Victim of Homophobic Hate
On Sunday evening, 19 year old Marcellus Richard Andrews was declared dead. Andrews serves as yet another example of the price the LGBT community suffers and the world suffers from homophobia. When elected officials and state Supreme Courts declare a certain population to be less than human, fearful bigots feel free to bully, harass, and even kill LGBT members and anyone that is gender non-conforming.
Andrews was merely sitting on his back porch; little did he know he would be murdered:
She said the problems started at about 12:45 a.m. Friday when she and Tudia Simpson, her cousin, went for a walk down the street. Andrews opted to stay behind, waiting on the enclosed porch, she said.
The two women hadn’t made it as far as Adams Street a block away when they heard yelling back at the house. They ran back and found a truck stopped in the street, and the occupants were taunting Andrews, calling him “faggot” and “Mercedes,” a feminization of his first name, Simpson said.
As of yesterday, there were no arrests made. Can you imagine what LGBT teens must feel when Republican candidates for the President of the United States sign a pledge to discriminate? The message Bachmann and the other blood stained Republicans are sending is that it is okay to bully and murder gender non-conforming people. Rather than protecting all citizens of the country, they are pushing to discriminate.
For those that feel the LGBT community has made great social gains, I offer you the fact that violence has increased overall by 13% against LGBT people. Maybe Mark Bachmann needs to repair the hate in his heart instead of trying to “repair” people that are perfect the way they were born. Hate has a price and it is not isolated. Right now the Tea Party and Republicans are going after the LGBT community, but I can assure you, they will persecute another population. Who will be next? Muslims? People perceived to be “anti-American?” This is the specter of Fascism.
Social Justice For All 
this is so terribly sad — where did this occur?
In Iowa, where the Republican candidates signed their “pledge.” Iowa where two state Supreme Court Justices were ousted from their seats for supporting Marriage Equality.
In Waterloo, the hometown of Michele Bachmann. Imagine that.
It’s utterly tragic. A young man just starting life, starting college, who was already an inspiration and leader to the kids in his church. And he’s gone, his life extinguished just as it began to blossom.
Yes, quite tragic.