This has to be probably the nastiest paragraph that I have ever had the misfortune to read. But it needs to be brought to your attention:
" (Tyler) Clementi had so much experience with online hookups that he must have started them prior to turning eighteen. When he was a minor, it's probable that he had liaisons with men who were older than eighteen and committing statutory rape. Seen through this lens, society failed not in fostering homophobia, but rather in allowing a culture of abuse to flourish online."
Tyler Clementi was the 18-year-old Rutgers student
who committed suicide in 2010 after his roommate taped him - without his knowledge - having a romantic encounter with another man.
His suicide sparked a huge amount of attention and helped to shine a light on the problems that lgbt youth have coming out, as well as that of bullying.
It was a terrible situation for everyone involved. And you would think that those who oppose lgbt equality would have at least a degree of decency and respect to allow him to rest in peace.
Don't fool yourself.
That repulsive paragraph is simply a minor portion of an
ugly piece of trash which links gays to pedophilia. It was written by National Organization for Marriage ally Robert Oscar Lopez. Lopez has been making a name for himself by claiming to be a man who was raised in a lesbian household.
According to
Equality Matters:
In March, (Lopez) was scheduled to speak at NOM’s anti-equality rally outside of the Supreme Court.His writing frequently appears on NOM’s blog. NOM has called Lopez a “hero,” touted his “excellent” testimony against marriage equality in Minnesota, and asked supporters to pray for him during his efforts to fight marriage equality. NOM has also repeatedly relied on Lopez’s testimony about being raised by a lesbian couple to argue against same-sex parenting. NOM’s allies have peddled this kind of extreme anti-gay hate speech
before. A July 3 blog post by NOM’s Ruth Institute similarly promoted
the claim that pedophiles would use gay marriage as a “cover” to acquire children for sexual abuse.
Also, according to Equality Matters, this isn't the first time a NOM ally has exploited Clementi's suicide and besmirched his memory:
And in February, NOM’s Jennifer Morse suggested that Clementi may have killed himself because he was exploited by a much older man. The Clementi family called on Morse to apologize for her comments, and she was eventually forced to clarify her remarks.
Tyler Clementi was a victim of ignorance. He was young man whose life was snuffed out by societal homophobia and basic nastiness. To throw out
nasty, unproven theories regarding his alleged sex life is vile and totally uncalled for. It not only dishonors his name, it disrespects him and his family, who are no doubt still grieving over his loss.
I hope that Lopez will take back his trashing of Clementi's memory.
Hat tip to Equality Matters
