Violent Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes On The Rise After Marriage Equality Ruling
As
expected, there are lots of people who are not happy with the Supreme
Court’s ruling last Friday, giving equal marriage rights to same-sex
couples across the country. Conservative politicians and organizations
immediately lashed out through multiple media channels. Unfortunately, physical attacks have also occurred.
On
Sunday, June 28, Lucas Dylan Wilhelmson was charged with assault in
North Carolina after entering an LGBT bar, criticizing the Supreme
Court’s ruling, and attacking the bar’s owner. According to Qnotes,
the bar’s general manager explained that the attacker came in looking
to start a fight. “From the second he started talking to people, it was
downhill from there. He was looking for trouble. He said he was
straight, but you could tell he obviously had deep issues from what he
was saying and how he was acting. When he came in, he did not seem
friendly at all.” He was released after posting a $3,000 bail.
Southern
states aren’t the only places where attacks on the LGBT community
occur. Incidents still happen in friendly places like San Francisco.
Over the weekend, a bystander was shot at a Pride event
in San Francisco. Even though reports claim the attack wasn’t related
to the Pride festivities, it’s hard to ignore the event's location, or
that shootings are becoming an annual Pride occurrence in San Francisco.
In Seattle, a couple was also attacked at
a Pride event over the weekend. Patrick Dettling (image, top) and
Stevens Briggs say a group of three men and two women attacked them
while yelling out homophobic slurs. According to KOMO news, Dettling has
a broken nose, cuts, and bruises. Briggs lost a tooth in the struggle
and has a broken finger.
On Sunday, also in Seattle, a man wearing rainbow-colored beads says he was called a homophobic slur, and his attacker, placing a gun to his stomach, asked, “is your life worth that much?” Police booked the suspect on a hate crimes charge.
The Seattle Police report that later Sunday evening "a man and woman attacked a transgender victim." The "suspects
approached and asked 'did you enjoy your parade?' followed by an
anti-gay slur. The male suspect then punched the victim in the face
several times as the woman jumped on the victim’s back. The attack left
the victim sprawled on the sidewalk. The male suspect put his foot on
the victim’s head before fleeing the scene with his accomplice."
Police arrested one of the two suspects, also on a hate crimes charge.
In Cincinnati, a pro LGBT business was vandalized on Sunday.
The Bromwell antique store was proudly displaying pride colors during
the offense, which many people believe is the reason the store was hit.
It was the only business targeted on the street. Even though it’s a big
coincidence that a pro LGBT business was vandalized shortly after the
Supreme Court ruling, the police are not treating it as a hate crime.
Meanwhile, on Monday night members of the LGBT community and their supporters met at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, MO for a town hall meeting to
address violence against the community. It’s important that we
celebrate the recent win with marriage equality, but it’s also important
to remember that not everyone agrees with the ruling, and when emotions
are high, people can react. Remaining aware and cautious over the next
few weeks would be a good idea. Use the buddy system when going out, and
remember to report all hate crimes to the police and media. It’s
important to address these attacks immediately and inform the community
when they are happening.
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