There are evil people even in the most tolerant societies. A reader e-mailed me this post where Washington Blade Executive Editor Chris Crain tells how he was bashed in Amsterdam, “arguably the “gay-friendliest” place on the planet.
When Chris and his boyfriend were walking through central Amsterdam, a man spat in the face. He turned around and asked him why. Punches flew and before he knew it, seven men were kicking and punching him. While he got some nasty bruises, he suffered no broken bones. He wrote, “Standing up for yourself can have consequences, but not standing up for yourself can, too.” He concludes his post:
we all know that we cannot legislate away the hate some people feel about us for openly and honestly living our lives. For as long as I live, I will never forget the looks on the faces of our attackers. What I saw was more disgust than hate, but it was there, and it was chilling.
I hope our gay friends in Holland realize that it’s a bit too soon to declare victory and go home, now that they’ve won their legal battles. Winning the hearts and minds of the people will be a much more challenging task.
Read the whole thing and join me in wishing Chris a speedy recovery from the injuries he suffered.