Category: anti-LGBTQ

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Kentucky: Anti-LGBTQ Printer Wins At Supreme Court On Technicality

 

(stock image via Depositphotos)
The Kentucky state Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Lexington print shop owner who refused to make LGBTQ Pride t-shirts because of his religious beliefs. Back in 2012, Hands On Originals print shop declined to make t-shirts bearing a design that read, “Lexington Pride Festival.” The owner of the company, Blaine Adamson, told reporters after a hearing before the state Supreme Court he couldn’t produce the shirts because the message “goes against my conscience.” “Because of my Christian beliefs, I can’t promote that,” Adamson told a Human Rights Commission hearing officer at the time. “Specifically, it’s the Lexington Pride Festival, the name and that it’s advocating pride in being gay and being homosexual, and I can’t promote that message. It’s something that goes against my belief system.” But the city of Lexington’s fairness ordinance prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in issues relating to housing, employment, and public accommodation. So, the local Gay and Lesbian Services Organization filed a complaint with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission claiming Adamson unfairly discriminated in declining the t-shirt order. According to the Courier-Journal, the HRC ordered Hands On Originals to print the shirts and attend diversity training classes.
The t-shirt Hands On Originals declined to make (image provided)
Adamson, represented by the virulently anti-LGBTQ legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, appealed his case and won at both the circuit court and state court of appeals. This past August, his case landed at the state Supreme Court which has now decided in Adamson’s favor – but on a technicality. The state high court dismissed the case ruling that the Lexington Gay and Lesbian Services Organization lacked standing to sue the t-shirt company because the GLSO wasn’t the party denied service by Hands On Originals. The individual who originally placed the order and was turned away would have been the correct party to file suit according to the high court’s ruling. “Without a proper complainant, no determination can be made as to whether the ordinance was violated,” Justice Laurance VanMeter of Lexington wrote for the court’s majority. “While this result is no doubt disappointing to many interested in this case and its potential outcome, the fact that the wrong party filed the complaint makes the discrimination analysis almost impossible to conduct, including issues related to freedom of expression and religion,” VanMeter wrote. And Justice David Buckingham, who wrote a concurring opinion, chastised the Lexington Human Rights League for trying to force Hands On Originals to “engage in expression with which it disagreed.” Buckingham wrote, “When expression is involved, whether a parade organizer, a newspaper or a t-shirt company, a publisher may discriminate on the basis of content, even if that content relates to a protected classification.” Raymond Sexton, executive director for the Human Rights Commission told the press he is reviewing the Supreme Court’s ruling and will discuss any possible further action at the next meeting of the commission. (source: Courier-Journal)

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Trump’s HHS Department To Allow LGBTQ Discrimination Due To ‘Religious Beliefs’

President Trump and Vice President Pence (image via Flickr/White House – public domain)
As we begin National Adoption Month, the Trump administration has proposed a change in regulations aimed at allowing tax-payer funded adoption agencies to refuse to place children with LGBTQ families due to religious objections. The new policy, proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services, would reverse an Obama-era rule that prohibited organizations with contracts with the federal government, including adoption agencies, from discriminating based on sexual orientation. By removing sexual orientation and gender identity from the current list of factors that violate the HHS rules, religious-based adoption, and foster care agencies would be able to accept federal taxpayer money while treating same-sex marriages differently from opposite-sex marriages. Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued a waiver that permits adoption agencies in South Carolina to receive tax dollars while refusing to follow the current non-discrimination policies. The proposed change would go further, however, allowing all recipients of HHS grants to turn away LGBTQ people under the guise of ‘religious freedom.’ Homeless youth shelters, HIV and STI prevention programs, opioid programs, substance-use recovery programs and more would all be allowed to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ advocacy groups were outraged at the news. Julie Kruse of Family Equality issued a statement that read, in part, “The American public overwhelmingly opposes allowing taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care agencies to turn away qualified parents simply because they are in a same-sex relationship.” “Children should never be denied the opportunity to join a stable, loving family – even if that means the family is LGBTQ,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Research has shown LGBTQ families provide the same kind of love, protection, and support as other families and no child should be denied that kind of environment.” “The Trump Administration has once again demonstrated how they prefer to prioritize the gross work of anti-LGBTQ activists over the safety and well-being of our children,” she added. From Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality:

“This rule is an abuse of taxpayer dollars in the name of empowering hatred and bigotry towards society’s most vulnerable members. Stigma and prejudice are fueling a public health crisis among transgender people across the country, one that manifests itself as suicide, addiction, intimate partner violence, and HIV. Enabling providers of life-saving services to worsen these crises by rejecting transgender people is a moral crime and a severe abdication of HHS’s mission to preserve public health.”

