If there was a name he might have a myspace account. I was thinking we could contact the newspaper though and encourage them to run a story on resources like PFLAG to help parents love and accept their gay children. It could help somebody else.
This is horrible! It makes anyone who is from the southeast look like a homophobic baseball bat swinging bible thumping lunatic!
I think that would be a good idea, except it is in Anderson.. I don't think that would ever happen. You are stepping waist deep into the 'Bible Belt'.
Using religion as an excuse to commit crime is absolutely a freaking sin! Grr... I hope that guy sentenced to prison for his whole life...
I think it becomes domestic violence is the child is over 18. I wonder if it could be prosecuted as a hate crime?
Not necessarily..........usually stuff likes this creates support because they realize how terrible WRONG it is!
It is horrible as to what happened to him. I think it's a great idea Becky. Let me know if I can help you in that.
I wrote to the person who wrote this article. Cross your fingers that they might actually follow through with an article. I also mentioned Empty Closets! Sadly, I just read your story about the father taking a baseball bat to his son who is gay. I think it would great if you could write a follow-up story to this and let parents know that there is help if their child comes out to them. PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is a wonderful organzation based on unconditional love for our children. (I am a parent of a gay son and chapter President in Oregon) PFLAG has a tri-fold mission and that is to support, educate (using scientific research on sexual orientation and gender identity), and to advocate on behalf of our gay, lesbian, bisexual loved ones. www.pflag.org For young people scared to come out to their parents there is a wonderful and safe online resource called Empty Closets. www.emptyclosets.com This information is vitally important and should be made to the public. PFLAG works diligently to keep incidents like this one from happening by helping parents love and accept their children the way they are. Sincerely, Becky Groves
that's so very sad that a father would do that especially to his own child. just goes to show how f-ed up people can get when they take religion out of context and to the extreme. and wtf?!?!?!?! wow.
I'm disgusted by some of the comments there. "It's my right to have my beliefs, and my beliefs are that if I don't like someone I can force them to change....in the name of the LORD!". Whatever happened to letting people live their lives? Even the slave owners didn't try to bathe their slaves in bleach to "make them white". I'm all the more ready to move out once I get the chance - I'm nearly swimming in the Bible Belt as it is.
that comment ^^^ makes me want to cry! I can't believe how violent people can be towards a person they helped create. I could never do that to a child of mine. I feel lucky now because at least my dad didn't try and beat me he just wants to pretend it doesn't exist. Is this world ever going to change?
I totally agree with you! I am moving out of here as soon as I can (probably after college). I'm so sick of living in a place where I am so hated. I know that it will be bad other places but it is so hard to live in the bible belt.
It is quite the juxtaposition from the story of Stephen in "Wisdom of Our Fathers" by Tim Russert. In that story, the father says, "I love you, Stephen. I don't care what you are. I just want my boys to be happy." Let us hope that there are more stories in the world like Stephen's then like this one.
This is really sad. I can understand how some people can't accept homosexual and think gay people have a demon inside cuz that's what they were told and they are stupid enough to believe in that. But I don't understand how could he thinks he can kick out a demon from his son by beating him with a baseball bat.
