“You always hear about these kinds of things, but you never think they’ll happen to you or those you love and care for.”
That’s Randy Lee Webster, Minister of Faith and Worship at First Presbyterian Church of Burlington, Iowa, writing about his reactions after allegedly finding a hateful note pinned beneath the windshield of his car.
Related: 20 Accounts Of Trump Supporters Calling Us “Fa*gots” To Our Faces
The note, which he shared on his Facebook page, reads:
“So, father homo —
How does it feel to have Trump as your president?
At least he’s got a set of balls. They’ll put marriage back where God wants it and take yours away.
America’s gonna take care of your faggity ass.”
Webster responded to the message in an emotional Facebook post:
We are ok, we are strong folk with a strong faith, and we have a myriad of people who have already expressed their care for us. I worry about those who are neither as strong or have support systems for themselves, and especially for children who find themselves being bullied because they are different somehow. The dark underside of our society must feel that it has been given permission to express bottled up fear and hatred. I can only hope that we hold all those we love and care for close, and to pray always for those in our society who have no hope. Perhaps that’s our greatest vocation.”
Xzamilloh
Nope, I’m good… remembering the Whole Foods pastor and that whole mess, I’m gonna wait for more info.
StuBur
@Alistair Wiseman:
So how do you know whether or not the note was read in its entirety before the picture was taken. it could have been read then placed back for the pic to be taken. In fact who knows who took the picture.. perhaps it was the clergyman himself. what does it matter anyway!!
wmca_goodguys
Do, please, remind us that the Orlando murderer (Omar Mateen) was a registered Democrat and a Hillary supporter. I’m not convinced, Queerty, that combatting hate with hate is the way to go. There are hateful, bigoted people on both sides of the aisle. So, for every crime or indecent thing we don’t have to bring politics into it(Democrats good, Republicans bad) unless you trying to a totalitarian, one-party system in our country.
bobnla
I don’t believe this for a minute
carlos_albuquerque
>all the conservatards seriously trying to defend this
Can you please at least post your personal information?
carlos_albuquerque
@bobnla: You should
darren michaels
While discussing who anyone chooses to partner with, it strikes me as strange no one has questioned the partnering of DJTrump and Melania Trump. Do we really believe that she has interest in his large mass of sprayed and matted follicles flipping off his head onto the pillow next to her every night.?
In many circles it’s no secret DJTrump and Melania don’t co-habitate, and her true love interest and partner lives in Palm Beach.
nmharleyrider
We now have a president of hate, not hope.
dwes09
@Alistair Wiseman: “On the other side of depravity, a video (you know, actual proof).”
So here is the truth about “Gateway Pundit”: http://americablog.com/2016/06/gateway-pundit-jim-hofts-repulsive-ploy-use-orlando-benefit-trump.html
As usual you seem unable to tell the difference between myth and lies and reality. Unfortunately you and many others will get the chance to learn over the next few years. The death of critical thinking and intellectualism in this country will have results that I hope are not too dire! for the record, it has been shown time and time and time again that videos are not actual proof of anything, that youtube is not reality, that the right is more mired in belief and lies than the left could ever be.
He BGB
Trump people shouldn’t be bragging so soon. WAIT and SEE what he does. He has been pro and con on every issue all his life. HE said things to get votes he didn’t mean. he’s kissing up to OBama now. (Now the new Vice President is another story. He really is the gay enemy and has proven it with his Antigay,law in Indiana)
blackout_boycott
I hate to tell the Trump supporter that he has all that letter wrong, by the first sentence!
Trump is not the POTUS until he gets sworn in in January 2017. Obama is still the POTUS!
Besides, we understand that Trump is a LGBT community supporter.
The Christian’s, KKK and hate groups backed Trump. By which Trump could possibly run the country or not, but he has no say in the laws of that govern all citizens.
vbnudeguy
So this is probably fake. I have seen this same pic floating around Facebook each time with a different person it happened to and a different location.
Stilinski26
And not one scratch on his car, how did the person who put the note even know that was the minister’s car?
maxdadmark
@Alistair Wiseman: Get lost, troll. We are gonna rout you haters out and expose each of you for what you are, without threatening violence. You are SO Christ-like…. NOT. Take your bullshit to some Reagan era hatred to site where you pick up your lies.
Heywood Jablowme
@vbnudeguy: The “father homo” part is also a clue that it’s fake. Presbyterian ministers are not called “father” and I’m sure almost everybody in Iowa would know that (even Catholics). It doesn’t surprise me that you’ve seen this note online before.
OzJosh
@vbnudeguy: Really? Prove it; post a link.
alanballs
Regardless of the veracity of this story, it’s true that there is no shortage of hate, bigotry, homophobia and stupidity in the USA. I, for one, am focusing relentlessly on my physical fitness and defense skills that I could take down a small gang of haters, if necessary. Stay strong and work together. We have unstoppable strength and power in our numbers.
Herman75
I’m a lazy queen I know,
but not too lazy to Google and confirm this story is true.
scotshot
@Alistair Wiseman:
Thanks for the great link which proves people like you fall for everything. The baby magically wore a diaper in the first scene, two seconds later he had shorts and a shirt on.
