In rural Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, two gay volunteers faced homophobic threats. Harris supporters Jason Bello and Justin Coniaris were campaigning when an angry man crossed their path and began shouting. The aggressive Trump fan accused the volunteers of putting up Harris campaign signs "everywhere," which they stated was not the case.
Bello started filming as the situation escalated. In the footage, obtained by the LGBT+ news outlet Advocate, the furious man can be seen getting out of his vehicle and shouting homophobic slurs: “Get your little f***ing f*g asses out of this town. We don’t need you in this f***ing town. You little f***ing piece of shit. Go suck each other’s cocks somewhere else, you f***ing f*g[s], before I f***ing put a gun in you pieces of shit.” After his tirade, the man got back into his vehicle and drove off, continuing to swear through his open window.
Bello, who was shaken by the incident, emphasized that the situation was frightening. Nonetheless, the volunteers refused to be intimidated. According to Bello, the incident illustrates how deep-seated the hatred can be and the courage it takes for LGBT+ people to speak out in conservative areas. “As intense as it was, this is what generations of queer people before us have endured, and it’s our turn to be there and face the hatred. The hate is real,” he said.
Bello hopes that the video of the confrontation serves as a wake-up call for voters, especially within the LGBT+ community. “I hope that any LGBT person who sees this video recognizes that this election is about us, too,” Bello said. “Trump enables this hatred. He promotes this hatred.”