Jim Roth Assaulted

[ljbab728]

Openly gay former public official attacked outside Oklahoma City bar by man who used anti-gay slurs | News OK

It's really sad that this could happen in OKC, but it seems to be possible anywhere. The reaction of the public and bar owners is very reassuring

[BBatesokc]

That is too bad. I've casually known Jim for several years. He's always been extremely nice and gone out of his way to greet my wife and I whenever we are at the same functions or establishments.

[catcherinthewry]

It's very sad that clowns like this who are so ignorant and close minded still exist. I hope the attacker is brought to justice.

[Mississippi Blues]

This really irks me. Maybe I'm just a little sensitive in the mornings, but this is really unnecessary. I've never met him personally, but he seems like a really good person. Like ljbab728 said, it's good to see the public & bar owners stand behind him.

[dankrutka]

Glad to see there's an outrage at this kind of crap . I hope they catch these cowards.

[PennyQuilts]

That's ridiculous - what is wrong with people? Roth showed a heck of a lot of class regarding the matter, and kudos to the ones not putting up with such anti social behavior.

[Spartan]

Openly gay former public official attacked outside Oklahoma City bar by man who used anti-gay slurs | News OK

It's really sad that this could happen in OKC, but it seems to be possible anywhere. The reaction of the public and bar owners is very reassuring

Not really. And therein lies the difference between southern cities and northern cities.

[Mississippi Blues]

Not really. And therein lies the difference between southern cities and northern cities.

It could still happen anywhere, including the North believe it or not. Bigots exist everywhere, not just the South, contrary to popular belief. & Oklahoma is borderline southern anyways. It may seem southern to someone who lives in Cleveland, OH, even though you're from here & have spent most of your life here, but to someone who has spent a large part of their life in Jackson, MS, there isn't a thing southern about OKC & Oklahoma besides it fits in with the stereotypes (obviously).

Note: Understand that I'm not saying there are no differences between northern & southern cities, plus homophobic or racist controversies are more prone to happen in a southern city, but it happens all over the world, not just in TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, TN, KY, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA or any other states someone considers southern (Maryland, Delaware, & D.C. are considered southern by a lot of people).

[king183]

Not really. And therein lies the difference between southern cities and northern cities.

Sorry, Spartan, but that's an ignorant thing to say. As someone who has lived in two major northern cities, I'd witness this kind of stuff on a regular basis.

[ThomPaine]

Not really. And therein lies the difference between southern cities and northern cities.

Well, it can happen anywhere, it really depends on which parts of a town in the north you happen to be in. Not as frequent, but still possible.

We still have some work to do here. I noticed they disabled the comments, which is normally not a good sign.

I wish him the best.

[adaniel]

Well, it can happen anywhere, it really depends on which parts of a town in the north you happen to be in. Not as frequent, but still possible.

We still have some work to do here. I noticed they disabled the comments, which is normally not a good sign.

I wish him the best.

FWIW, the Oklahoman disables all comments pertaining to violent crimes.

[HOT ROD]

^ or controversial, unless it is controversy/scrutiny which the D'Ohk wants to create (particularly anything pro-T party/anti-Obama related - you can surely count on commentary and even solicitation for those). ...

[LandRunOkie]

I'm left wondering why they tried to create a publicity stunt out of this shameful episode of violence. Also alluding to what great men their grandfathers were when the proprietors themselves lacked the courage to do the right thing was inappropriate. Why would I care what their grandfathers were like when they allow cowards to bully the weak on their premises. I feel they should have done the right thing when they had the chance rather than pander to "everybody" in an advertisement.

[CaptDave]

The assault occurred after Roth left in an attempt to diffuse the situation if I understand correctly. The jackhole(s) followed him outside and that is when the confrontation escalated. I don't think the owners of Grandad's are trying to profit off it, but are drawing a line on unacceptable behavior at their place. I doubt the cowards will be welcome there in the future.

[Steve]

I'm left wondering why they tried to create a publicity stunt out of this shameful episode of violence. Also alluding to what great men their grandfathers were when the proprietors themselves lacked the courage to do the right thing was inappropriate. Why would I care what their grandfathers were like when they allow cowards to bully the weak on their premises. I feel they should have done the right thing when they had the chance rather than pander to "everybody" in an advertisement.

You have a fundamental misunderstanding of what happened. Also, fyi, Jim Roth did NOT seek any publicity. The reporter obtained a police report of the incident and contacted Roth.

