Sexual Orientation Might Be Reason For Couple’s Untimely Death

Mollie Judith Olgin, 19 years old, and Mary Kristene Chapa, 18 years old, were found by a couple on Saturday, June 23 in a South Texas park. Mollie was murdered, and Mary suffered serious injuries. She is in stable condition at an area hospital. <br />
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The Portland Police recovered a bullet casing from the scene, which leads investigators to spectacle that the crime occurred where both the adolescents were discovered. The weapon has not been located, and police have not established a motive yet. Mollie and Mary were found in an area of the park where plants were overgrown and there is no lightening. Police are unsure how both adolescents arrived to the area they were found. More information is needed by police before a suspect can be identified. Portland Police indicated that as of right now, no evidence has been found that indicates the shooting was a hate crime, or motivated by the adolescents’ relationship. <br />
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However, Miranda Leitsinger, the writer of the article,<a href="http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/26/12419818-friends-reel-from-shooting-of-teen-lesbian-couple-in-texas?lite%2F&amp;fb_source=message" title="Shooting kills lesbian teens"> Friends reel from shooting of teen lesbian couple in Texas</a>, appears to construct the article with a viewpoint opposite of what Portland Police are reporting. The tone and construction of the article suggests that Mary and Mollie were targeted because of their sexual orientation. Leitsinger mentions the adolescents’ romantic relationship several times throughout the article, and how friends of the two expressed not having difficulty with the two’s relationship. Leitsinger used quotes where the friends focused on the personalities and characteristics of the two adolescents as more important than sexual orientation. <br />
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It is important to highlight that sexual orientation is only one characteristic that makes up a person’s identity, and not a reasonable excuse to cause harm to another human being. Leitsinger appears to want to get this message across, but it is undermined by her constantly writing about the adolescents’ sexual orientation. The article in my opinion appears to focus more on the adolescents’ sexual orientation and relationship rather than focusing on how two young women faced tragedy, which ended in Mollie dying before the prime of her life.