Proud same-sex couple turn ‘terrible act of hate into something good’ after cowardly homophobe burns ‘f*g’ into their front garden
The homophobic slur was burned with chemicals into the couple’s front lawn. (Facebook)
A gay couple in Ohio had a vile homophobic slur burned into their front lawn, but they are turning the “terrible act of hate into something good”.
Bradley O’Dell and his fiancé Mike Stone have lived in their home in Arcanum, Darke County, for about a year.
O’Dell told WHIO TV: “I grew up in this town. I moved back for a reason and that’s because I know this community as a whole is great.”
But on May 22, the couple discovered that their front lawn had been vandalised, with chemicals used to burn the homophobic slur “fag” into the grass.
Stone said: “I never in a million years thought I would see that in my front yard.
Am I p**sed? Livid like you’ve probably never seen me.
“I’m angry, I don’t understand. But, as a gay man, I feel like I’ve gone through this before. It’s almost like it comes with the territory.”
“Am I p**sed? Livid like you’ve probably never seen me,” Stone wrote on Facebook.
“Did I go right ahead and mow that s**t down and go about my day? After filing a police report and finding out many of our neighbours have security cameras that cover our block, you flippin’ bet I did.”
Couple turn hate into love, raising thousands for charity.
The couple wanted to prove that “love always wins”, so they turned their anger into action and used the incident to fundraise for local charity Have A Gay Day, which helps create a safe space for the local LGBT+ community.
The couple raised more than $4,000 (£3,200) in just five days.
O’Dell said: “If you’re struggling with who you are, regardless of how you identify yourself, there are people out there that will support you. And there are people there to help you through those tough times, you don’t have to do it alone.”
Arcanum police chief Marcus Ballinger said an investigation was ongoing, and the charges are unclear as Ohio has no law protecting people from hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation.
Ballinger said: “It all comes down to what the prosecutors office decides how they want to proceed. Right now we’re in the investigative phase of the case.”
