By Chad Ingram

Published Oct. 6 2016

This is an open letter to the individual or individuals vandalizing a Haliburton business with anti-gay graffiti.

If you can read of course that is.

All we know for sure is that you’re good at spelling one particularly offensive three-lettered word.

After the first incident in June I wrote about the illogical backwardness of your homophobia and the substantial issues you must have to go so far as to deface property because of those misguided beliefs.

Of course you don’t understand or care about any of that so I won’t get into it here.

I won’t get into the unbelievable and disturbing depth of your hatred or the incredible social cultural political and economic contributions of the members of county’s LGBT community.

You don’t understand or care about any of that.

What I will ask you to do though is consider the true and larger ramifications of your actions.

Your intention is to hurt a business owner you have an illogical issue with but the scope of your actions is much wider than that.

You are hurting an entire community.

Local municipal councils spend a lot of time trying to attract and retain businesses in the area trying to build the year-round economy of a community that is still largely seasonal in nature.

You are hurting their work.

“Come and do business in Haliburton where your shop may be vandalized by a homophobic delinquent.”

Has a great ring doesn’t it?

You are hurting your family who presumably live in the area. Wouldn’t they be proud if the police find you and your name is spread all over the media?

You are hurting not one business owner but all of us who live here. You are hurting yourself. You are slandering your own community painting it an awful light.

It’s shameful. You are spitting in all our faces. You are crapping where you eat.

Do you not get that?

What you’re doing goes beyond mischief or vandalism. It is a hate crime and that’s what you should be charged with if the police find you.

And I hope they do.