Reason First: Murder of a Screen Legend

Tom Ferguson, 23, and his brother, seventeen-year-old Paul brutally murdered screen actor Ramón Novarro. The two men had been called to the residence of Mr. Navarro for a visit. This invitation included drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

Tom left the house with a spell of lightheadedness. Then the night soon got hot and heavy in Navarro’s bedroom with Paul moving to the actor’s quarters. In the actor’s room, the two men engaged in sexual acts. Tom got back to the home and discovered to his bewilderment Paul cavorting with Navarro. Tom shouted for his younger sibling to cease his actions. Paul left the room and called his girlfriend but it is unclear if he talked about his gay escapade.

Tom then asked Paul to come back into the bedroom. Blood stained the bed and floor as Paul had struck Navarro over the head. The murderous brothers then escorted Navarro to the bathroom and returned him to the bed. Paul continued to hack at the screen star’s face and head. Ultimately, Navarro suffocated on his own blood. He was 69-years-old.

Now, this is a clear cut example of the hatred experienced by gays. In a time where the bubbling of talks about how the LGBTQ+ community should be viewed just arose at the time of the murder on Wednesday October 30, 1968 in Hollywood, California.

With the knowledge of how horrific this crime was, one would expect that the culprits would be given the fullest extent of punishment. Somehow, the two brothers received convictions and the judge sentenced them to life in prison in 1969. After only seven years behind bars, the two men saw freedom once again.

This serious miscarriage of justice set a precedent for how gay victims would be treated in the future. From the days where people, especially in the business of entertainment, had to hide their truth, there have been strides made in this department with more work to be done. For the Ferguson brothers to escape from the confines of justice is a terrible sign for gays.

Navarro just wanted to be content with the sexual company of other men. He didn’t deserve to die due to his orientation. He could barely proclaim to the world that he was a gay man. So, for him to continue to be discreet about his truth and keep it in his own home, he felt safety.

In another example of a suspected fortune of money, this time $5,000, by the Fergusons proves that their unselfishness and hatred of greed brought them to their lowly state.

Just because they sought cash did not make them selfish or greedy. Those terms are so noble that they have nothing to do with what the Fergusons did that night. While they only could come up with $45, they didn’t hesitate to make the murder scene look like a robbery. With their poor efforts to elude law enforcement, authorities used forensics evidence and the call to Paul’s girlfriend as a warrant for their arrests.

The actor just wanted to live his allegedly rational, selfish life. The Fergusons both only wanted selfless destruction. Their intentions and motives consisted of not producing wealth or taking part in Navarro’s fantasies. The large amount of money never surfaced which contributed to the brothers’ rage and viciousness. Their unselfishness arose from their poor souls who wished to only obliterate any chances at being rationally self-interested.

Navarro’s death ought to remain a flashpoint for people who just happen to enjoy same sex relations. As for the Ferguson brothers, they should be remembered for their wickedness and irrational, senseless behavior.

Their selflessness drove them to commit this gut-wrenching crime. Today, LGBTQ+ individuals are still fighting for the rights of the individual. There are no gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer or transgender rights. The fight, therefore, should be to champion the cause for the individual life.