otto's Stained Glass and Gallery, owned by another openly gay man, Morris Griffin. Griffin, dressed in jeans and a plaid cowboy shirt with a bolo tie, described his gallery as the gay center of the small town. Mostly, he says, townspeople leave him alone, but there have been some disturbing experiences. "I was standing out on the sidewalk talking to a customer and this kid kept riding by in a car screaming an epithet ," he said. "He was about 14 or 15 years old. I called the police and they caught him. His mother was driving the car. I didn't press any charges." He and his partner visited a local church when they first moved to town and were told after their first visit that they were not welcome to come back. Not long after that he arrived at the gallery to find a bullet hole in the window. But Griffin, 46, who drives to Atlanta every few weeks to visit family and sample the lively gay scene, is adamant about staying put. "I wouldn't want to live in San Francisco. Too gay. I love children. I love the variety you get in a small community like this." Cart reported from Colorado. Stanley reported from Georgia. GRAPHIC: PHOTO: The Tornado Club in Fort Collins, Colo., is one of the region's few establishments for gay men and lesbians. It's where slain student Matthew Shepard often came, traveling 90 miles from Laramie, Wyo. PHOTOGRAPHER: V. RICHARD HARO / For The Times PHOTO: David Corley, left, and James Crocker of Atlanta chose to open their bed and breakfast, the Elderberry Inn, and cafe in little Ellijay, Ga. PHOTOGRAPHER: Associated Press LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: March 14, 1999
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| 9 Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company The New York Times View Related Topics March 9, 1999, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section A; Page 22; Column 1; Editorial Desk LENGTH: 287 words HEADLINE: Billy Jack Gaither's Life and Death BODY: Only 40 miles from the freedom and anonymity of Birmingham, Billy Jack Gaither chose to stay in Sylacauga, Ala., population 13,000 souls, none of them openly gay. He worked in a nearby factory and lived at home with his parents, caring for them. In his bedroom Mr. Gaither hung a picture of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in "Gone With the Wind" -- the classic image for Southerners of life lost that might have been. In the living room, where he never troubled his devoutly Baptist parents with the truth about his homosexuality, he hung renderings of Jesus and the Ten Commandments. One of them seems especially his: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It didn't work. Three weeks ago Billy Jack Gaither was beaten to death with an ax handle and burned like rubbish on a pile of old tires. The sheriff's office says two men have confessed to doing it because they knew that Mr. Gaither was gay. One has suggested he propositioned them. Maybe so. Maybe not. The adult response to an unwanted invitation is "No, thanks." Or just "No." But there are other lessons to take from Billy Jack Gaither's selfless life and monstrous death. He apparently kept the core of himself from his family and straight friends and co-workers because he thought it would offend them. That has always been the code of the South. But secrets confer guilt on those who keep them -- they make bigots think those people have cause for shame, and shame lures bigots to attack. Governments need to say, because citizens need to know, that it is illegal to discriminate against people just because of who they are. The state of Alabama should include sexual orientation in its hate-crime law. It is the right thing to do. http://www.nytimes.com LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 9, 1999
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| 10 opyright 1999 The Seattle Times Company The Seattle Times March 07, 1999, Sunday Final Edition SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A4 LENGTH: 1197 words HEADLINE: SLAYING OF QUIETLY GAY MAN SHOCKS RURAL ALABAMA AREA BYLINE: VAL WALTON, ROSE LIVINGSTON, FRANK SIKORA; NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE DATELINE: SYLACAUGA, ALA. BODY: SYLACAUGA, Ala. - Billy Jack Gaither was quietly gay. He was a loyal, Bible-reading son who took care of his disabled father, a hard-working employee, a trusted friend. If he wanted to go to a gay club, he drove to Atlanta. Gaither, 39, was a gentle spirit who kept his lifestyle private, family and friends said. But he attracted the wrong kind of attention from two young men described in their own hometown as transients, and now he is fast becoming a national gay martyr. His killing has stirred the nation, drawing messages of condolence and outrage from such diverse groups as Queer Watch, the Anti-Defamation League, the Republican National Committee and Focus on the Family.
