Kalamazoo Kontroversy – The Gay Divide

One of two teenagers accused of beating a 15-year-old boy because he is homosexual is scheduled to be sentenced after pleading guilty to an aggravated assault charge.

Advertisement

The small city of Kalamazoo, Michigan has seen a lot of big controversy…and over GLBT issues.

Early in the year, the city’s commission approved an anti-discrimination ordinance aimed at giving GLBT community members an equal voice in matters of employment and housing, but the ultra conservatives prevented that from happening. Then the city’s commission thought they were poised to again put that ordinance in place, but being that Kalamazoo has a good God fearing base of Christians that only hate based on sexual orientation, it’s been an uphill battle for the city to try to put that ordinance in place.

Of course those who oppose the ordinance spew the same old rhetoric about “special rights” and how the Bible and God say that the gays are bad…so they (the GLBT community) shouldn’t be protected from discrimination.

Evidently, those same God fearing folks don’t think GLBT citizens need protection from hate crimes either, as many have spoken out against punishing the 16-year-old who attacked 15-year-old Steve Harmon on August 13th.

Harmon was attacked in a parking lot by 2 teens who used anti-gay slurs as they struck him about 20 times in the head and face, leaving him with a fractured cheek bone, two black eyes, a swollen lip and multiple scratches on his face and neck.

Police have confirmed that Harmon was targeted because of his sexual orientation, but the two attackers have not been charged with a hate crime because Michigan’s intimidation law, which protects ethnic groups from hate crimes does not protect GLBT citizens.

So the big fight in the small city continues between those who believe in equality and justice for all and those who believe in God, and equality and justice for all…unless you’re gay.