Murder in New York: Has the push for marriage equality sparked a backlash against gays?

Same-sex marriage advocates say a rash of hate crimes might be a response to their recent gains

A man lights a candle at the shrine for Mark Carson during the Rally Against Hate on May 20.
(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Gay-rights activists protested in New York City this week after the murder of Mark Carson, a 32-year-old man who was gunned down last weekend after being taunted with anti-gay slurs. The killing took place in one of the nation's most gay-friendly neighborhoods, Greenwich Village, not far from the Stonewall Inn, the site of a 1969 police raid that sparked riots, invigorating the gay rights movement. Marching through the same streets, the protesters shouted, "Homophobia's got to go!"

Carson's murder wasn't an isolated incident. Three anti-gay hate crimes have been reported in the city this week, bringing the total to 24 this year — up from 14 at this point in 2012. Police and gay-rights advocates can't say for sure what's behind the rash of violence. Some note, however, that it's no coincidence these crimes have occurred as support for gay marriage is quickly rising. Of the 12 states that allow gay marriage, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Delaware all legalized it in the past month alone. Are these attacks part of a backlash over gay-marriage advocates' recent victories?

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.