“Christian” group launches verbal attack on LGBT students

by Rachel Irick
Staff Writer

A public altercation on the South Oval campus at the University of Oklahoma (OU) stopped just short of violence today when members of “Justice for All,” an organization that grew out of the Wichita, KS and Miami, FL chapters of Trinity Baptist Church, shouted epithets and insults at students and passersby.

Beginning a loud demonstration yesterday claiming their purpose is to educate for women’s health and waving banners with aborted fetuses, the group was purportedly confronted by Christian and LGBT students today who expressed their distaste for the disruption in their school day.

Once the sexual orientation of one lesbian student became known, the Christian group reportedly hurled insults such as “disease-spreading whore” and “fag” at the student.

Atheist and anthropology student Kevin Logan was among the students who took exception to the militant group. “We showed them their sources were wrong or inaccurate, and that really seemed to agitate and anger them,” Logan said.

Logan said he was not a member of any specific organization, “Just decent people, me and my friends, trying to do the right thing and stand up for people. We don’t want censorship. We want the trash taken out. This kind of thing doesn’t belong in a peaceful educational environment.”

“We will contact the university and students,” said Troy Stevenson, Executive Director, Freedom Oklahoma. “We will find out if this is a hate group or simply free speech on campus. And while we don’t like what is being said, no one is being directly targeted, freedom means freedom for everyone.”

Stevenson added that it’s important to remember that this type of hate still exists in our society and that we have a lot of work left to do to make sure the people quit saying these things; they quit thinking them. Stevenson will be on campus this evening.

The Gayly is awaiting a response from OU spokesperson Catherine Bishop.

The Gayly – 11/03/2015 @ 2:36 p.m.