Two students from University of Memphis say they were threatened with violence and kicked out of a party for being gay.
Benjamin Buckley and Luke Chapman tell WMC5 Action News they were hanging out at an off-campus frat party when a group of male students approached, one of whom told Buckley, “you don’t belong here faggot.”
“We were just wanting to have a night out for fun,” Buckley recalls.
“He’s like, we’re being kicked out because we’re gay,” Chapman adds. “I wasn’t sure if I should believe him, like is this some sort of joke.”
Things quickly escalated from there.
Related: Frat boys caught on tape engaging in homophobic and racist behavior claim they’re the real victims
One of the frat boys in particular became especially irate.
“He was screaming at us and called us faggot and all these things,” Buckley says. “And he looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to beat the f*ck out of you. I’m going to beat the life out of you.'”
The men then allegedly surrounded Buckley and Chapmen and pushed them towards the door, casting them out into the rain.
U of M President Dr. David Rudd issued a statement after local news reported on the incident: “An off-campus incident involving possible bigotry has been brought to my attention and has been referred for investigation. The Office of the Dean of Students is in the process of reaching out to students and others potentially involved. I think those that were responsible need to be held accountable.”
“I think those that were responsible need to be held accountable,” says Chapman.
Meanwhile, Buckley hopes it will start a larger campus-wide discussion about its ongoing problem of homophobia and intolerance.
“I want the focus to be on look what they did and see how it’s bad and see how it actually reflects a lot of what’s happening in society today, so we can understand that and grow from that,” says Buckley.
Related: Gay fraternity brothers reveal experiences with Greek life
Vince
Oh lord. Yes this just in. Frat boys can be Douchebags. Just an extended High School. How about this ..hey that’s cool. We don’t party with scum like you anyways.
Cam
But why is it only LGBT people that should do that? If they through out two Asians, or Two Black people, were telling them they’d beat them for being (n-words) etc…. nobody would say “Don’t go the administration, don’t file assault charges, etc…
Cam
“”One of the frat boys in particular became especially irate.
“He was screaming at us and called us fa**ot and all these things,” Buckley says. “And he looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to beat the f*ck out of you. I’m going to beat the life out of you.’”””
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And as we all know, that is most likely the Frat guy who after 2 beers is knocking on the other members doors at 3am offering to give them BJs.
jonasalden
Hey Cam? I don’t even think Asians would stir up a lot of dust. I know that not your point, but your point is well-taken here. I’m Black AND gay, and I think there are times when despite existing anti-Black sentiment out there, anti-gay is still acceptable in some circles. I’m also 48, and from my generational point of view THIS IS NOT NEWS. It’s like high school, but a couple of years older. And I also agree that the frat guy squawking the loudest is the one who has the most conflicted feelings about his own sexuality. Nothing to see here, folks.
Goforit
Lets see…. Tennessee, frat party, age of Trump. What else would one expect?
Mack
Memphis is my hometown and bigotry and racism is alive and well. My family wonders why I never come back (last time was in 1988), the answer: they’re all bigots!
BivisibleGuy
Really? This is news? Most of us (over 20) experienced similar treatment throughout our lives but never thought it would be top news; it was the way of the world. While it is wonderful to see some attention being brought to the issue, I am surprised that so many people might think that this is news…
vcdann
No, this is not news, this is Queerty. If you want news go to NYT or WaPo.
Cam
Reporting on bigotry is how you expose it and end it. If the frat gets bad attention, gets kicked off campus etc… other frats get nervous about being bigots.
bowlingbutch
The frat boys should be called out and exposed for being bigots. How great it would have been if some straight boys had stood up to the bigotry but that is not how college boys act to hang with the popular guys. These 2 young gay men need to find the gay activists on campus and if there is not an alliance now is a perfect time to start one!
djmcgamester
I’m not a “believe everything” type of person. Still, it warrants some serious investigation. All people (ALL, regardless of what you believe or agree with) deserve to feel safe and welcome.