NORTH CAROLINA: Arson Destroys Home Of Harassed Gay Couple

The Clayton, North Carolina home of a gay couple was destroyed by arson yesterday after the pair had suffered more than a year of anti-gay harassment.

The couple, who did not want to be identified out of fear for their safety, is staying in a motel after fire ripped through the house on New Castle Court, off Guy Road, around 1:30 a.m. Friday. They were out of town when the fire was set. A neighbor reported it. The fire is being investigated as an arson, said Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell, but he said it does not appear to be related to a string of suspicious fires in the area. A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of backlash against her, said there have been at least three separate incidents of anti-gay harassment at the home. A note with derogatory language was left in the mailbox, an anti-gay slur was written on the house with a marker, and the tires of a car parked in the garage were slashed, the neighbor said.

One neighbor spoke to local news, saying, "I felt sick to my stomach. I felt so sorry for the two gentlemen. They lost everything. We do believe that this is a hate crime."