Three men arrested after dragging queer man behind their car

3rd September 2020

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The group had harassed the couple after spotting them holding hands.

Three men have been arrested and charged with assault after they dragged a queer man behind their car after spotting him holding hands with his partner.

The victim has asked to remain anonymous so that he doesn’t receive further harassment.

Simcoe reports that the attack happened last Friday (28 August) along the Orillia waterfront, and that the man was dragged for 25 metres, but thankfully was not seriously injured.

The three men in the car harassed the couple several times as they walked along the waterfront, initially shouting profanities and homophobic slurs, before returning and throwing a beer can at them. When the car returned again, the victim approached the vehicle to confront the group about the harassment.

At this point, the driver became aggressive and drove off, dragging the man down the road. The police were called and located the vehicle after a short amount of time, and arrested all three occupants.

James Ley, 23, was charged with assault and dangerous operation of a vehicle, while Eric Artindale and Roarke McCooeye, both 21, were charged with assault. All three men were released on the promise to return to court on 17 November.

Last week, Canadian radio host Jason Morissette had his leg snapped after he confronted a group of homophobic street preachers.

In a tweet, he wrote: “I stood up to anti-gay evangelical bullies in the West End this evening, and they purposefully broke my leg for the trouble. I don’t know why I did this. It felt like the right thing to do and no one else would. I’m going to have metal plates in my leg for the rest of my life.”

About his injury, he added: “My leg is super fucked up, and that sucks. But the violent man who did this to me would have done it, or possibly much worse to someone else down the line had he not been arrested tonight. I have prevented harm to someone I will never know, and they won’t know I did it either.”

And in a separate incident, Jessica Hanks, a Canadian woman living in Wetaskiwin, was sent a vile homophobic letter after she flew a Pride flag in her back garden.

The letter, from an anonymous resident who claimed to have lived in the area for 50 years, said that Hanks couldn’t be a “true Canadian” because of her visible support for the LGBTQ+ community, even though Canada frequently ranks as one of the most LGBTQ+ inclusive countries in the world.

Thankfully, Jessica’s community rallied around her, and the town’s mayor, Tyler Gandam, wrote: “If the person who wrote this, sees this post, please know that I was one of the people who proudly helped paint the Pride crosswalks on Main Street this year and last year.

“I’m proud of the City I live in and get to be the Mayor for. I hope that we continue to build inclusivity in our community. If you’re unhappy with how things are and need help finding a realtor, please let me know, I’ll be happy to help!”