Sheriff: No Sign of Hate Crime in Arson

By Advocate.com Editors

A North Carolina sheriff investigating the arson that destroyed the home of a harassed gay couple over the weekend said there is no evidence of a hate crime at this point.

According to WRAL.com, Johnston County sheriff Steve Bizzell said, “As the investigation moves forward, if we see any indication that the hate crime status applies, we will consider it.”

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have joined the investigation into the early Friday blaze that destroyed the home of two men whom neighbors said had been harassed several times in the past year.

“Bizzell declined to comment on the current investigation but said his office was aware of two previous reports – one on Dec. 10, 2009, in which someone put a note in the mailbox saying ‘move sinners’ and a second complaint on Nov. 1 about a homophobic slur left on the back of the house,” reports WRAL.com.

The couple was not home at the time of the fire and the victims have declined to speak with media. Sources say the men are planning a job-related move to Georgia, and that the house had been on the market but was removed after it failed to sell.

The fire was set from inside the house. Investigators continue to seek a white Chevrolet S-10 crew-cab pickup truck seen towing two mowers believed to be from the property.

Watch the report.



source

Arson suspected in possible hate crime against harassed gay couple

CLAYTON, N.C. — A fire that gutted the home of a gay couple who had been victims of harassment for more than a year, is being investigated as arson, and possible hate crime.

The couple, who did not want to be identified out of fear for their safety, were out of town when the fire broke out early Friday morning.

Via WRAL-TV:

A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of backlash against her, said there have been at least three separate incidents of anti-gay harassment at the home. A note with derogatory language was left in the mailbox, an anti-gay slur was written on the house with marker, and the tires of a car parked in the garage were slashed, the neighbor said.

“For this to happen here… it’s heartbreaking,” she said. “I can’t even put into words how horrible it is for them.”

Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell confirmed that the sheriff’s office was aware of two of those incidents, but would not say which two. He would not confirm whether they are related to the arson investigation.

Another neighbor in the subdivision said he feels sorry for the male couple because they lost everything. He and others in the neighborhood believe it was a hate crime.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the blaze was a hate-crime.

source

Lesbian couple suing next-door neighbor for alleged arson

VONORE, Tenn. — A lesbian couple in Tennessee who home was burned to the ground last September, has filed a lawsuit against the woman they believe set the fire — their next-door neighbor.

Carol Ann and Laura Stutte feel they are victims of a hate crime, and were targeted because they’re gay — they found the word “queers” spray painted in large letters on their garage when they returned from a trip to Nashville to discover the charred remains of their home.

According to Carol Ann and Laura, their neighbor — Janice Millsaps — told them, “the only thing better than one dead queer is two dead queers.”

Via Metro Pulse:

The complaint does allege taunts made by Millsaps that specifically targeted the Stuttes’ sexual orientation.

For example, a month before the fire, on Aug. 4, they allege, Millsaps, whose double wide mobile home rests about 20 feet from the gate leading to the Stuttes’ property, approached them as they stopped to close their front gate.
 

She poked at the Stuttes, alleges the complaint, and asked them, “Do you know what is better than one dead queer? Two dead queers.” The complaint notes that she then threatened to burn their house down, laughed, and returned to her house.

The Stuttes moved into the home in June of 2005. Police reports state that for years before the fire, Carol Ann and Laura were harassed by Millsaps, but no arrests were made.

In the complaint against Millsaps, the Stuttes are seeking $292,688.82 for trespassing and depriving them of personal property, and a total of $880,000, which includes damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and malicious harassment.

The couple has been together more than 15 years.

source

When Was the Last Time a Christian's House Was Burned Down?

by: D Gregory Smith

I know. Provocative question.

But I can't help asking it when I see stories of deliberate arson evicting LGBT's from the safety of their homes. I also ask the question (appropriately modified) when I see anti-queer graffiti, read about harassment and beatings involving people who are too much like me to make me feel beyond it.

This house, owned by a gay couple in Clayton, North Carolina was destroyed early Friday morning. The story is here.

There was a history of anti-gay messages, graffiti, harassment and vandalism before the blaze. The couple is not identified for "fear of their safety." The neighbor who talked to the reporter also did so only anonymously. We are afraid.

And the Christianists call us a threat - among other nasty things.

So for the purposes of argument I will ask the following questions to those who believe equality only applies to white, heterosexual, cis-gendered, procreating, (&etc) Christians:

    * When was the last time a group of LGBTIQ persons beat up a straight person?
    * When did Graffiti with the word "breeders" adorn the house of a straight family?
    * When did a gay terrorist group burn down a Christian house just because they were Christian?
    * When did an LGBT pastor make the news for slandering and approving of violence against straights?

But the reverse? Happens all the time. And we take it. Mostly, we do.

Fucked, ain't it?

And I can't help but feeling if we don't get our act together and start acting like a community instead of picking little fights all over the place, squabbling over minutiae that, in the final analysis makes little difference (check the comments section of any LGBT blog), it's going to continue to get worse.

I am not advocating that we become terrorists or engage in any similar behavior, only that we be radically truthful. Self-defensive if you will.

I know. Go ahead. That's what the comments section is for.

source