Who would have thought that throwing a going away party, for another gay friend, and inviting over all of the people that cared about him could lead to such a thing? To hear the things I heard is one thing, but to actually have hands laid on me is another! Seeing a woman defend my pride, and then get hurt because of it, tore me apart. I stepped in to protect her, and ended up getting beat into unconsciousness! They called us f***ing fagots, queers, and said we were going to burn in hell because of it. When I regained consciousness, I honestly felt okay. But then looking around at every single person that cared about me, balling their eyes out and shocked, it hit me. I wasn’t okay. I quote, “he looked as if a truck had hit him”. Yes, I was shaken, but oh no, I am not defeated! It is time to make the change in Oklahoma, to protect everyone! I launched a Facebook campaign and a petition to make it happen, and here is what it can change!

Sexual orientation and gender identity are not currently protected under Oklahoma’s Hate Crime’s law. How would you, the reader, feel if someone you loved was assaulted because of his/her gender identity and/or sexual orientation, and then was not even protected in their own state? This is what happened to  me, personally, and countless other Oklahoma citizens, and we feel this law must change to include anyone and everyone that could be discriminated or assaulted because of his/her sexual orientation or gender identity.