The man suspected of terrorizing Austin, Texas with a series of deadly explosions earlier this year reportedly used Grindr, despite being a raging homophobe.
Police still don’t know why 23-year-old Mark Conditt mailed a series of bombs that killed two and injured another five before taking his own life back in March.
The Austin Statesman reports that investigators uncovered his Grindr profile and confirmed he had used the app just weeks before unleashing a string of deadly attacks.
Prior to killing himself, Conditt published a series of blog posts on a site “Defining My Stance” where he railed against homosexuality, abortion, and other issues.
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In college, he wrote a paper arguing that “homosexuality is just not natural.”
“Just look at the male and female bodies—they are obviously designed to couple,” he wrote in a class assignment. “I do not believe it is proper to pass laws stating that homosexuals have ’rights.’ What about pedophilia or bestiality?”
Conditt’s roommates told detectives they thought he might have been gay.
Sierra Jane Davis, a former acquaintance of Conditt, said, “It’s not something we talked about, but I do know that it would have been difficult for him and his family.”
Investigators still don’t know what motivated Conditt to commit the bombings that killed two and injured four in Austin, Texas, but they say there is no evidence to suggest his sexual orientation or his struggles to accept it had anything to do with it.
DCguy
The bigotry of the far right destroys another person and causes harm to many others.
Vince
We have more to fear from our own kind who’ve usually been brainwashed by religion then any straight outsiders.
Donston
Blaming everything on religion is a slight scapegoat most of the time. Of course, religion can and often does distilled and oppress. But there are many who don’t grow up in religious environments but still contend with self-resentment (I know this firsthand) and many who don’t grow up in religious households but who look to convert at some point in their lives and become “ex-gays” or simply become homophobic without the elicit of committing to a religion. And most gay/gay-leaning people who grow up in religious environments don’t grow up to kill people.
Self-loathing, internalized homophobia, constant feelings of inadequacy, destructive and self-destructive instincts can all be triggered by a variety of things that extend beyond religion: sexual abuse/assualt, sociological limitations, prejudices and pressures, a convoluted and contradictory sense of self, general mental illness. I just don’t appreciate how some like to simplify issues and try to lean on one or two things as culprits and ignore bigger pictures. It’s usually far more complicated than what some immediate assume. And yes, I do believe religion played a part in this particular tragedy.
Vince
Not that I’m surprised or anything but looking at his history he was raised as a Christian. He didn’t have a choice. He was brainwashed and the his religion in the people around him talk him to hate himself.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/austin-bomber-mark-anthony-conditt-texas-christian-righteous-invasion-truth-a8267976.html%3Famp&ved=2ahUKEwjH89Tvo_7aAhVC4YMKHf1MCLwQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0keHQy3IWrGpk9rcNMXLaH&cf=1
Donston
I’m not certain if that was meant for me, but I’m aware of his history. I still said what I said.
Kangol
I posted on here about his homophobia back when these events happened. None of it is surprising. The fact that his first two targets were young black men, the fact that he was from a conservative Christian background, and was a raging homophobe with a Grindr account, none of it is surprising. Hatred, including racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc., and self-hatred, are often at the roots of or linked to terrorism. Just think how bad things could have gotten had this terrorist not been caught when he was.
Vince
Yeah, a gay man like this is a special kind of weapon. The poor guy just needed to get laid but of coarse religion taught him to hate the very objects of his affection.
WindsorOntario
“…but they say there is no evidence to suggest his sexual orientation or his struggles to accept it had anything to do with it”.
So until that is verified please don’t pawn this person off on us.
Why do we always end up with these kinds of unstable, crazy people who ‘must’ve been gay’ all the time!? Is it possible that some of these people simply hate gay people or people of different races or faiths? If this were a 45-year-old man who weighed 400 pounds would this still be worthy of an article on here, or is it because he was 23 and looked nice in his picture?
Donston
I would typically agree with you. But there does seems to be some legitimacy here considering his stereotypical “gay face”, that many of his friends thought he was gay, and that it’s been reported that he had a Grindr page. What actually drove him over the edge is the thing more up for debate.
Kangol
I don’t think he “look[s] nice,” but whether 23 and attractive or 45 and fat-shamed by you, the fact remains that he was a white terrorist who blew up two people, badly injured several more, and engaged in a series of terroristic acts in the capital city of one of the US’s largest states. It’s also a fact that he was raised in a conservative Christian environment, made anti-gay statements, and yet was found to have had a Grindr account, and his friends said they thought he was gay. That sounds like a perfect reason, regardless of his appearance, for an article about him to appear on Queerty.
seaguy
I suspect that he was gay but growing up he was told that gay’s were not gods children since his parents were very religious and when that is all you know and you grow up only being exposed to that kind of hateful religious brain washing it can be hard to come to terms with your sexuality. That being said it is no reason or excuse to go bombing innocent people, and then when caught take the cowardly way out by committing suicide.
blackhook
This white, right-wing terrorist’s righteous homeschooling didn’t prepare his challenged mind for real-world success …clearly a self-hating loser. Pro tip to other terrorists considering a murder-suicide: Do the suicide part first.
hocuspokeme
I really don’t want jackasses like that playing for our team, but it does bring a satisfying smile to my face when hypocrites get outed.