North Carolina Congresswoman Believes Matthew Shepard Story Was a "Hoax"

On her way to casting a shameful vote against hate crimes legislation, Representative Virginia Foxx managed to prove that not only is she intolerant, she's unbelievably ignorant.

The bill (which passed the House overwhelmingly) was named in honor of Mathew Shepard, the gay man brutally murdered in Wyoming in 1998, prompting national outrage over the obviously hate-filled motives of his killers. Representative Foxx, however, had a different opinion.

"The Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed," Foxx, a Banner Elk Republican, said. "But we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay.

"The bill was named for him ... but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."

Right. It was a robbery. Because robbers usually torture their victims to death.

Needless to say, Foxx's independent analysis drew some pretty quick criticism, including from her own colleagues in the House.

Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia told a reporter that Foxx's comments were "unreal, unbelievable."

"The law enforcement people and almost every reasonable person I know believes he was murdered because he was gay," Lewis said.

North Carolina is trending blue, and statements like this could be damning to Foxx. At this point, her best bet may be to move to Kansas so that the hatemonger Fred Phelps can vote for her.