Robert Zappalorti

Stained Glass Windows: the Life and Death of Jimmy Zappalorti: the Hate Crime That Shocked a City and Changed the Law Robert Zappalorti

In January 1990, two Staten Island men, Michael Taylor and Philip Sarlo, brutally murdered Jimmy Zappalorti ? not for money, not for revenge, but out of prejudice and hatred: Jimmy was a gay man. Beaten. Stabbed. His body thrown in the Arthur Kill to hide the crime. But Jimmy was found ? and humanity rallied around the inhumanity. Taylor and Sarlo tried to silence Jimmy for being gay ? but they only succeeded in giving a voice to change. Jimmy?s killing fanned a firestorm of outrage among citizens groups, politicians and the LGBT community that led to the signing on July 10, 2000, of The New York State Hate Crimes Bill ? the first of its kind in the state. Mr. Zappalorti tells Jimmy?s story in his own voice: that of a brother who was Jimmy?s protector in life and champion after his death, whose efforts continue to keep Jimmy?s legacy alive to help maintain the fight for LGBT rights. It is a profoundly personal and universal a story, as the struggle for LGBT rights and equality continues in the face of ignorance, prejudice and, sadly, violence.