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Loading ...Billboard Featuring Openly Gay Marine Vandalized
A bold move made by the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center resulted in vandalism, when a billboard featuring a gay marine was destroyed.
The billboard, which is one of five was intended to make a big statement for National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, featured openly gay veteran Tim Smith.The billboard features a posed photograph of Smith in uniform with the quote, “I’m gay and I protected your freedom.”
The former marine expected some backlash, but was not prepared for his image to be completely destroyed by vandals.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Smith has been discriminated against due to his sexual orientation. Just weeks before a deployment to Iraq, Smith was kicked out of the Marines under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.’ “It was the result of a minister pushing the issues of my being gay and being allowed to continue to serve,” Smith revealed in an interview with myeyewitnessnews.com.
Despite last weekend’s vandalism, Smith believes that change is in progress and that “the person or persons who did this are of a dying breed and that kind of hate is a dying hate.” The veteran also assured myeyewitnessnews.com that, “The billboard will go back up. As soon as the materials and prints come in, that billboard will go back up.”
The vandalism is being investigated the Memphis police as a theft of property rather than being classified as a hate crime.
A lot of your stories lack the pictures that go with a story.Now I will have to google to view this billboard.
they could have carved a swatstaca & burned a cross while putting a target on this solders face saying aqll gays must die & THE MEMPHIS police would call it. A childhood prank! After all it is tennesse.
Clearly those who use lies to support their opposition to LGBT equality are also afraid of people hearing and seeing the truth about how LGBT persons support, protect and defend our society for the benefit of all. When you are full of hate, the truth is offensive.
Brave guy. Here’s a link to picture of billboard before and after.
http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/to-gay-usmc-smith-your-billboard1/
As a member of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center, I wanted to let you know that the billboard is back up. We had a wonderful equality rally today (October 1): “Raise Your Voice.” Tim spoke eloquently. It was a proud day for our community. I truly hope that this will encourage everyone to stand up and be counted for who they are, not just here in Memphis but anywhere.
@jessieka–you said “After all it is tennesse.(sic)” Three things. First, proper nouns are capitalized in English, unless they’re lower-case in a stylistic presentation (like a club name). This isn’t one of those times. Second, there are two e’s at the end of Tennessee. When you put down my home state and can’t spell it, it makes me think you might be from one of our more benighted neighbors–perhaps Arkansas or Mississippi. But I won’t be rude and presume. Third, why do you feel compelled to cite Tennesseeans as bigots? You haven’t heard about Prop H8 in California, or the bashings in New York? Oh…that’s right…Southerners have a monopoly on racism and homophobia, which is why “Do the Right Thing” and American History X” were both set somewhere in Dixie, yes?