Jerry Pittman Jr, on the right and his boyfriend, Dustin Lee.
No one would be surprised to learn that there are right-wing Christians in this country who disapprove of homosexuality. Neither would it come as a surprise that in rural parts of this country, Christianity and homosexuality when brought together, can create a highly combustible mix.
But who could imagine the hate and rage that would motivate a Pastor to instruct deacons and members of his congregation, Grace Fellowship Church in Fruitland, TN. to physically attack a couple arriving in the church parking lot last Wednesday?
The fact that one of the gay men attacked happened to be the Pastor’s own son, Jerry Pittman, Jr., no doubt contributed to Pittman senior’s noxious edict. According to Pittman Jr., after hearing his Dad yell, “SICK’EM!:”
“My uncle and two other deacons came over to the car per my dad’s request. My uncle smashed me in the door as the other deacon knocked my boyfriend back so he couldn’t help me, punching him in his face and his chest. The other deacon came and hit me through my car window in my back.”
The attackers also verbally assaulted the couple continually with anti-gay verbiage which continued even after a Sheriff’s Deputy arrived on the scene. Bystanders and other congregants made no effort to stop the assault. For that matter, neither did the Deputy Sheriff. Once the barrage of punches ended, the Deputy refused to let the two victims press charges.
Jerry Pittman Jr. and his boyfriend, Dustin Lee, have since filed charges against two of the men who beat them as well as Pastor Jerry Pittman. A hearing has been scheduled in Gibson County Court for Tuesday, October 4th.
One can’t help but wonder if Pastor Pittman really thinks Jesus would back him up on this assault?
I’m openly gay and from this area. I received the following info from pro-gay confidants in the area.
THere’s a lot more to this story than it appears in this story. The son and bf had been attending the church for 2 yrs without incident. THings got ugly between father and son when the son reported to his stepmother than his father was cheating on her. Divorce proceedings ensued (significant that, in the event the church folded, the church property reverted to the father’s name and would be part of the divorce) and the son still showed up for services on the morning in question. It couldn’t be proven that the father yelled ‘sick em’, but it became clear that, when the elders approached the son/bf to tell them to leave, the son lashed out first. Unfortunately for him this makes it self-defense in the eyes of the law and he killed his own case. Regardless, it’s also pretty clear that the elders used seriously un-Christian words – fag etc – against them in this incident, so shame on them. Can only speculate about the son’s motivation for showing up where he knew he was no longer welcome, but it’s not likely his main purpose was to worship.
This church and its founder/members are notoriously low class people. In the words of my mother when we discussed this, “What do you expect from trash?”
Hell is too good for these people, there needs to be a place even worse than Hell for the Grace Fellowship Church.
How about the 13th level of Hell where the souls ALMOST don’t survive, but they do to to feel the most agonizing pain!
(reiterating from my Facebook reply to this travesty, as no one took notice.) Now, I’m not one to perpetuate hate with more hate, but those “Christians” genuinely need to have the shit kicked out of them to teach them some humility. I highly recommend anyone in that area find these people and invoke street justice, because it’s unlikely that they will actually meet anything of the sort in this life or the “next”. Make them bite the curb and pay for their sins. In regard to the sheriff, he failed to perform his duty in a very blatant fashion. Punish him.
P.S. The ultimate justice would be for the hate filled bastards to go to jail and become someones bitch.
Dictionary: Mental Illness (noun) any of various disorders in which a person’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviour are so abnormal as to cause suffering to himself, herself, or other people.
Wow. The story is about a southern, presumablely Baptist church. Actually, though your comment is at the other end of the spectrum politically, I think you and Destiny would get along just fine. Bigots and hatemongers, who feel better when they besmirch the target of their aggression. I’m sure you will probably aim a few choice comments my way in your own witty fashion, but I will pray for you.
Unfortunately, all sorts of abominations have been carried out with ‘good’ people looking on. Are they scared to countermand authority, afraid the same thing might happen to them? Or do they just respond to peer pressure. the glaring example of this is Hitler’s extermination of the Jews. Evil will prevail when good people do nothing.
@LoveEveryone
Excuse me, but White people were not the first ones to use slavery at all!
In fact Egyptians, Jews, Arabs, muslims and christians (middle eastern) were using slavery in their societies long before Europeans (whites) in fact between 900ad and 1500 ad muslim arabs regularly sailed to the shores of Europe and the UK specifically to capture white slaves, this was long before the British empire, and Europeans used slavery. Europeans were the last people to adopt it.
And actually black African elite slaved their own kind, sold them to Arab slave drivers, and later European elite slave drivers.
I’m sick of people branding slavery as a “white” thing. That’s utter nonsense.
And here is a little known facttoid, the US was the last ‘civilized’ country to abolish slavery by about 100 years if my recollection is correct.
Actually, I think Brazil had slavery for awhile after we abolished it. But your point is well taken; we were way late to get that memo.
I know this “church” does not represent all Christians, so let me note that my comment is directed at the Hypo-Christians only.
My word! Do you people even read your own Holy Book?? No, seriously?!
To all those using OT Leviticus and OT stoning laws as your arguments against Gays I say this. Do you follow the NT, therefore leaving (at least a large portion) of the OT behind? If the answer is yes, than you have to let these idiotic arguments go. At least Jewish people follow all the OT Leviticus Laws and not just pick and choose like you lot. Mixing clothes of two fabrics, working on the sabbath, eating shellfish were all considered abominations in the eyes of the Lord. And don’t give the ol’, “but Saul/Paul did a ritual and made it OK” shtick. Who do you people follow? Saul/Paul? Or Jesus?!!
Jesus Himself said, he who is without sin casteth the first stone. So who among you are sinless?? That’s right no one!!
Jesus would be ashamed of you all.
/rant
The fact that one of the gay people is the pastor’s son makes it creepier than just it being a pair of gay people. Where is the father’s love of a son? Did the son want to ask the father for the love he never got? Did he expect it to work out this time after never having worked before? What kind of monster is the pastor and what kind of Gadarene swine are the parishioners to follow the father on his monstrous course. I think the gay son is better off not hoping, however painful that might be. Maybe being beaten up will help the son give up his hope of being loved by his father.