More from Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign’s Charlotte Clymer:

Anti-LGBTQ Christian conservatives, however, were thrilled. Tony Perkins, of the anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council, announced, “Thanks to President Trump, charities will be free to care for needy children and operate according to their religious beliefs and the reality that children do best in a home with a married mom and dad.”

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‘Straight Pride Parade’ Group Announces March In Dallas

2019 Boston ‘Straight Pride Parade’ (images via screen capture)
They’re baaaaaaaack! The folks who created the sad failure that was the Boston ‘Straight Pride Parade’ this past August are planning another shindig to take shots at the LGBTQ community. Alt-right hate group Super Happy Fun America posted an announcement on their Facebook page they will be heading down to Dallas, Texas, on November 16 to hold a ‘March’ they say will “bring awareness to the fact that we as the American people are allowing our values and morals to be compromised!” “We need to stand up and stop this from happening!!!,” continues the post complete with 3 exclamation points. “NO MORE COMPROMISE!!!!” Four exclamation points and all caps must mean they really, really mean it!!!! The title of the event seems to be ‘Protect Our Next Generation.’ From what you may ask? Well, the list of topics planned for discussion include: • Sex/Human Trafficking • Legalized Prostitution • Marriage values (One man and one woman) • Abortion (It is murder) • Genders (There are only two; XX as female and XY as male) • Ploys of the RADICAL left-wing LGBTQ groups trying to shut down our businesses and churches. • Drag Queen Story Times (Stop pushing this onto our children) Sounds like real ‘super happy fun,’ huh? “Straight people are an oppressed majority,” says John Hugo, president of Super Happy Fun America. “We will fight for the right of straights everywhere to express pride in themselves without fear of judgment and hate.” He adds, “The day will come when straights will finally be included as equals among all of the other orientations.” Because nothing says ‘oppressed’ like being over 90% of the population. Of course, the initial ‘Straight Pride Parade’ in Boston was a huge failure with only a couple hundred supporters showing up. The parade-goers were actually outnumbered by 1,000+ pro-LGBTQ counter-protesters. And then there’s the Modesto, California, ‘Straight Pride’ event that flopped bigly in August drawing only about 20 attendees. As in Boston, they were outnumbered by hundreds of counter-protesters. Those folks couldn’t get a permit to hold their rally in a city park, so they did their thing in front of a Planned Parenthood. #EpicFail (source: Facebook)

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Religious Trumper Rants On “Mayor Pete Buttplug”

‘Coach Dave’ Daubenmire (screen capture)
A religious fanatic on YouTube who goes by the handle “Coach Dave” recently went on a rant attacking openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg calling the rising Democratic presidential candidate “Mayor Pete Buttplug.” “Coach Dave,” whose real name is Dave Daubenmire, shifted his focus from being a high school football coach to online “ministry” after he was sued by the ACLU for forcing his players to pray. He recently posted a video on his “Pass the Salt” YouTube channel vomiting homophobic slurs at Mayor Pete complete with chyron which read “Pete Buttigieg for President or First Lady?” Daubenmire begins by telling his viewers that “Mayor Pete Buttplug would be just another mayor in America if he didn’t have a… a…husband?” How is it Daubenmire can’t comprehend a man having a husband, but he’s fluent in the parlance of butt plugs? “So he doesn’t even take the leadership role in his home, because he has a husband, he being the wife,” Daubenmire said. “If he’s the wife, does that mean he is the inserter or the insertee? Which role would Mayor Pete play?” No, Coach Dave, men are husbands and women are wives. Is this difficult to understand? “We’re living in a culture and a society where we are giving serious consideration to a man who performs oral sex on another man,” he added.  “I’m sorry, we have to make this stuff unthinkable.” “He’s probably a great guy, probably a great neighbor,” Coach Dave offered. “But what he does in the privacy of his own home is, in fact, his own business until he wants to be president of the United States. And then when he wants to be president of the United States, I’d like to do some scrutiny on what type of moral character this guy has.” “And I’m just telling you this: If this guy’s moral character involves doing what I believe he does, has to do, in order to have an orgasm, I got a problem with it.” So, we all need to know and judge what a president does in the bedroom? Daubenmire ended his rambling discourse with the decree, “We need to make homosexuality unthinkable again, folks. It needs to go back in the closet.” Sorry, Coach. Not gonna happen.