Lured him from a bar
Steven Eric Mullins, 25, and Charles Monroe Butler, 21, both of nearby Fayetteville, Ala., are in jail awaiting a preliminary hearing after telling investigators with the Coosa County Sheriff's Department that they killed Gaither because he had made a homosexual pass at one of them. They admitted they lured him from a bar, beat him with an ax handle, put him in the trunk of his car and took him to a secluded, rubbish-strewn site, beat him again and then set his body on fire, authorities said. Friends and family are trying to reconcile the Gaither they knew with the way he died. Greg Gaither said he realized when he was young that his brother was gay, but that his brother didn't flaunt it. "We knew he was, we just knew," Greg Gaither said. "You didn't want to agree with it, but he was his own person. He didn't go out and pick up people." Billy Gaither would occasionally visit gay clubs, his brother said, but even then he would drive to Atlanta. Donna McKee, a waitress at The Tavern in this central Alabama mill town of 14,000, said Gaither was a regular at the restaurant. "He was a gentle soul," she said. "He had a calming presence. I never saw him get drunk, cause problems." Gaither's father, Marion Hughes Gaither, doubts his son was homosexual. Instead, he talks of how he read the Bible every night and loved gospel music. "If he was gay, he kept it from me," he said. "I couldn't have asked for a better son. He was always there for me. He was very protective of his mama and me." Marion Gaither, 63, who has been disabled since 1982 and suffers from heart disease, said his son took care of him and his wife, Lois, 56. "He never went to bed until he said good night and that he loved us," the father said. "He would give you the shirt off his back." Gaither, an 11th-grade dropout who received his high-school-equivalency diploma, lived in Sylacauga with his parents most of his life. He commuted nearly 60 miles each day to his job at Russell Athletic's Distribution Center in Alexander City, where he worked loading and unloading trucks.
Filled in for supervisor Nancy Young, a Russell spokeswoman, said Gaither was well-respected. In addition to his regular duties, he filled in for the supervisor. "He was an outstanding employee," Young said. "He was one of those people who had a good attitude. The folks who worked with him were distraught about his death and now more so with the stories that have come out since his death." Elna Hardy, a retired Russell employee, said she knew Gaither as a kind-hearted person who was fond of his family, not as a gay man. "I don't believe in that lifestyle," she said. "But when you dislike what someone is doing, you need to pray for him, not kill him." Family and friends say Gaither's death was a senseless tragedy. "I would like for my son to be remembered as a loving person, a loving son," said the victim's father. "He was a caring person. He loved life. I don't believe he was gay, but whether he was or not, God is the only one who has the right to take a life. "The devil might have taken my son, but God's got him. I believe to my soul, he is in heaven." McKee fears Gaither's death will become consumed by the controversy. "I think everybody is concerned that maybe it will get so wrapped up that this is a hate crime, whether or not he was gay, and they will forget he is a human being," she said. "Nobody deserves to die like that."
President offers prayers Gaither has been embraced by people horrified at how he died. In a statement released Friday, President Clinton offered prayers for his family and friends. "This heinous and cowardly crime touches the conscience of our country, just as the terrible murders of James Byrd in Texas and Matthew Shepard in Wyoming did last year," said Clinton, who is pushing a federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The legislation would give the U.S. Department of Justice the power to prosecute hate crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation, gender or disability, according to a statement from the White House. The two men jailed for the killing were strangers in the small community reported to be their home. Residents considered them outsiders and called them "transients," meaning they had no family roots in Fayetteville, a small town about 10 miles southwest of Sylacauga. Butler attended elementary school at Fayetteville, which has 520 students in kindergarten through 12th grades. But the only thing Principal Randy Tankersley recalled about him was his red hair. He knew nothing of Mullins until the killing and believes he probably had not been in the area for long. Even though residents apparently felt no connection to the men accused of the cruel crime, it has rocked the area, Tankersley said. Disturbing and shocking'
"It's disturbing when a body is found in your community and it's obviously foul play," he said. "We live kind of isolated, like something like that couldn't happen, and here it does. It's disturbing and shocking that that would go on." Sylacauga Police Detective Jimmy Nail was familiar with Mullins, who he said had been "in and out of trouble since he was a juvenile." Nail said Mullins told him he was not a skinhead but admitted an aversion to homosexuals. "He states he don't like gays," Nail said.
Previous arrests
This is not Mullins' first arrest. Court records show two convictions last year for driving under the influence of alcohol, along with resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and reckless driving. His legal problems as an adult began in 1993, when he was convicted of third-degree burglary. He violated his probation the following year and in 1995 was convicted of second-degree forgery. Mullins' record also includes speeding tickets. Butler's rap sheet is shorter but includes July 1997 convictions for DUI, driving with an expired tag and without a driver's license, records show. In 1996, he was convicted for possession of alcohol as a minor. "I saw the Butler guy, but I had no idea of him being an individual capable of this kind of conduct," Mark Shaw, 33, a lawyer, said Friday. "What happened is not indicative of Sylacauga or Fayetteville. Their actions are 180 degrees away from the majority." Shaw said Butler was seen from time to time at a mobile home on Lay Lake near Fayetteville, but he said he was not aware Mullins lived there. GRAPHIC: PHOTO; BILLY JACK GAITHER LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 8, 1999
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