Verbal attack by homophobes on gay Kamala Harris campaign volunteers in Pennsylvania (exclusive)

Two gay men campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris campaign in rural areas Pennsylvania On Saturday, they were verbally attacked with homophobic slurs and violent threats, and the incident was recorded on video. Jason Bello and Justin Coniaris traveled Washington, D.C.north to Stewartstown maryland State limit for volunteering for the campaign. Although they were shaken, they say the encounter strengthened their resolve as Election Day approaches.

According to Bello, the incident began when he and Coniaris left his campaign office to scout nearby neighborhoods. The office displayed campaign yard signs in a private office park where the campaign paid for rented space. While Bello and Coniaris were walking in the garden, a man passing by began shouting insults and obscenities through his car window.

In a video of the incident, the man can be heard saying: “Get your little fucking asses out of this town. We don’t need you in this fucking town. You little fucking asshole. Go suck each other’s dicks somewhere else, you fucking fuckers, before I point a gun at you. Also, go back and do the whole campaign.” He threatened to remove his signs and shouted, “I’m going to come back and rip all your damn signs off you.”

Bello said the two were confused at first.

“We were disturbed, but a crazy man was yelling at us as we passed by, so we got over it,” Bello said. But the situation got worse when the man followed them into the parking lot and confronted them. Bello videotaped the interaction. “I was so scared at that point. Especially when he said, ‘Before you put a gun to those assholes.’ We were just standing between him and the road. I had no idea what was going to happen.”

Evaluating this encounter, Bello said that he feared for the safety of himself and Coniaris, who was in the man’s way. “I was really worried he was going to hit Justin, so I was yelling at him to get to the other side of the barrier, but thankfully the guy in the car sped past me,” Bello said. “Our goal was just to de-escalate the tension and get him to leave as quickly as possible.”

“It was obviously scary at the time,” Bello added. “This made me think about how one-sided the hate is. “A Trump supporter might feel uncomfortable in a very democratic district, but I don’t think many Trump supporters would feel physically unsafe and threatened the way this man makes us feel.”

In a statement LawyerJack Doyle, communications director for Harris-Walz Pennsylvania, expressed gratitude for the men’s participation and reiterated the campaign’s commitment to volunteer safety. “Our campaign is dedicated to keeping our staff and volunteers safe, and we are grateful to these individuals and the thousands of volunteers for giving up their time to help build a new path forward for our country,” Doyle said. “Unlike Donald Trump, who continues to sow division and hatred, Vice President Harris will be president for all Americans and fights to ensure that everyone can live and participate in our society without fear of discrimination or threat of violence.”

Despite the hostility, Bello and Coniaris chose to continue the campaign. Bello described the rest of the day as “inspiring” as they spoke to a large number of local voters; some of them expressed gratitude for their presence. “We talked to a lot of voters,” Bello said. “We talked to people who expressed gratitude for us being there. We helped people learn more about candidates. “We helped people understand how to vote.” Bello said he felt like the day made a real impact. “One of the pollsters told us that an average of 5 voters per district decided 2020. “I’m sure the day we spent there made a difference for at least one voter, and that made it all worthwhile.”

Bello hopes the debate video serves as a wake-up call for voters. LGBTQ+ community. “I hope any LGBT person who sees this video will understand that this election is also about us,” Bello said. “Trump enables this hatred. “This fuels hatred.”

Bello added: “This is what generations of queer people before us endured, no matter how intense it was, and it is our turn to be there and face the hate. Hate is real. I feel so bad for the people who have to put up with this every day in places like this. “As long as the hate is real, I’m happy to have my share of it.”

He urged other volunteers to continue the campaign and resist intimidation.

“My only hope is that people see this video and are motivated to go out and investigate this week (and) weekend,” Bello said. “Don’t let it scare you. “The only way we can fight this hatred is to not back down and win this election.”