Christopher Jones and Terry Geasland, a gay couple living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have gone public with stories of harassment by their neighbor, Jon Bailey. Bailey, who lives across the street, has put up signs with homophobic epitaphs and desecrated a Pride Flag in response to the couple.
Local station KJRH reports that Baily put up the signs to promote a “Christian” lifestyle.
“I believe that homosexuality is wrong,” Bailey told KJRH. “I’m not putting them [gay people] down, I’m just standing up to them and saying this is wrong. I’m trying to show them there is a better way.”
Needless to say, Jones and Geasland–one of three gay couples living on the block–have a different perspective on the situation.
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“That’s hate,” Jones says. “We do not need this in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s like wow, in your face. It’s very ugly. It’s demeaning and it’s a violation of humility towards my family.”
Other neighbors expressed a similar sentiment. “I have lived in this neighborhood for 17 years,” neighbor Cindy Roberts said. “I have never seen anything this awful. It disgusts me. I’m upset!”
Jones and Geasland notified law enforcement of the situation. However, police say there’s nothing they can do to order Bailey to remove the signs, citing free speech laws.
“I know my rights,” Bailey told KJRH. “The gay and lesbian community are bullying people into being quiet and to being silent, and they are making people like me that are standing up against them feel like criminals.” He also took to Facebook to promote his cause and his appearance on television.
Related: PHOTOS: Tulsa’s Friendliest Gay Bar Also Has A Very Wild Side
“Calling on All prayer warriors,” he wrote. “I have an interview today at 3 pm with at least 1 news channel. The subject is homosexuality and why I’m against it and what I’ve done out of love for my homosexual neighbors. Please pray that the holy spirit fills me with the correct words to say. Thank u everyone!”
Bailey’s newfound fame has also invited a backlash. As the proprietor of a construction contracting service, he began to receive negative reviews on Facebook, with posters citing his homophobia in their remarks. Bailey also invited harsh criticism from Toby Jenkins, director of Tulsa’s LGBTQ community center.
“Talk like this is just a step away from violence and people need to understand that members of the LGBTQ community are susceptible to being attacked, assaulted, and in some cases killed, it stems from comments like these that come from people’s hearts,” Jenkins said.
Rock-N-RollHS
The gay guys clearly have the nicer house. Straight Dude is clearly jealous.
hildegardrdungan
I started working for them online and in a short time after I’ve started averaging 15k a month••• The best thing was that cause I am not that computer savvy all I needed was some basic typing skills and internet access to start••• This is where to start…? 6.gp/a7362
Black Pegasus
Sometimes I wish Batman actually existed so he can go out in the night and beat the hell out of bigots.
HiKo73
Dude, same.
Chrisk
“The gay and lesbian community are bullying people into being quiet and to being silent, and they are making people like me that are standing up against them feel like criminals.”
Wow. He’s playing the victim while simultaneously terrorizing this couple. That is some serious pretzel logic there. Typical of many other Christians though. Kind of what they do best.
They need to go all in. Get some surveillance cameras all along their property. Then bait the bigot with the gayest of gay signs. If I was there I would love to help them.
Mack
I agree and I would post one of him being an “anti-christian” as well.
rbernard
I think starting a social media campaign on this bigots construction business is a good strategy to hit him in the pocketbook and make him rethink his posture.
olfwob
Problem is, that there would be a gofundme campaign bringing him thousends of dollars from other “christians” within hours. Maybe that what he is hoping for.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
olfwob: Unfortunately you have very correctly predicted the likely outcome…
Chrisk
I just checked his yelp page. He gets his free speech but now now it’s time to learn it works both ways.
He’s been in and out of jail from everything from drug charges to assaults multiple times and some are recent. Mug shots included. Besides being a bigot the guy really is a criminal.
Cam
Local station KJRH reports that Baily put up the signs to promote a “Christian” lifestyle.
“I believe that homosexuality is wrong,”
?—————
Interesting then that he isn’t putting up anything with a religious symbol, just attacking LGBT people.
And notice that the Tulsa station repeats his bigoted B.S.? We need to stop allowing media to use words like “traditional values” when what they mean is hate and bigotry.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Hopefully this repugnant smcubag’s construction business will be shortly deconstructed….
Kangol2
What if they put a giant sign with his face X’ed out & said that being a White Christian homophobic male was wrong? Would he be OK with that, because he is attacking an essential aspect of who they are? Would he accept their “free speech? rights about how “wrong” he is?
jayceecook
Now imagine what would happen if people put up a flag with Jesus’ face and a big black X across it. Do you think those people’s freedom of speech would be as protected as this man’s hate speech?
Chrisk
That was my first advice. However, I think they’re doing it the best way. You can’t alienate your neighbors who probably all have religion in their lives. It’s Oklahoma after all.
The best way is to take it public and let the public fight your battle while you keep your hands clean.
jayceecook
@Chrisk That’s not what I meant with my comment. What I wanted people to do is think about what would happen if somebody did what I suggested instead of it being a rainbow flag.
Do you honestly think that the police and city officials would sit back and do nothing? That they would simply say, “Oh well, freedom of speech.”? That they wouldn’t tell that person to take it down for the “safety” of the community and because it’s also offensive? That Faux News wouldn’t pick up the story and run with it every hour on the hour about how Christians are under attack in America? That Trump wouldn’t tweet storm about it multiple times a day and possibly incite violence?
I wasn’t suggesting people actually put up a flag with Jesus’ face covered in a black X. Though I’d applaud whomever had the balls to do it. I simply was commenting on the fact that because this is an anti-LGBTQ people in power are less likely to do the right thing.
Hussain-TheCanadian
The issue with clowns such as this idiot, he starts a fight with us, we kick his @ss in one way or another, and then he cries “IM BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST” while the rest of the right wing tosses his salad in a circle jerk at a back alley behind an old VHS dump.
P.S.
What the fawk is a “prayer warrior”????
innocentgay
How gay is it that he’s put up signage and symbols indicating to the world that he is constantly thinking about his two male neighbors fcuking each other?
stanhope
Respond in kind. Put up posters of his mug shots. Put him up with a no pedophilia sign.