In case you don’t know “Coach Dave,” some of his more noteworthy pronouncements include saying that the gays want to “kill Christians,” and that Christians should be allowed to bully gay people. Oh, and he finds “male butt sex” to be inconvenient. Meanwhile, his own son was arrested and charged with having child pornography in his possession. He ended up being sentenced to five years probation plus a $1,000 fine. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

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Reddit: ‘High School Bullies Apologized To Me And I Told Them To F*ck Off’

(image via Depositphotos)
A thread on the AskGayBros Reddit raises some questions about being bullied in school and how to respond to an apology years later. One Reddit user posted, “My former high school bullies apologized to me for being homophobic and I told them to f*ck off. Yet for some reason my friends told me I’m being an a**hole. Why?” The post goes on to say the bullies “tormented” him through high school making his life “a living hell.” He adds that he landed in the hospital twice due to the bullies’ behavior, admitting one hospital visit was the result of a suicide attempt. When asked how the apology occurred, the poster shares that it came “out of nowhere.” According to the poster, the bullies “‘claim’ they’re no longer homophobic and they ‘claim’ to be incredibly sorry” for their behavior back in high school. The posters’ friends said they understood his anger acknowledging he didn’t “have to forgive them” but also that he didn’t “have to be an a**hole about it.” He concludes writing, “If you apologize with the expectation of forgiveness, you’re truly not sorry.” Responses on the thread were split. “You don’t have to accept their apology at all,” replied one commenter. “I do agree that grudges can hold people back. But are you thinking about this person all the time that it hinders your ability to function normally or grow? If not, then I don’t think it’s a problem.” “If you want to forgive do it for you, not because people or society made you feel bad for not giving your bullies the peace of mind they stole from you.” “You don’t owe it to anyone but yourself. If their apology made you feel better and if you would feel relieved forgiving then you do it. If you want them to f*ck off your life then you tell them, like you did.” On the other side of the equation, some folks felt the original poster’s response was over the top. “I agree with your friends,” shared one Redditor. “You do not need to forgive them, but you should’ve taken the high road in just telling them that what they did was wrong and you cannot forgive them for the pain they put you through.” “I agree with your friends,” said another. “You do not need to forgive them, but you should’ve taken the high road in just telling them that what they did was wrong and you cannot forgive them for the pain they put you through.” And this advice was offered: “You don’t want to be stuck in the past, or tormented by memories of the pain and humiliation you suffered. It is not good for you to hang onto grudges. By holding onto that pain and need for revenge, you are allowing them to continue bullying you. every time you revisit those memories, you are just injuring yourself over and over. You DO need to forgive them.” While we don’t have all the details as to the extent of the bullying the original poster experienced (at one point it’s shared that the bullying occurred 8 years ago), it does raise questions about how people move past bullying some LGBTQ people encountered in their young lives. Is it ‘holding a grudge’ to not accept an apology? One commenter pointed out that several people called the original poster out for being a “toxic person,” but said that is missing the point – that the original poster’s anger is a product of being bullied. Does hanging on to anger allow the bullying experienced years ago to continue to drag us down? Readers, what do you think? Have you ever had someone from your past who hurt you reach out years later with an apology? If so, how did you react? Let us know in the comments section. (source: Reddit)

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Tennessee Commissioner: “We Got A Queer Running For President!”

