A march is planned Saturday afternoon in downtown Austin in response to an anti-gay hate crime that occurred there last weekend. The march will go from Oilcan Harry’s, a gay bar on Fourth Street, to Austin City Hall. This is the same route two members of the Shady Ladies gay softball team were walking when when they were assaulted by four men Friday night. From the Facebook event page:
Hi Everyone,
Late last Friday night on February 19, two of our players were on their way home from OCH after attending Softball Austin’s Jersey Night which kicks off each new softball season. All of our players, including Matt Morgan and Emmanuel Winston, were wearing their Shady Ladies jersey as part of the festivities.
As Matt & Emmanuel began their walk from OCH to their car at City Hall, they didn’t notice the four men following them. When they got close to City Hall, the men ambushed Matt & Emmanuel uttering slurs about their sexuality and violently beat them before running away. Their only motivation in the attack was hate.
Our community needs to come together and take a stand against Hate and let our Austin Police and City Leaders know that they need to do more to ensure the safety and protection of all Austinites who make that same walk every night.
This Saturday afternoon, we are holding an “Austin March Against Hate” and we want to get the entire community to come join us as we all walk together with Matt Morgan and Emmanuel Winston as we take that same walk from OCH to City Hall. We will gather at OCH starting at 2PM on Saturday, February 27, 2010 and we will march from OCH to City Hall at 3PM!
We will all be wearing our Shady Ladies shirts. If you participate in any of Austin’s many GLBT sports leagues, please wear your team’s jersey as well.
Many of you have also asked about wanting to buy a Shady Ladies shirt to wear and we will have those available for purchase on Saturday for just $10.
So let’s get the entire community unified this Saturday afternoon and take a stand against hate!
See everyone on Saturday!
Thanks,
Shady Ladies Softball Team
I am not an Austinite, but I do frequent Austin as much as I can. I have been to OCH on sever occasions and I enjoy the freedom that Austin offers me to express myself. I will be attending the march on Saturday to support what Austin stnads for and the liberation it has given me and my fellow gays. I hope that everyone will show up on Saturday to support this cause. We can beat hate.
Native heterosexual Austinite; and will say I am ashamed not only that this happened but at the lack of coverage this is getting in Austin. We always say this is a progressive liberal city. But that is only when it is convenient for those in power and those with money in Austin. When crimes like this happen, it is surprising how deaf Austin becomes.
It breaks my heart that people can commit such ugly acts, how dare they…. I’m a heterosexual woman and mother of four and if one of my children ever committed an act like this against anyone, I would have them arrested myself whoever did this and Im sure they know who they are should be ashamed of themselves and Karma is a B*&^%………. so GOD bless Emmanuel and Matt and ill be seeing you this Thursday