Cowardly homophobe sends anonymous hate mail to mum of gay teen for flying ‘sick’ Pride flag in her yard
The hateful letter was sent to Jessica Hanks, the mother of a gay teenager (Facebook)
A woman in Canada has received violently homophobic hate mail – all for the simple crime of flying a Pride flag in her garden.
Jessica Hanks, who lives in Wetaskiwin, recently won a grand prize in her town for decorating her garden.
A Pride flag was among the decorations – and one of the residents of the city in Canada took issue with her display of support.
Hanks – who is the mother to a gay child – was horrified when a letter was posted through her door telling her that the LGBT+ community is “sick”.
“I started crying. My daughter was standing beside me as I read it and my daughter is gay,” Hanks said, according to the Pipestone Flyer.
The anonymous letter, which was typed, said: “I would imagine you expect this correspondence to be on [sic] of congratulating you for being the grand prize winner.
The mum in Canada received a hateful letter calling the LGBT+ community and Pride flag ‘sick’.
“But I am very sad to say that while perhaps your effort of decorating was good, you apparently have no pride in being a true Canadian in that I do believe that was a multi-coloured ‘flag’ hanging on your fence indicating the ‘sick’ portion of our society.”
The bizarre letter claimed that the Pride flag was contributing to their city’s “horrific” reputation.
“Just like the ‘Pride’ followers have no place in society and certainly not in Wetaskiwin,” the anonymous writer added.
I started crying. My daughter was standing beside me as I read it and my daughter is gay.
“I have lived in Wetaskiwin for nearly 50 years and when I first came here I was extremely PROUD of Wetaskiwin, and PROUD to be a tax-payer of Wetaskiwin, but the last eight to ten years have done nothing but degrade the city and its residents.”
The hateful letter was sent to Jessica Hanks, the mother of a gay teenager (Facebook)
They closed out their vitriolic letter by lashing out at Pride crosswalks in the town, and said they hope Hanks was not involved in creating them.
“If you were, SHAME ON YOU!!!” the letter ended.
The community has united in outrage and horror at the ‘disgusting’ letter.
Hanks shared a photo of the letter in a Facebook group page for her community.
“Is this what Wetaskiwin is about?” she asked. “On the heels of the inclusive rally. I get this. In my mail box. No name no return address.”
She continued: “I am proud as hell to support the LGBT+ community. As the mother of a gay child. She is not sick. She is not disgusting. She is perfect in EVERY SINGLE WAY.
“I was born here. Thirty-four years I’ve spent here. I love my community. I pay my taxes. I pay my dues. I’m a good person. And this shook me to my core.”
Hanks received a flood of support from concerned locals in the city in Canada, who were shocked to learn that somebody with such staunchly homophobic views was living in their community.
Among those who offered their support was the city’s mayor, Tyler Gandam.
“Such a brave, brave person leaving an anonymous letter,” he commented.
“If the person who wrote this, sees this post, please know that I was one of the people who proudly helped paint the Pride crosswalks on Main Street this year and last year.”
He added: “I’m proud of the city I live in and get to be the mayor for. I hope that we continue to build inclusivity in our community.
“If you’re unhappy with how things are and need help finding a realtor, please let me know, I’ll be happy to help!”
Other Wetaskiwin locals hit out at the letter writer, calling them a “coward” and branding the letter “disgusting”.
