LOVING THY NEIGHBOR

Lesbian Couple Targeted By Violent Hate Mail Gets Overwhelming Support From Community

1005297_693305680695227_954208741_nA small gesture has gone a very long way to soothe the aches of Susan Belyea and Karen Kubinsky, the Canadian same-sex couple that’s had two violent threats delivered to their home this month. On Monday, CBC reports that the couple arrived home to find a new kind of message in the mailbox—a giant card from the community, filled with messages of support.

The couple, who has lived in Kingston, Ontario for nearly 20 years, began receiving anonymous threats via snail mail from an unidentified aggressor this month. The letters asked the couple to leave the city under the threat of violence, and said their plans to attack the women with BB guns was “not [an] empty threat.” A friend of the couple’s posted the letters to Imgur, and their story went viral.

Last weekend, outraged members of the community held two rallies to show their support and created a Facebook page called Kingston Loves The Queer Community to gather additional support from around the world. “It’s like a symphony of love here, it’s crazy,” said Belyea, who hasn’t received any additional threats since the last two.

Kingston police are looking to file hate-based charges against the still-unidentified sender, but recognize the situation as “a remote incident,” according to Mayor Mark Gerretsen. “My first reaction was (to not) respond to it at all, because you’re just giving the authors the vehicle that they’re looking for,” he said, “but at the same time we have to look out for the safety of the people involved.”

In the meantime, Belyea and Kubinsky say they have no intention of moving elsewhere. “You can’t give it any more credibility than a violent but crazy threat,” she said. “No, we’re not moving to San Francisco, as lovely as it would be.”

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