May 22nd was World Goth Day, it has been a few years since I
have done anything to commemorate this day, although I don’t consider myself to
be Goth, I have lived an alternative lifestyle for many years as my mom likes
to say; don’t you have anything in your cupboard besides black…
Anyway as I have mentioned before I subscribe to a few YouTube channels
and one of the ones I subscribe to is called Toxic Tears, this channel belongs
to a Goth girl up in Ireland and I have really come to love her channel
For Goth day she chose to highlight the more serious side of an
alternative lifestyle, personally I have been lucky in that while I have
experienced lots of name calling and remarks (freak, devil worshiper and witch-
so original) on my appearance combined with my belief system I am not all
surprised as we live in mostly Christian area but it’s been ok I have been
lucky and I don’t think I know of anyone who has been hurt or injured due to
their alternative lifestyle.
However I know that there are many people out there of all ages who have
not been so lucky and the scale of hate crimes in the world is escalating at an
alarming rate whether race, culture, religion or sexual orientation based the
amount of people who are a target of hate crime is appalling.
Toxic tears chose to highlight a specific story and I can honestly say I
had not heard of Sophie Lancaster until she spoke of her which I think is
terrible, I went to watch a few videos on her story afterwards and I could not
stop the tears from flowing, her story is absolutely heart-breaking and the
anger I and sadness I felt on behalf of her, her boyfriend and her family, I
just cannot begin to explain it…
Basically Sophie (20) and her boyfriend Robert (21), were an alternative
couple by all appearances- she had dreadlocks and piercings, he back combed his
hair and wore make-up.
Late on the evening of August 11th 2007 the couple were
walking home when they were attacked by a group of young teenagers… why? Simply because they were Goth, because they
were different no rhyme or reason other than that, one stupid and cruel drunken
moment ended the life of Sophie and almost ended the life of her boyfriend.
In short, the boys proceeded to beat Robert stomping on his head repeatedly,
while this was going on Sophie sat cradling his head in her arms pleading for
them to stop, they then turned their attention to her and proceeded to stomp
and beat on her until her and her boyfriend both lay comatose in a pool of
blood, they beat this couple so badly that the paramedics could not tell which
one of them was male and which was female, and the pattern of the boys shoes
was left imprinted on her face.
 |
| Sophie as she appeared in the ICU. |
Two of the boys were given life sentences for her murder in 2008.
Brendan Harris, of Bacup, who denied murdering her, was ordered to serve
an 18-year minimum term and Ryan Herbert, of Bacup, who admitted her murder,
was ordered to serve at least 16 years and three months although it was later
reduced by nine months on appeal.
Hulme, from Landgate, Whitworth, was jailed for five years and 10 months
after admitting causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Maltby.
His brother Joseph, then aged 17, also of Landgate, and Daniel Mallett,
also 17 at the time, of Rockcliffe Drive, Bacup, were also jailed after
admitting the same offence.
Robert was able to pull through and survive the attack, unfortunately Sophie's injuries were too extreme and on August 24th her family made
the decision to turn off her life support.
No mother, father, friend, partner should ever have to go
through this NOONE, it is appalling it is intolerable and unacceptable and
honestly if I were the judge I would have made sure those boys never saw the
light of day again because that is honestly what they deserved, I don’t care if
they were drunk high, I don’t care it is unacceptable and they as well as
anyone else who feels the way they did need to understand this.
Sophie is gone, nothing will ever bring her back and no
amount of Justice will ever do her memory service as will be the case with
anyone who loses their life to a hate crime.
I appeal to everyone, be accepting of those around you who
cares how they dress or what religion they follow it’s not your life or your
choice to make, how would you feel if this happened to your child or your
partner or friend, I know I say this so often but seriously so many of the
worlds issues would be solved if people were just more tolerant and accepting
of other peoples life choices, their choices are not yours to make and beauty
is perception based therefore everyone is beautiful to someone so why share so
much hate.
To anyone who celebrated or commemorated world goth Day I
hope it was a day well spent and celebrated, to those who don’t and everyone in
between please take the time to go and check out the Sophie Lancaster Foundation page, read more about her story and the foundations work, it really
is a cause worth fighting for!
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