The video is vile. The hate is palpable. The location is shocking.
A Fort Lauderdale neighborhood in Middle River, just across the border of Wilton Manors, was the site of a vicious verbal attack, the kind that might not stand out in places like Alabama, Mississippi, and other rural areas.
But in Wilton Manors, it gets noticed.
Tyson Baker shot video of an argument with a woman who, he says, has been harassing him and his partner.
“I honestly am so frustrated between my partner having a panic attack and the messages,” he said.
She dared him to post the video, so he did.
“Put me online you fucking faggot. You disgusting faggot.” She continued, “And you know what? I know where your car is. So when we move, guess what.”
“Is that a threat?” Baker replied.
“You disgusting fucking faggots. Fuck you too. You probably have AIDS you gross fucks.”
You can see police in the video. They worked to de-escalate the situation and no arrests were made.
The woman dredged up all the greatest hits: disgusting, faggot, AIDS, personal threats. In an interview with OutSFL, Baker calls it what it is.
“It’s not political, it’s personal. It’s homophobia.”
While we are declining to name her as OutSFL has not talked with her or independently confirmed her identity, she was identified and her place of employment was tracked down. She was fired immediately.
The company, Valley Forge Fabrics, issued a statement saying, “Hate has no place here.” It also reads, “We want to be absolutely clear: the views expressed by this individual do not reflect the values of our company, our culture, or the principles we uphold.”
Simmering Under the Surface
Baker says this has been building for a long time. He says the woman and her father have been parking on their lawn despite not living in the building. He also says they don’t clean up after their dog.
Baker says he left a note on the car and that’s when things started going from bad to worse, culminating in the video from April 6.
“She doesn’t belong in civilized society. She is not civilized,” he said.
While a painful episode, Baker is grateful to the community for rallying around him.
“I want to thank [the] gay community for their support. It’s been beautiful. We must expose hate for what it is. Learn to love more and hate less.”
Screenshot via OutSFL Live, YouTube.
