Hurt for Who You Are. Young Man in Tulsa, OK. Beaten for Being Gay
In Claremore, OK, just outside Tulsa, Phillip Nelson has been harassed based on his sexuality for the past month. Vandals have broken into his apartment, vandalized his home, and left a Bible carved with a slur word at his front door. Nelson was punched by vandals and told him he was going to die while being called a f*g as he was taking out the garbage. Since Oklahoma is trying to exempt itself from the national hate crimes law with Rep. Steve Russell’s bill that is passed in the state senate and is in review in the state house, this cannot be looked at as a hate crime, but only a breaking and entering. This is why hate crimes law must be in place everywhere. ALL must be protected so that justice will be given for those effected by these heartbreaking events.
We have experienced hate in Oklahoma. There have been a couple times where we’ve had to drive through that state and we avoid staying in it, and avoid getting pulled over due to an incident that occurred there last summer with state troopers. Troopers informed us that they get a lot of revenue due to issuing tickets on the interstates and roads to passing travelers. We know not all Oklahomans have hate, but maybe if more people of Oklahoma were more welcoming, people wouldn’t just pass through it or fly over it all the time. Read MORE
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
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