Lesbian Couple In Parker Colorado Victims Of Hate Crime

Lesbian partners in Parker, Colorado say they are the victims of a frightening hate crime. Someone painted an anti-gay message on their garage and left a noose on their doorstep. “You get words like ‘homos’ or ‘you’re going to burn in hell’ and things of that nature, but ‘kill the gay?’ That’s a threat against our lives so it was overwhelming,” says Aimee Whitchurch. KDVR-TV reports that it is the message she and her partner, Christel Conklin found on their garage door last Friday. One day later, someone left a noose at their doorstep. “The noose is where it really became shocking and scary,” Whitchurch says. As a gay couple, Aimee and Christel knew their lives would not be easy, but they never thought their lives would be threatened. “Usually in public it’s fine,” Conklin says. “We can go places and be accepted, but living is a different thing. People don’t want you to be living near them.” The couple says the Homeowners’ Association at Prairie Meadows condo complex didn’t want them living there. The HOA has accused them of not picking up after their dog. But Aimee and Christel believe this is about their sexual orientation. “You don’t know who is targeting you,” Whitchurch says. “At first I thought it was kids until the noose.” The couple has been together for four years and they’re not going to leave their home because of hate. They say they saw someone from the HOA painting over the “kill the gay” message on the garage with white paint Sunday. Aimee and Christel put up signs on the garage door that read “We will not submit to hate” and “Don’t cover it, solve it.” Police in Parker are taking the reports of harassment seriously and they have increased patrols in the neighbourhood.