south carolina again!

[E.J.]

Son Allegedly Beaten For Attending Gay Pride

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

LINK

(Anderson, County, South Carolina) Police want to question an Anderson, South Carolina man about allegations he assaulted his 18-year old son with a baseball bat when the teen returned home from a gay pride parade.

A police report filed by the teenager and obtained by The Anderson Independent newspaper said that the father yelled, swung the bat and tried to "cast the demon of homosexuality out of him."

The teen claims in the incident report that the 49-year old father prayed as he swung the bat. There is no indication he was struck.

The unnamed teen was then thrown out of the house.

Several days later when the teen returned home to pick up his clothes he alleges he was punched.

The police report said the teen told deputies that his father "has a problem with him being gay and that is why he hit him with the baseball bat Sunday" the paper reported.

Deputies are investigating both incidents but say they have not been able to make contact with the father.

?365Gay.com 2008

[Cole Parker]

I sincerely hope someone made contact with the father. Repeatedly and viciously.

It's immaterial to me whether they were praying while enjoying their retribution.

C

[E.J.]

UPDATE

Gay Teen Arrested for Filing False Hate Crime Report

By 365gay Newscenter Staff

LINK

(Anderson County, S.C.) An 18-year-old, who had told police he was beaten by his father after attending a gay pride parade, was charged Thursday with filing a false police report.

Dwight Clark Ables told police last week that his father yelled, swung the bat and tried to ?cast the demon of homosexuality out of him.?

He claimed his 49-year-old father prayed as he swung the bat and then threw him out of the house. He also said that several days later, when the teen returned home to pick up his clothes, he was punched.

In the report he filed with police, the teen said that his father ?has a problem with him being gay and that is why he hit him with the baseball bat.?

Investigators said Thursday they had found no evidence to support any of the allegations.

Ables is being held in a detention center awaiting trial.

[R.J.]

WTF, are these people so bigoted and stupid?

[JamesSavik]

In the South a coming out beating is expected...

[The Pecman]

I grew up in the South myself, and saw first-hand a lot of anti-gay feelings. I had to wait until I was 22 and move 2400 miles to LA before I could finally get the courage to come out.

Coming out in Florida wasn't an option for me. Maybe if I had known then what I know now, I might have been able to find the courage to do it, but I've always said, we come out when we're really ready... not necessarily when it's convenient.