Joshua Barnes got tired of hearing of all the recent gay bashings in Salt Lake City. So he got 140 Facebook friends to start “Safety In Numbers” (aka “The S.I.N. patrol”), a group that patrols Utah’s Friday night gay district to help prevent violence. Equipped with some pepper spray, his camera phone, a semi-official looking red sash and a pair of antlers, Barnes and his costumed cohorts walk people back to their cars while distracting and recording would-be attackers to report them to the police.
That’s right folks, gay superheroes are back… and they’re not gonna take it anymore.
Barnes says, “The police do a good job, but they can’t be everywhere. We thought rather than just complain, we’d just do something. And the simplest thing we could do is just be here. Be an extra set of eyes, an extra body.”
And while on patrol with a news crew he even took down a basher with an ever-tightening headlock and held him in place until the police came and confiscated the knife in the attacker’s back pocket.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
We gotta admit, patrolling the streets in weird costumes and preventing attacks sounds a hell of a lot more interesting than downing another vodka gimlet and watching Ivana Slapper lip-synch to Adele… again.
Cam
I see the Utah Mormons are business as usual in hating gays.
scott
The 2nd part of the story is good too. Please add it to this website of go to the tv stations website to see it, and read the more newsy version of the story and it’s background.
Daniel Villarreal
@scott: We have added the second video above. You can also read the article using the “Safety In Numbers” link.
gollygeegaygoy
This is a great idea. I hope it catches on in other areas. These homophobes want to make us too afraid to go out. And that ain’t gonna happen.
D Campbell
This made me very proud to see members of our community standing up for others. kudos
prohomo
I would love to BRUTALLY attack a gay basher and make them taste their own medicine. Bash back I say.
pepe
ncie
TASTEY GOODIES
TO ALL HOMOPHOBIC GAY BASHERS- TALK SHIT, GET HIT. TO ALL GLBT FOLK- LET’S UNITE 4 RAINBOW POWER!!!
CBRad
What gay bashings in Utah? Of the alleged three, Dane Hall is a fraud, and one of the other “cases” turned out to be a domestic. So that’s one case. Why don’t these superheros move to NYC where gaybashings are more frequent?
scott
@CBRad: Why criticise the volunteer work that other people are doing? The video speaks for itself, regardless of what did or didn’t happen in other cases. Some people are tryojg to make the world a better, safer place. Where were you when people in your community needed your help? Oh yeah, you were at home, online, ripping the efforts of others.