Soon after, a group of guys pulled up in car at a stop sign, and he said to them, "that guy is a fag over there," and the group of guys then yelled at me and my dog, "fag!"
This isn't the first time I've been called a fag in public, and it certainly isn't the first time I've been called a fag by more than one person at once.
I've had to deal with this sort of behavior from people all of my life.
I moved on with my day.
Later as I was coming home from doing errands, and as I turned onto a street on my scooter headed for home, I saw the same neighbor in a white truck heading toward me.
Instead of minding his own business, he veered toward me in an attempt to run me off the street.
I bought my condo 18 years ago, and although I am aware of bigots in the neighborhood, nothing like this has ever happen to me.
This act made me feel deeply sad, and it was then I realized I was no longer safe in my own neighborhood. The same neighborhood where I pay taxes, where I contribute by walking around and picking up trash, the one that I feel a part of.
This self-proclaimed Christain man not only frightened me, but he made me feel unsafe in the neighborhood where I lived and loved for so many years.
I couldn't ignore what he had done, so I called the police and filed a police report.
For the next year and a half, he stalled the case from going to court. When he could no longer put it off, he wrote a letter and passed it out to his neighbors asking them to come to court and clear his name. In the letter he named me and gave out my address.
Before the court case could be heard, I endured my car being vandalized, my bathroom window being broken out, and a myriad of other types of harassment, but I didn't give up.
I testified in front of a grand jury as to what he had done. I took every call from the DA, I showed up at every court hearing, and today I showed up for the final court hearing.
He enlisted neighbors that stood up for him, one who witnessed him calling me a fag. This Christian woman blatantly lied to the court under oath stating she didn't hear anything when she was standing just feet from him.
• Bias Crime (Class C Felony)
• Menacing
• Reckless endangering another person
His driver's license was suspended for 90-days, and he was ordered to 80 hours of community service in a gay bathhouse (just kidding).
In addition, he was put on probation for five years, and not allow within 100 feet of me for 3 years.
I feel so vindicated!
To those of you claiming to be a Christians but spread lies and hate, and only follow the commandments when it suits you, the world has had enough.
We are not going to back down from your ridiculous hate speech or tolerate violence, your bigotry, or your hypocritical religious dogma.
I will never stop fighting.