Gay politician teaches homophobe a lesson… by calling his grandmother
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A gay US lawmaker taught an abusive homophobe a lesson he will probably never forget – by calling his grandmother.
Brian Sims, who is openly gay, is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The lawmaker came under fire from an angry homophobe on Facebook, when a troll branded him a “N****r faggot”.
The homophobic troll, who we will only refer to as David, was stupid enough to write the posts under his own name – and Sims got revenge in the best way, using information on the troll’s own Facebook page.
Mr Sims replied: “David, I can’t tell if you’re just a really dumb little boy or an angry bigot but I know for sure that you shouldn’t have posted your grandmother’s telephone number on your Facebook page.
“She and I just had a very disappointing chat about you. We’ll talk soon…”
Mr Sims’ reply has since gone viral.
The lawmaker explained to CNN: “Reaching his grandmother was certainly something I never intended to do… normally when someone like that uses that language, it’s because of something I’ve done.
“He didn’t have much up on his page. But if you click down a bit, he told people repeatedly to call him on a number.”
Dialling the number that was publicly available on the troll’s Facebook, he got in touch with the grandmother, who was “very frustrated and disappointed” with her grandson’s homophobic actions.
The grandmother promised to get her grandson to call Mr Sims and apologise.
Mr Sims added: “He and I did speak briefly. It did not resolve anything.”
However, his actions have earned him a new fanbase, and now his Facebook has been flooded with positive vibes.
One constituent wrote: “I’d like to take the time to apologize for this guy’s comment on your page. He doesn’t represent us at all. At least doesn’t represent me.
“We can agree to disagree on various issues, but I commend you to standing up for what’s right. I wish I had somebody represent me like you represent the great state of PA. Thank you, Mr Sims.
“I personally think it’s uncalled for to attack someone’s sexual preference or race. Again, I hope you have a great day.
“Keep fighting for what you believe in because some day I wish to join you.”
Another added: “Representative Sims, you are amazing.
“You demonstrated perfectly how fragile these tough guy keyboard warriors are. While a minority of them are as rancid in real life as they are on the internet, a majority are cowards who like to push limits from the safety of their homes.
“Keep up the good fight against the rotten bigotry that creates a culture of hate in this country.”
Sims was the first openly gay lawmaker to be elected in his state back in 2012.
He has been a champion of LGBT rights in the state – working to secure equal marriage, ban gay cure therapy and protect people from hate crimes.