Facebook group advocated the murder of gays

From one of my favorite sites Box Turtle Bulletin comes a bit of disturbing news. Apparently there was a group on Facebook whose sole purpose was to advocate the murder of gays:

Facebook has become a ubiquitous communications and organizing tool encompassing a whole range topics. Many of the groups are based on entertainment, hobbies, religion and spirituality, history, politics — you name it. Even hate groups advocating the murder of gays and lesbians.

One such hate group with a Facebook presence is the “Kill Out Dem Batty Man” group. “Batty Man” is Caribbean slang for gay men. Most of the group members appear to be from Trinidad and Tobago, although the Jamaican person who tipped me to it identifies the patois dialect as Jamaican. The Facebook group is listed under “Beliefs & Causes.”

Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin leading the charge of folks complaining, the group is now gone. But it bothers the hell out of me.

This group was not a joke. And it bothers me that someone would actually devote time and effort to the creation of something so hateful.

It bothers me that over 400 folks joined this group.

And it bothers me that a large number of those folks writing comments supporting the group were black.