Attacked by gay bashers in 1977, filmmaker Arthur Dong probes the hearts and minds of murderers convicted of killing gay men. He interviews them in prison cells and asks them directly: "Why did you do it?" The seven convicted killers are diverse in race, sexuality, sexual experiences, and abuse. Additionally, there is a range of feelings about the crimes. One person says, "I regret it." Another says, "At least this created a hate crimes law in my state." But one murderer basically says, "So what?" One man says, "Is it better to rob a convenience store for $20 and get caught or to rob a homosexual for hundreds of dollars knowing that he won't go to the police?" The most popular reason was that "God told me to". Many of the interviewees purposely targeted gay men. Some claimed to be harassed, but using the victims' credit cards contradicts that claim.
An important problem is misinterpretation or misunderstanding. In many instances gay men mistook straight men's friendliness for flirtation and paid for it with their lives. Some killers showed no remorse whatsoever while others felt completely disconnected from their crime. Most of them hate homosexuals and this they claim gives them a license to kill. These inmates include a wide range of distinct profiles: a young man who claims he justifiably killed as protection from his victim's sexual advances--a defense known as "homosexual panic"; a self-loathing, religious gay man who killed because of his own homosexual tendencies; a victim of child abuse who feared losing his manhood; an army sergeant angry over the gays in the military debate; and a self-described homeboy looking for easy prey. The film ends by covering each interviewee's sentence and the sentences are long.
The central theme of this documentary is in the title and the criminals rationalize why they believed it was OK to kill gay men. This film provides interesting insights into the motivations for sexual orientation crimes, and shows just how deep and fierce anti-gay sentiment is. Miriam Cutler composed the incidental music, and Arthur Dong wrote the script and directed.
