Gay Ball State student says attack was hate crime

A Ball State University student says he and his friends were attacked outside a Muncie bar because of their sexuality.

[ANDREA]

i hope you guys are ok i really hope soemthing gets done i'm a lesbian and i'm scared of the way our society is treating us these days! something needs to be done about these hate crimes

[GAReece]

Rare is not true; They just don't get reported because they Police will not do anything. Also the laws are weak if they are reported. As gays and Lesbians in Indiana we just don't count

[lala]

i don't agree with the lifestyle, but i also don't agree with hurting them. if you don't like gay people, fine. keep it to yourself and leave them alone.

i'm a bsu student, and hate crimes are not rare. we just don't talk about them. it's a shame, really. i was lucky enough to take a class this semester on hate speech, and we have a website dedicated to the impact hate speech has on indiana:
http://www.bsu.edu/learningfromhate
it's not much right now, but it will be updated within the next few months or so.

[lala]

wow... funny to see that White Pride's comments got taken off.

[James Thorpe]

lala wrote:

wow... funny to see that White Pride's comments got taken off.

White pride was an idiot. I am a white male and he made all of us look bad. I also don't agree with homosexuality, however, it is completely wrong for hate crimes. People need to grow up and realize everybody has the right to be different as long as one does not hurt other people. Hopefully people will just mind their own, and leave each other alone.

[lala]

James Thorpe wrote:

<quoted text>White pride was an idiot. I am a white male and he made all of us look bad. I also don't agree with homosexuality, however, it is completely wrong for hate crimes. People need to grow up and realize everybody has the right to be different as long as one does not hurt other people. Hopefully people will just mind their own, and leave each other alone.

Very well-said :)

[Dave in Indiana]

Thanks for your comment, lala, and I commend you for your efforts on the website (which I will be following, thanks!).

Kudos to you for recognizing and acknowledging that you do not agree with (or perhaps are just uncomfortable around?) a group or category of people --we all have groups that fit that category, most of us don't admit it. But YOU have even taken a further step, first declaring support for that group's basic rights and then (which is VERY rare) going out of your way to educate yourself about hate speach, and even working on a website. You exemplify what is the very best among Americans -- my hat is off to you!!!

lala wrote:

i don't agree with the lifestyle, but i also don't agree with hurting them. if you don't like gay people, fine. keep it to yourself and leave them alone.
i'm a bsu student, and hate crimes are not rare. we just don't talk about them. it's a shame, really. i was lucky enough to take a class this semester on hate speech, and we have a website dedicated to the impact hate speech has on indiana:
http://www.bsu.edu/learningfromhate
it's not much right now, but it will be updated within the next few months or so.

[lala]

Dave in Indiana wrote:

Thanks for your comment, lala, and I commend you for your efforts on the website (which I will be following, thanks!).
Kudos to you for recognizing and acknowledging that you do not agree with (or perhaps are just uncomfortable around?) a group or category of people --we all have groups that fit that category, most of us don't admit it. But YOU have even taken a further step, first declaring support for that group's basic rights and then (which is VERY rare) going out of your way to educate yourself about hate speach, and even working on a website. You exemplify what is the very best among Americans -- my hat is off to you!!!
<quoted text>

Thank you for your comment. It means a lot that the efforts by people like me and my fellow classmates are recognized.

It's a shame that class is offered only every other spring. The website is maintained by our professor, and our final projects for that class are then posted to the site after they have been edited for publishing. I definitely encourage you to check back for updates!

Thanks again for your comment :)

[Mingua]

my thoughts and prayers go out to the group of ball state students that were attacked. it is a shame that being human just isn't enough. People need to grow up.