Oklahoma Teen Beaten for Being Gay
February 29, 2012 by Dan Rafter, Online Campaigns Manager
An Oklahoma teen was brutally beaten at a party this weekend, and it appears homophobia was the central factor in the attack. According to Fox 23, 18 year-old Cody Rogers was attending a party in Tulsa. Party-goers in the apartment were using homophobic slurs, which prompted others to ask them to leave the party. At that point, one of the men using the slurs allegedly attacked a female in the apartment. When Rodgers stepped in, he became the victim of both a brutal assault and vicious anti-gay slurs.
Unfortunately, similar attacks take place against LGBT people all across the country. What makes this particular incident so disturbing, however, is that it takes place in Oklahoma – where just last week anti-LGBT state lawmaker Mike Reynolds (R-Oklahoma City) pushed hard for a bill that would have stripped municipalities of their ability to protect sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination policies.
Earlier this year, Reynolds was pushing legislation that would have implemented an even more extreme version of the archaic “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on Oklahoma’s National Guard. Reynolds’ actions send a dangerous and false message – that LGBT people are second-class citizens not worthy of the same respect, recognition and protections that other Oklahomans receive.
Oklahomans for Equality is supporting Rodgers. He’s also set up a Facebook page. Watch his interview with Fox 23 below.
Oklahoma has no hate crime protections that cover LGBT people. Because of this void, the attack on Cody is being classified as a simple assault.
