As the trial for an Oshawa man accused of beating a lesbian couple continues, some Oshawa residents say the November 2008 incident stems from hatred towards homosexuality and ignorance within the suburban community.
"It's a closeted community where the gays and lesbians hide . . . because of fear of being beaten up, bashed or harassed," said Jayme Harper, Ontario director of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), a gender-identity and sexual orientation support charity.
Harper said he also notices "a higher tone of racism in the Durham Region."
He and about a dozen members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community in Oshawa have attended both days of the trial for 44-year-old Mark Scott, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault after Anji Dimitriou and her partner, Jane Currie, were verbally and physically assaulted outside their children's elementary school.
Both Dimitriou and Currie told Ontario Court Justice Katrina Mulligan that Scott attacked them in the parking lot of Gordon B. Attersley public school.
Both women testified that Scott asked Dimitriou, "Which one of you f------ 'men' talked to my kid?" Both women said he called them "dyke bitches."
They told the court Scott punched Currie once and Dimitriou twice.
Read the full story here. For some reason I can only seem to find any coverage of this story at Global News, I guess the others don't think suburban gay bashing is important? This story is from Friday.
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