Sevier County Commissioner Warren Hurst (screen capture)
During a commission meeting in Sevier County, Tennessee, Monday night Commissioner Warren Hurst decided he had somethings he wanted to get off his chest. While the public meeting was meant to discuss a pending vote on becoming a gun sanctuary city, Hurst shifted topics. “We got a queer running for president – if that ain’t about as ugly as you can get,” said Hurst with a toothpick in the corner of his mouth. “Look what we got running for president in the Democratic party. We can go over here to Hoss’s jail [Sevier County Sheriff] and get better people out of there than those running for democratic to be President of the United States.” “I’m not prejudiced – but, by golly, a white male in this country has very few rights and they getting took more every day,” added the 77-year-old commissioner. “Now, your kids and your grandkids is gonna pay for what we’ve let happen.” Local news station WVLT reports one woman stood up and left the meeting telling Hurst, “This is not professional. This is [expletive].” But many attending the meeting laughed at Hurst’s comments. Hurst later defended his comments to WVLT saying he stood by his remarks but claimed – get ready for it – that ‘some of his best friends’ are African-American. Of course, they are. On Tuesday morning, Perrin Anderson, assistant to the Sevier County Mayor, issued a statement denouncing Hurst’s remarks: “The statements made by Commissioner Hurst at the Sevier County Commission meeting of October 21, 2019, do not reflect the opinion or position of Sevier County administration,” said Anderson. “Sevier County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or status in any other group protected by law.” Sevier County includes the cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (home of Dolly Parton’s theme park, Dollywood). Their economies survive on tourism, so you have to wonder why would anybody want to visit there now? You can watch Hurst’s comments below. https://www.facebook.com/WVLT8/videos/520357218510468/

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First UK Chick-Fil-A Location Set To Close One Week After Opening

Chick-Fil-A

Following the opening of the first UK branch of Chick-fil-A restaurants last week, the eatery is already facing closure. The controversial fast-food chain, which has attracted negative attention for years due to donations to anti-LGBTQ organizations, opened its first outlet at The Oracle shopping center in Reading, Berkshire. When the news was announced on a local Facebook page, the comments got pretty heated with many familiar with the restaurant’s history of supporting homophobic organizations chiming in. “Not a company I would want to support regardless of what their food tastes like!” wrote one commenter. “Shame they are choosing our fabulously diverse town to ‘test’ in!” “I totally agree with you!” added another. “I’m American and cannot support this business. It is anti-gay… anti-LGBT.” “You have literally got to be kidding me,” declared a Reading resident. “You do know just how blatantly homophobic they are? I’m ashamed of all involved in allowing this to happen, honestly. Utterly unacceptable.” “Vile won’t be eating there sadly until they stop their discriminatory and hate-filled policies!” A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A issued a statement following the opening:

“We opened a pilot licensed location at The Oracle Centre of Reading on October 10 and we are pleased by customer response. Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on serving great food and hospitality. We are represented by more than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs and welcome everyone.”

But today, the BBC is reporting a spokeswoman for The Oracle shopping center says “the right thing to do” was to not extend the fast-food outlet’s lease past the “six-month pilot period.”

“We always look to introduce new concepts for our customers, however, we have decided on this occasion that the right thing to do is to only allow Chick-Fil-A to trade with us for the initial six-month pilot period, and not to extend the lease any further.”

After statements in 2012 by CEO Dan Cathy who responded “Guilty as charged” when asked about opposing marriage equality resulted in much unwanted bad press, the company shared on its Facebook page it would change course and focus on chicken leaving the “policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.” But ThinkProgress reports the company has continued to donate to anti-LGBTQ organizations like the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. (source: BBC, ThinkProgress – image via Depositphotos)

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Drag Queen To Aaron Schock: ‘You Can’t Have Your Cake & Eat It Too’

For months now, the LGBTQ media has reported on totally-not-gay former Congressman Aaron Schock as he’s turned up in photos and video clips making out with gay men at Coachella, tipping go-go dancers at gay clubs in Mexico and posing on the beach with gay social media mavens. The interest in Mr. Schock is borne out of the fact that while in office he openly opposed LGBTQ rights. His public positions and anti-gay votes included supporting a  constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and voting against the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He has never apologized or addressed his reasons for such policy positions while continually denying he is gay. He’s never publicly come out. His most recent foray into LGBTQ social life was a visit to the popular West Hollywood bar Revolver when he attended a karaoke night hosted by local drag queen Jonnie Reinhart. When word got back to Reinhart that Schock was in the audience, Reinhart felt a responsibility to do or say something.