Are you drinking again?
Alistair Wiseman
@scotshot:
That is totally different child! The first one was a “baby”, the second one was several years older.
Have you been drinking again? Put on your glasses grandpa.
To you, it was all a big Hollywood production. I wonder who the kids agent is – he’s good.
Techoutside
I was a bi male in California who was a closet conservative. The extreme gays wouldn’t accept me, the extreme liberals wouldn’t accept me, the extreme conservatives wouldn’t accept me.. Do you know who accepted me, the every day moderate American in the Midwest believe it or not. Unless you have lived all aspects of life, you really are only exposed to viewpoints of the extremes telling you what is and what isn’t.
The human extreme groups have induced fear for decades to maintain their power over us and keep us separated. while Trump isn’t perfect (who is?) he represents the majority of middle America sick of all sides of all extremists. Lets give it a chance and see what happens. Most of the country thinks it is the right way to go.
Try to experience different people and different areas for yourself and then make your own judgements, not just what others tell you.
Techoutside
To add one last thing, I was attacked more for coming out as a conservative than I was to come out as bi. Think about that for one second as some of you have fought through similar situations. Trump is no more Hitler than Hillary was the devil.
JessPH
@Techoutside: You are a bi and you were attacked for believing in an ideology that is utterly anti- LGBT. What a shocker!
Alistair Wiseman
@scotshot:
There has been an update to this as linked below:
“Justice for Children Without Voices spoke to Detective Luerra with the Arcola Police Department and confirmed that the children seen in the video are safe and a case has been opened. Arcola Police Department is diligently working with CPS and the District Attorney’s Office.”
It’s nice that your liberal politics was more important than the welfare of children.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/11/update-texas-police-open-investigation-mother-horribly-abused-young-son-video-supporting-trump/
GayEGO
The Trumpsters will have to pay a lot of money with their tax money like taxpayers did when their state governors tried to block Marriage Equality. If Trumpsters think the GOP congress/Mike Pence will be able to get what they want from Trump they will be greatly surprised when he rejects them.
nature boy
@Techoutside: most of the country did NOT think it was the right way to go, the popular vote was won by Hilary …. and MOST of the country didn’t even vote.
Mack
@nmharleyrider: I agree.
Heywood Jablowme
@Techoutside: But if you were a “closet” conservative, how did anybody know?
Is being a “closet” conservative like being a closet gay – some people figure it out anyway? When you wish they wouldn’t?
Seriously, I’m not trying to make a joke, I’m not sure what you mean by that.
Shraar
“At least he’s got a set of balls.” more than could be said for you. What a coward, leaving a message like that. I think Trump is a fool, and I wouldn’t want to generalize, but it seems he’s got so many hateful people following him. Can’t be good.
ErikO
This sounds like it’s fake, as a lot of the supposed “hate crimes” that have been happening in the last few days since Trump was elected are.
David Myers
@maxdadmark: Bravo. The trolls are out in droves but we will call them out (once) everytime they post their BS hate mongering. Only once though because we should not feed the trolls. It only makes them feel important and smart, neither of which is true.
ChrisK
@Alistair Wiseman: I love how you conservatives (close minded) like to throw out the word liberal as if it’s an insult. You might want to look up the definition..
lib·er·al
open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.
“they have more liberal views toward marriage and divorce than some people”
nscubsfan44
So much hate on this site for a place that is about things regarding the LGBTQ community. I usually just read the posts but when I saw this post I decided to make an account so I could comment and clear some things up, This is not fake, I am from Burlington, IA and went to First Presbyterian Church there for most of my life, my mother texted me the picture of this note when she received it from Randy, she still attends this church and is friends with the victim and his husband. As far as saying its fake because Presbyterian’s do not call their ministers father 1.) he is not the pastor at the church he is the minister of faith and heads up the music and praise 2.) This was probably done by someone who knows him, Burlington is a small community, and they would know that he was once a priest in the Episcopalian Church where they do call their leaders “Father” so maybe do your research before you spread even more hate.
nscubsfan44
@vbnudeguy: Im sure they check their resources before posting “fake” stories, it was reported in the local newspaper there.
nscubsfan44
@Heywood Jablowme: you can refer to my post about how he was addressed as Father because it was most likely done by someone who knows him, and they would know that he was once a priest in the Episcopalian church where they do call their priests Father
richard_plunkett
@dwes09: But I bet you believe the video of Philandro Castile’s girlfriend saying the cop shot him for no reason.
Mike
@Heywood Jablowme: If you were ever closeted, I think the answer to this is pretty obvious. He told a small circle of people he was close to that he was conservative, but not the larger community. “Closeted” doesn’t mean no one but himself knew he was conservative.
Also (in reply to someone else), being a conservative doesn’t mean he believes in “an ideology that is utterly anti- LGBT.” A person could believe in limited government, low taxes, etc., and be liberal on LGBT and many other social issues. (I’m hoping Trump himself is this way).
(BTW, I am not AT ALL conservative myself. I just want to be fair to this guy).