In yet another display of homophobia and gay hate, a 27 year old straight man from South Dakota was punched and beaten for calling out a woman using anti-gay slurs. Drew Barthscher, father of two, were just leaving a bar with friends when he overheard a woman saying "these fucking faggots" to her boyfriend. Drew then approached the woman and told her that the F word was rude.
That's when things turned south. The boyfriend yelled at Drew, saying "what the F@%& did you say to my girlfriend?" then punched him pretty well.
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| image courtesy ofthegailygrind.com |
Here's the report from KELO-TV:
“I’ve got a little bit of a headache, but mostly from the incident my teeth hurt,” Bartscher said.
Though he says he’s a bit embarrassed about his shiner, he’s not ashamed of what he did to get it. Bartscher posted the photos of his injuries almost immediately afterward. A caption that reads, “Stand up for what you believe in. Love everyone.” Bartscher, who is straight, said he was not standing up for himself.
“That makes me think about my friends and my family and if that was said to them, like, just how hurtful words can be,” Bartscher said.
Bartscher talked to officers shortly after. Police received two assault reports from this same early morning, and confirm one of them matches Bartscher’s story. The couple he mentions got away before they could be questioned. Violence against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community is still a major issue all over the nation, and the world. There are resources, including The Center For Equality in Sioux Falls.
The world is full of crazy people, but by the looks of it a good number of decent people also exist. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to what is right, and I admire Drew for taking action on what he thinks is right. We need more people like him, individuals who do not simply stand aside letting ignorant people do hateful and hurtful things as they please. All hope is not lost.
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