In a video post to his Facebook page, Reinhart admits that he’s not “a confrontational person,” but in light of Schock’s well-documented hypocrisy, couldn’t shake a sense of obligation to address Schock. In his video, Reinhart says he knows there are folks who would have loved to have seen Schock thrown out of the bar or had a drink thrown in his face. “My job is to literally make people feel comfortable and in comes this situation, where clearly other people were aware he was there,” Reinhart recently told Insider.com. “There was a general elephant in the room.” https://www.facebook.com/JonnieReinhart/videos/2482800321758244/ Instead of calling Schock out on the microphone, Reinhart decided to perform “F*ck You” by Lily Allen. As the song began, Reinhart told the crowd, “This song goes out to someone in the audience. And it goes out to anybody who votes against gay rights.” Reinhart figured that would send a subtle message, and expected Schock to leave. But after the song, a friend of Schock’s approached Reinhart to chat, which inspired the drag queen to speak to the former congressman directly. Like many, Reinhart believes Schock still owes the LGBTQ community a public apology for his anti-gay positions.  “Keep in mind, my blood was boiling, my heart was pounding,” shares Reinhart in his video. “So I went up and shook his hand and I explained to him why I was upset that he was there, why other people were upset that he was there, and I basically told him that he wasn’t going to be welcomed in gay spaces until he began the process of apologizing and healing the harm that his actions have caused.” According to Reinhart, Schock listened and expressed appreciation for addressing him directly. Addressing his political record, Schock apparently told Reinhart “that he did not identify as gay at that time, and it wasn’t until years later that he began to explore and understand his sexuality.” Then, Schock shared with Reinhart “his experience of being publicly outed” and how his family had reacted to the news of him being gay. “Basically, he told me his family’s reaction was not positive, it was very bad,” shares Reinhart. “And he insisted that he wasn’t looking for sympathy, and he said that he was working on putting out a statement.” Reinhart didn’t go into Schock’s personal details that were shared in the conversation that night since “he’s actually no longer a public official.” Schock apparently asked about Reinhart’s own coming out experience and the drag performer shared that he was publicly outed when he was 13, so he grasps how difficult it is to be outed. But, says Reinhart, “It doesn’t excuse his [Schock’s] behavior.” “I told him that he can’t have his cake and eat it too, and I told him that I’ll be waiting for his statement,” added Reinhart. “He told me that he hoped that he could talk to me again, we shook hands, and that was that.” Reinhart concludes by telling the viewer his goal in the conversation was to “extend an olive branch,” adding “I believe you can have a respectful conversation with somebody while still telling them that they have f*cked up and they need to do better.” While I find Reinhart’s civility in his encounter with Schock admirable, it’s worth noting that Schock has now been out and about with his openly gay forays for several months. If he’s planning to address his anti-LGBTQ past, how long does it take to pen a statement? As I have previously reported, Schock left office in public disgrace in 2015 amid corruption charges including mail fraud, filing false tax returns, theft of government funds, and more. In March, he was offered and accepted a sweetheart deal by federal prosecutors who agreed to drop all charges if he repaid $68k to his campaign fund and $42k to the IRS. (source: Insider – images via Facebook, Instagram)

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Sports Radio Host Called ‘Fag’ By Radio Station’s Own Twitter

In response to the recent kerfuffle regarding New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees filming a video PSA for the virulently anti-LGBTQ group Focus on the Family, New Orleans sports radio host Seth Dunlap penned a thoughtful, candid open letter to the Super Bowl MVP. In the essay, posted to Dunlap’s personal Facebook page, he took time to express his sympathy for Brees’s position after catching blowback for the “Bring Your Bible to School Day” video. Dunlap noted Brees’ public position of his personal Christian faith and acknowledged the quarterback most probably had no idea of the ugly policies promoting by Focus on the Family which include battling marriage equality, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, any anti-bullying programs and enacting hate crime laws. But the open letter also addressed Brees’ response to the backlash he received wherein the quarterback clapped back “negativity spread about” him by folks who pointed out the uncomfortable connection between a football hero and a group certified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. I won’t dissect Dunlap’s full essay here, but I encourage you to read it here.

