A candidate for city council in Miami Shores, Fla., this weekend discovered several campaign yard signs had been defaced with anti-gay epithets.
Jesse Walters, who is openly gay, said campaign mail was distributed to voters’ homes Saturday with a picture of his partner of 23 years and their 15-month-old daughter. He believes the picture set someone off.
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“Initially it was very unsettling, you know it was kinda like if you’ve ever had your house broken into, you feel violated and you feel threatened, but the outpouring today has just been so wonderful,” Walters said Sunday, reported WTVJ-TV.
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In an email to the Miami Herald, Walters added, “Some folks are very scared by our campaign, but Miami Shores is not a place for this type of hate. This will only energize us more.”
Tuesday is election day in Miami Shores, and if elected, Walters would become only the fourth openly gay elected official in Miami-Dade.