[workman45]

Luckily this is a situation where a few a$$es are not going to ruin things for everyone.

[bluedogok]

Yes it can happen anywhere, it happens a few times a year in Austin and a few times the victim has died from his injuries. Not all make the news but if you know enough gay people and you hear about the incidents. There has been a few here in Denver (one death that I know of) since I moved up here and it even happens in places like NYC, Boston, Chicago and DC. Idiocy has no geographic limitations.

[HOT ROD]

True that

[BBatesokc]

I'm left wondering why they tried to create a publicity stunt out of this shameful episode of violence. Also alluding to what great men their grandfathers were when the proprietors themselves lacked the courage to do the right thing was inappropriate. Why would I care what their grandfathers were like when they allow cowards to bully the weak on their premises. I feel they should have done the right thing when they had the chance rather than pander to "everybody" in an advertisement.

I had a copy of the report sent to me and how you are depicting/imagining the flow of events is not how it happened.

Its a no win for the bar.... if they are stand up citizens and post the ad they are looking for marketing kudos - if they do nothing they are cowards and condoned the bullying.

[LandRunOkie]

No the c-word I reserved for the assailants, not the owners. Still given their background with Roth, its a big ask they made for a higher level of morality from their patrons when they weren't willing to protect one of them.

[ljbab728]

Interesting that you seem to be the only one with that attitude. Methinks you're trying to create a controversy where none exist.

[Mississippi Blues]

Interesting that you seem to be the only one with that attitude. Methinks you're trying to create a controversy where none exist.

Methinks you're probably right. It's never enough that something happened in a public venue & the owners stepped up & said they don't support that kind of BS at their establishment, someone has to try & turn it into them playing the situation to promote their bar & they should be frowned upon for publicly condemning a nonsense situation.

[soonerguru]

This reminds me that people burned the flag on Al McAffrey's lawn. I recall a lot of posters here saying there was no way he was targeted for being gay. Guess what, it happens, and it happens in places where you wouldn't even imagine -- like Granddad's.

I've been there a few times and cannot imagine the crowd there attracting bigots like this, but I guess they're more common in OKC than any of us would like to admit.

It's sad that 1) Roth felt the need to leave the bar; and 2) this happened at a birthday celebration. What a drag. His comments were very classy but I'm surprised he hasn't already left OKC for friendlier pastures, where you don't constantly have to hear you're going to hell for being a ***, etc.

[ljbab728]

As other posters have mentioned, something like this can and does happen everywhere.

Why would you think the crowd at Grandad's attracts bigots? Bigots are everywhere in OKC but maybe not as common as you seem to think just because one makes the news. As unfortunate as this is, it's not an everyday occurance here which is what makes it very sad.

As for your last comment, you can't run from bigotry and you don't constantly hear what you are concerned about unless you are visiting with Sally Kern on a daily basis.

[boitoirich]

I went to Grandad's with a group of friends a couple months ago -- all of us gay men, professional in both attire and manner (not that it really matters but, to be sure, in certain places it helps). We were enjoying the Thunder game when we overheard some men slurring us. We made the decision to leave right away, even though I wanted to stand our ground. After all, we had every bit the right to be there as anyone else. Now I must say that Oklahoma City circa 2013 is a much different place than Oklahoma City circa 1993. I feel comfortable and welcomed in many places throughout the city more than I have at any time in my life. But it strikes me as eerie, alarming, and sickening that this event (1) could ever occur and (2) was foreshadowed by my own experience there.

To counter the remarks of someone I respect on the forum, this is not isolated to certain places. I have been called a f**got and a n*gg** in other places I have lived, including Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. These are isolate events, just like what happened to Mr. Roth, and do not reflect the mores of the general population. In fact, I would say that the growth and leadership Oklahoma City has shown to LGBTQ issues is one of the major achievements the city has seen in the past two decades and is a testament to the revitalization of our home. If any person asked me if this is a welcoming community to diversity, I would say "You are certainly welcome here -- just be prepared to be challenged on political grounds rather than physical ones." I would not have said the same thing when I left nearly 15 years ago.

I am happy to see that everyone here is showing support and, for the most part, sensitivity to this issue. And as sickened as I am about the events that have happened, I also feel more a part of this community than I ever have because of the way you all have rallied in support of Mr. Roth and the owner of Granddad's. This spirit is what makes Oklahoma City great, but that's just my rose-tinged opinion.