Thoughtful, pensive, and very non-adversarial, the radio host picks up on a word used by Brees in his response – ‘shame’ – and connects it to shame he’s experienced at times being an openly gay man. At every turn in the letter, Dunlap is respectful in his attempt to perhaps educate Brees on who and what Focus on the Family represents to the LGBTQ community. So it must have come as a shock to the sports radio show host when the Twitter account for his own station tweeted an ugly response to him. After posting a topic to listeners on his Twitter account asking “Which of these 5 ‘overreactions’ isn’t actually an overreaction?’ in the sports world, Dunlap received a response (that was quickly deleted) reading, “That you’re a f*g.” It would take about five hours for the station to address the homophobic tweet. This was the statement issued via tweet – please note that there is no apology to Mr. Dunlap included. “We are aware of a tweet that went out today from the WWL account,” read the statement. “The content of the tweet is categorically offensive and abhorrent to the station. We are actively investigating this incident and will take swift and appropriate action once we determine how this occurred.”

Listeners were not impressed with the non-apology:

 

 

 

 

 

For his part, Dunlap played the classy move and stayed above the fray:

Big Easy Magazine notes that when Dunlap opened his show on Tuesday night, he focused on how Monday night’s Saints game brought everyone together. “White, Black, Latinx, men, women, straight, gay – nobody caring,” said the veteran radio host. “If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to be a part of something like that, it could be a truly religious experience. And that camaraderie, that togetherness, is what makes sports so special. We can set everything aside and just be ourselves.” Bravo, Mr. Dunlap, bravo. (source: BigEasyMagazine)

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Homophobe Screams ‘You Are Desecrating The Name Of God! You Will Be Murdered!’

On Sunday afternoon, as Adam Eli, a community organizer in New York City, made his way out of the 28th Street subway station, he was followed and verbally harassed for being gay. Eli, who is openly gay and Jewish, told local news station PIX 11, “I’m sort of assuming they read that I was gay cause of the purse and also I have a patch on my butt,” referring to a pink handbag he was carrying and a gay pride patch on his jeans. The man had apparently tapped Eli on the shoulder on the subway and ordered him to remove his yarmulke. Eli declined. As Eli exited the station, he began recording the encounter on his phone which quickly went viral. https://twitter.com/aewerner/status/1171062243317997568 As the man followed him, he pointed directly at Eli and demanded he remove his pink yarmulke (kippah). On the video, you can hear Eli ask, “Because I’m gay and wearing a kippah…is that why?” “You’re desecrating the name of God,” said the homophobe as he began quoting verses from Leviticus. “You will be murdered! Take the kippah off.” Continuing down the sidewalk, Eli told the man, “No – this is my life and my city. I don’t have to take my kippah off.” “Stay in the closet!” yelled the man, his voice rising in volume. “Make sure your closet is in another closet! Take your kippah off! This is not Judaism!” “I’m cisgender, white, I have a social media platform I have resources and that’s the type of violence that I’m getting,” Eli told PIX 11 in an interview. “If that’s the type of violence that one of the most privileged members of our community is getting, can you imagine what it’s like every day in the subway to be a trans person or a gender non-conforming person or a queer person of color?” In a series of tweets, Eli explained his reasons for sharing the encounter with his followers. “ I spent the first 18 years of my life listening to people tell me I couldn’t be gay and Jewish,” he began. “Today I love my queer Jewish identity and nobody is taking that away from me.”

Eli says he didn’t report the incident to the police because he “didn’t see how that could help.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became aware of the encounter and tweeted his support writing, “It takes courage to confront homophobia and tell a story like this.” “I’m sorry you had to go through this, Adam,” continued the mayor. “But we’re proud of how you responded. There’s no place for hate in this city.” https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1171230660104740865