Comments on: Gay Animal Rights Activist Attacked

By: Sara

Sara — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:01:41 +0000

The community supports Nathan 100%

By: easyVegan.info » Blog Archive » “NO ONE IS FREE WHILE OTHERS ARE OPPRESSED”

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:43:20 +0000

[...] MFA’s press release: Dayton, OH – Nathan Runkle, the 24-year old openly gay founder and Executive Director of the [...]

By: Intimidation and hate is the province of cowards « Burroughs Adding Machine

Intimidation and hate is the province of cowards « Burroughs Adding Machine — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:48:38 +0000

[...] out of a gay nightclub on Saturday. From the Mercy for Animals (the nonprofit Runkle founded) press release: Runkle was briefly hospitalized after sustaining two facial fractures, a broken nose, deviated [...]

By: pdxvx

pdxvx — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:49:39 +0000

Nathan,

What sad news. All pain is impermanent, unlike the advocacy you do for animals which echoes eternally. Get well, Animal Rights needs you since they are still under attack and you were targeted because of your notoriety and effective organizing. The experience makes you a living connection between the like suffering of minorities and that endured by the majority of domesticated beings. Health, strength & my best wishes are yours.

Thank You
Oneness Bless You

By: Jo Alex SG

Jo Alex SG — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Sorry for the mispellings and mistypings:impunity,hatred,etc.

By: Jo Alex SG

Jo Alex SG — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:50:38 +0000

No words can convey my feelings of horror and despise for the creature who ´s hurt you in this cowardly and despicable way.Unfortunately,the attacks on us gays of all sorts will go on around the world,as long as lack of (true) punishment also keeps prevailing.The country I was born and live in(can´t say it´s my country,actually)is known inpunity.However,I was disappointed when up there in the US, Matthew Sheppard´s parents allowed their dear son´s killer to escape death penalty for the sake of compassion,cause, by doing so,they actually(though unwillingly,of course)left the way open for more of these hartred attacks,cause monsters such as these do not feel remorse, nor guilty,since they think we are to be loathed, and killed…
Subliminarly, most of societies still blame us gays for what we are(other ones,such as muslim societies in their thick majority, actually kill us openly)and deep inside most people do not feel really the same about a murder if the victim is gay,no matter how harsh this may sound and overstated (I have noticed this here in Brazil ever since I was born and I´ll be 49 in Feb, so it´s not a brief period of observation).I have often even heard common people say they´d rather have a criminal son/daughter than a gay one…despite the ridiculous assertions of some gay organizations here that prejudice gainst gays is in decline here.

I will try to send you the best healing vibes I can manage to but please do take care: you are precious for us vegs(let alone to us gay vegs) and both as a human being and a most valuable worker for the cause,your life is a treasure, so keep it safe enough!
Yours, Jo Alex( Jorge Alexandre de Sousa Gomes)

By: msalabama

msalabama — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:28:02 +0000

Dear gentle Nathan . . . . thank you for careing for the innocents. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope the monster who harmed you is caught and prosecuted to the fullest.

By: Dean

Dean — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:31:48 +0000

This crime is utterly despicable. I am so very saddened for Nathan and those close to him, and wish him a speedy recovery. And I hope that the perpetrator is discovered and brought to justice.

With the passage of anti-gay legislation in various states on November 4, most notably in California (Proposition 8, which amended the constitution to take rights away from gays and lesbians), anti-gay hate crimes have also been on the rise. It is vital, therefore, that the LGBTQ community, along with their straight allies, organize to counteract this tide. We must be visible, we must be unified, and we must mobilize as many people as possible to get out there and fight for our rights. Not doing or saying anything is unacceptable. Elie Wiesel, noted Holocaust survivor, said it best:

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

By: Max Pearson

Max Pearson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:09:16 +0000

I hope Nathan recovers soon. I notice that his attack has been mentioned in some blogs – but I wasn’t able to find anything about it by doing a Google News search. I’d like to write about this on my website, if I can get more information.

By: Kathie

Kathie — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:26:50 +0000

Nathan – my best wishes for a speedy recovery, and proper justice!
As someone leading a vegan and heterosexual lifestyle, I find this attack on Nathan abhorrent. This once again shows the connection between our violence to the other sentient beings of this earth and the violence towards the human animal – for whatever reason – this one obviously related to his sexual preference – but, I would also say the attacker possibly knew about Nathan’s work to free the other animal species from human torture. I agree with another commenter – this attacker is a Neanderthal or worse! Here is a quote that AAVS provided to me that definitely applies to this situation: “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.” Thomas Edison
And a couple more:
“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not created for humans any more than black people were created for whites or women for men.” Alice Walker
“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That is the essence of inhumanity.” George Bernard Shaw (our fellow creatures should include ALL human animals, also)