From 365gay.com comes news that an arsonist has burned down and destroyed the community’s only gay club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Studio 716 was completely destroyed by the blaze. The club was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived shortly after 7:00am a Fayetteville fire official said.
Fire investigators say it appears the fire was set inside the building. It is the second at the club in the past four weeks. A June 26th fire damaged an exterior wall of the building and also has been ruled as arson. No arrest was made in that incident.
The club’s Web site has been updated with a message thanking customers for their support and calls the fire “an unprovoked attack”.
Meanwhile the investigation continues into a fire at a gay-supportive church in Middlebrook, Virginia. The FBI has joined local fire investigators to probe the blaze at St. John’s Reformed United Church of Christ. The church was badly damaged and anti-gay graffiti was found on the outside of the building. The July 9th fire came just days after the United Church of Christ endorsed a resolution July 4 endorsing same-sex marriage.
Why can’t they leave us alone?
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+ at 4:11 pm
[...] Thanks to a little research and QueerlyKos (via Dispatches from the Culture War), I’ve been reminded how little difference there is between Kansas and Arkansas. (We have more than spelling in common.) I lived by Studio 716 for years. I didn’t even know it was a gay bar until I found that article through Dispatches. I used to drive by it many times on the way home from work when stuff was going on there, but still never knew. That is how little they were in people’s faces about it. (Which, even if they were is obviously no excuse.) From what I can tell they just wanted to be left alone, which was apprently too much to ask. It’s like Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself unless he be different from thou.” At least that’s what they appear to be teaching now. Even if you can’t love and accept those that are different from you, why can’t you let them live in peace. Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]