Out for Queer Blood

On a September night in 1958, three New Orleans college students went looking for a gay man to assault. They chose Fernando Rios, who died from the beating he received. In perhaps the earliest example of the 'gay panic' defense, the three defendants argued that they had no choice but to beat Rios because he had made an 'improper advance.' When the jury acquitted the three, the courtroom cheered. The author offers a detailed examination of the murder and the trial.