Before Virginia
Tech, seven killed on California campus due to homophobia

In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre on Monday, memories of a shooting at a college campus in California that was sparked by homophobia resurfaced. That incident involved a janitor who murdered seven people 30 years ago due to a fear that gay men were trying to kill him. On July 12, 1976, Edward Allaway killed seven and wounded two when he shot his coworkers at the California State University, Fullerton, library, reports the Associated Press. Allaway told authorities that the shooting spree was motivated by his colleagues taunting him about his belief that pornographic movies were being filmed on campus and that gay men were meeting in the library for sexual encounters and were devising a plan to murder him. In 1988 a judge declared Allaway innocent by reason of insanity. (The Advocate)