Memphis City Councilwoman threatened for supporting gay rights

[dreadgeek]

So now even *supporting* gay rights can make your life dangerous even if you aren't gay yourself.

From HuffPo:

Janis Fullilove, a councilwoman in Memphis, Tenn., received death threats Tuesday over her support of protection for gays working in city government.

Fullilove said that she received four threatening calls that referred to her support over the non-discrimination ordinance and also found a dead cat on her lawn.

Police have said the calls, which Fullilove said had threatened to kill her, were serious enough in nature for them to place officers on patrol by her house for protection.

Following the incident, Fullilove contacted Jonathan Cole of the Tennessee Equality Project, who spoke to reporters.

"If a city councilwoman -- a prominent person in city government -- can experience this kind of threat and intimidation, what about the individual employees who work for the city who may be work for sanitation, or police or fire?" Said Cole.
But the threats have not been enough to sway her stance on the issue.

"Her position is unchanged," said Cole.

Full-article here

On a different note, I am proud of both Fullilove and Sherrod for standing up to bigots. Black women have rocked the news cycle this last week.