Homeless Tennessee Man Beaten Unconscious Because He’s Gay

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A homeless man in Tennessee says he was beaten unconscious after he revealed he is gay, and he believes it was a hate crime. Glen Ortmann, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, says his eyes swelled shut, yet because there are few homeless shelters, he’s forced to return to “Tent City” by the railroad tracks, where his attack took place, because that’s the only place he can stay.

Local NBC affiliate WSMV says Ortmann is considering moving to Nashville because he fears for his life:

“It makes it 10 times harder when you’re gay and homeless at the same time,” Ortmann said.

Ortmann said over the weekend he walked right into a trap after recently revealing he’s gay.

“It was a big crowd, and all I remembered really is being hit once or twice and being knocked out cold,” Ortmann said.

His right eye was swollen shut. He also suffered a busted lip and a badly bruised nose. His entire body was filled with pain.

“I was sore,” he said. “My head was mainly sore from the beating I took.”

The homeless man said he has no doubt in his mind he was targeted by the other homeless people at the camp because of his alternative lifestyle.

“I was beat up because I was gay,” Ortmann said. “It’s considered a hate crime. It’s against the law to put your hands on someone to begin with.”

The victim was able to give police a couple of names as possible suspects, so detectives are trying to track them down.

 

In July, nine county chapters of the Tennessee GOP condemned Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, a Republican, for hiring an openly-gay staffer and a Muslim lawyer.

Just one week prior, William Owens, an African-American pastor in Tennessee, who identifies himself as “a religious liaison” for NOM, said men having sex with dogs is no different from gay marriage.

In May, a Tennessee yearbook teacher was transferred after a half-page interview positively depicting a gay student appeared in the school’s yearbook

Tennessee of course is home to infamous state Senator Stacey Campfield, the sponsor of the Senate’s ”Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Note: Being gay is not an “alternative lifestyle.” Characterizations like that are what foster an environment that continue the cycle allowing hate crimes to continue.
WSMV Channel 4
Hat tip: Towleroad