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doctor in Southern California who is raising a son with his husband
in the district, also condemned Steel’s remarks.
“When I take care of patients on the front lines fighting
COVID, I don’t care who they are, whom they love or what they
look like,” he said.
“I know I would treat Michelle Steel fairly if she were my
patient. But she says she wouldn’t represent me and my family
fairly as our member of Congress. She is acting just like our last
Congressman, whom we fired, who thought homeowners should
be able to refuse to sell their homes to families like mine.”
Laursen added: “I’m on the front lines fighting COVID, but
she wants to represent me by saying that families like mine don’t
count. She’s saying that my 1-year-old son, my husband, and I
don’t really count as equal before the law in her eyes.
“The Supreme Court says we are, but she doesn’t. I know
this — I’m going to work extra hard to make sure that someone
like Harley Rouda, who values and fights for all his constituents,
continues to represent me in Washington, D.C.”
KFOR
Council
Brutal Beating
Gay realtor says he was beaten unconscious
in Oklahoma anti-gay attack. By John Riley
A
GAY OKLAHOMA REALTOR CLAIMS HE WAS BEATen
unconscious last week by two people who yelled
homophobic slurs at him and a friend. Christian Council,
of Edmond, Oklahoma, claims he and a friend were heading
home for the night when he says they encountered a parked car
blocking his parking space. He honked his horn twice, prompting
the car to move so he could park his car.
But Council says that as soon as they exited the car, a man and
a woman were waiting behind the car.
“It was clear that when they could tell my friend and I were
gay, or that we appeared to be gay, they knew they could do what
they did to me,” Council told NBC affiliate KFOR. “[W]hen they
saw us and saw what we looked like, they said ‘oh are you two a
couple of faggots?'”
The male member of a couple then attacked Council, kicking,
kneeing, and punching him, causing him to fall to the ground and
lose consciousness. Someone called the police, who arrived on
scene shortly afterward.
“When officers arrived he was still on the ground, all of the
involved parties were still there,” Master Sergeant Gary Knight,
of the Oklahoma City Police Department, said.
Council suffered a gash below his right eye, and swelling
on his head and body. He says it’s still hard to breathe. “I’m in
a lot of pain,” he said. “I’ll never forget the feeling of my neck
snapping back and forth every time he would hit either side of
my head.”
Council says the couple yelled homophobic slurs throughout
the attack, but that charge does not appear in the police report.
He believes the assault constitutes a hate crime. Police later
arrested and charged Amery Dickerson and Bennett Stone with
misdemeanor assault and battery. Both have been released without
being booked in jail.
Council claims he didn’t recognize the suspects, but was told
they were dropping off a friend at the building across the parking
lot from him. A GoFundMe has since been set up to help pay
for Council’s medical expenses and potential legal fees in a civil
lawsuit. The page has thus far raised more than $15,000.
“As a Realtor, Christian will need to cover his medical
expenses and also take some time off from showings as he
recovers. Christian also hopes to pursue a civil case against
his attackers. Any help to cover his expenses would be greatly
appreciated,” Jake Langford, the fundraiser’s organizer, wrote
on the GoFundMe page. “Any amount not used will go to a non
profit that supports victims of hate crimes.”
14 JULY 9, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM