Payden Adams, a gay student at Southern Utah University student, who’s running for the Student Association Activities vice presidential spot, is having a hard time keeping his campaign posters around campus: yet another one was defaced with “offensive language in red marker,” while others have been pulled down or shredded. Are we ready to call this a hate crime?
This news report says only “offensive language” was written on the posters, but as you’ll see in the picture, “homo fagz” is clearly what’s written. That’s not offensive. That’s targeting a student because of his sexuality.
SUU Police Chief Rick Brown said he was made aware of the incident, but was awaiting more information before investigating. Brown said the incident would be treated as a criminal mischief case if someone is arrested. Upon hearing the alleged victim of the vandalism was gay, Brown said that would bring in a separate case against the suspect for a hate crime. “It wasn’t brought to my attention that someone was targeted for his sexual orientation, but if that is the case when I receive more detail, it would be considered a hate crime,” he said. “We would look at the severity of the case and see if that is a different charge.”
QSA President Benjamin Smith said this is also not the first case of “bigotry on the SUU campus,” according to the release. In October 2009, vandals defaced QSA advertisements for National Coming Out Day with statements of “stay straight SUU,” Smith said, noting he “is shocked to find this level of hate still existent on campus.” “I thought that as college students, and educated adults, we would be above this,” Smith said. “This is a blatant act of bigotry, nothing less.”
Also, anti-gay vandals of the world? Can you please come up with more creative phrases than “homo fagz,” “you’re gay,” and “faggot.” I mean really. How much are your parents spending on your education? Make them prouder.
Francis
This is Southern Utah. As much progress as we truly have made in America, with now a majority actually thinking we aren’t immoral by simply existing and 50-50 and growing support of our marriage rights, the sad truth of the matter is that there will be just as much of a resistance in these places where the society is fundamentally anti-gay. We just have to continue to be strong and weather the storm, and stand up against these actions and educate. All this indicates is how threatened homophobes are by our community.
alan brickman
Could he be doing it himself to get the sympathy vote??
Hyhybt
@alan brickman: Always a possibility, but hardly likely.
SUU Student
I know Payden, and he would never do this to get “the sympathy vote.” He’s a great person and would want to win because he deserves it, not because of pity for something he is NOT ashamed of.
I’m humiliated that someone at my school would behave this way. It’s shocking that college students are so ignorant and intolerant. We pretend to be so accepting and open because we aren’t “racist,” but we openly attack people for their life choices. It’s truly very sad.
Peter M.
@SUU Student: Thank you for speaking up for Payden.
I just wanted to add that being gay isn’t a choice (nor a lifestyle).
Cam
@alan brickman:
The LAST thing that would get sympathy for ANYBODY in Southern Utah is to be mocked for being gay. The bigots there would feel it was deserved and would say that he brought it on himself for being public about his “Filthy Homosexual Lifestyle”.
My only comment….gee, what a shock…who would have thought that a state controlled by a church so bigoted they only started granting blacks full membership around 1980, because of intense public pressure, would be full of bigots.
Dennis
I think that it’s unfortunate that this happened. It’s painful for Payden. I don’t think this is a slap in the face for gays, because just about everyone has admonished the perpetrators of this act. I do, however, think it’s unfortunate that the misguided actions of potentially 1 person have lead people to think that it is somehow a representation of most of the students at SUU or in Utah for that matter. Just because this happened in a state controlled by a church that might not support most aspects of the gay agenda, does not mean it is a breeding ground of outright hatred like this graffiti act.
B
No. 7 · Dennis wrote, “Just because this happened in a state controlled by a church that might not support most aspects of the gay agenda, does not mean it is a breeding ground of outright hatred like this graffiti act.”
It’s simply a breeding ground for a more “respectable” form of hatred, hence your term “the gay agenda” Here’s a copy of this “agenda” posted years ago on the Internet.
——————————
I know that many of you have heard Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell and others speak of the “Homosexual Agenda,” but no one has ever seen a copy of it.
Well, I have finally obtained a copy directly from the Head Homosexual.
It follows below:
6:00 am Gym
8:00 am Breakfast (oatmeal and egg whites)
9:00 am Hair appointment
10:00 am Shopping
12:00 PM Brunch
2:00 PM
1) Assume complete control of the U.S. Federal, State and Local Governments as well as all other national governments,
2) Recruit all straight youngsters to our debauched lifestyle,
3) Destroy all healthy heterosexual marriages,
4) Replace all school counselors in grades K-12 with agents of Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels,
5) Establish planetary chain of “homo breeding gulags” where over-medicated imprisoned straight women are turned into artificially impregnated baby factories to produce prepubescent love slaves for our devotedly pederastic gay leadership,
6) bulldoze all houses of worship, and
7) Secure total control of the INTERNET and all mass media for the exclusive use of child pornographers.
2:30 PM Get forty winks of beauty rest to prevent facial wrinkles from stress of world conquest
4:00 PM Cocktails
6:00 PM Light Dinner (soup, salad, with Chardonnay)
8:00 PM Theater
11:00 PM Bed (du jour)?
Dennis
By saying the “The Gay Agenda” I just trying to generalize the wishes and desires of a large portion of the, such as marriage. I didn’t mean anything sinister. I never said that there wasn’t some intolerance or ignorance in the area towards things like gay marriage. But Utah that I know is not a breeding ground for hatred against gays being members of our society. No one that I know is OK with such a mean-spirited attack on someone.
Francis
Dennis, you are right in saying this is an isolated incident in this situation, and from the comments I read almost all of the students are disgusted by this. With that said, we also need to be honest with the fact homophobia is a major issue in southern Utah and there is a more admissive attitude towards homophobia in Utah. That is what needs to change, and incidents like these can serve as a wake up call to spur that change.