I was stabbed and left paralyzed due to my homosexuality. I'm Scott Jones, Don't BE Afraid to AMA!

No question just as a former homophobic dumbass, I'm sorry for what happened and I've changed my views on homosexuals as I grew out of my teens.

Edit: Thank you for the gold.

your post makes me super happy! good for you!

Was the man who stabbed you caught?

yes he was, thankfully! he is in custody

Has he been on trial yet?

not yet

What do you think of groups like Bash Back! that advocate violence against those who act violently against homosexuals?

Even though I am angry at the man who attacked me, I don't believe in fighting fire with fire, or hate with hate.

I'm happy to hate him for you.

ahahaha

What did he give as his reason for stabbing you? Did he just say that it was because of your sexuality?

we didn't have a formal conversation about it before he decided to stab me.

I meant afterwards in custody etc... Good answer though hahaha.

ahaha i'm glad you got my humour! no, he hasn't spoken a word except to his lawyer

So you don't know the reason you were stabbed but assumed it was because you're gay? Or did he maybe say something during the stabbing that made you think that? I'm not trying to discredit you, I just don't understand.

I ran into Shane earlier that night at another bar, and he glared at me from his pool table after I had shouted my friend's name, and scoffed to his friends, then later, he was clearly going for me, not my friend... all of this in the context of a small town, where i am one of the few openly gay men, leads me to believe it was a hate crime

What parts of you were left paralyzed? It makes me feel really bad this happened to you, you look and sound like a really nice guy and this shouldn't have happened to you. I hope you get well soon. As well as you can get at least.

thanks! i'm paralyzed from the waist down

Much love to a fellow Nova Scotian. I'm glad yours is the first AmA I post in.

love right back to ya! :)

My mentor growing up was murdererd because he was gay. It was my first experience with a hate crime. What you are doing can change lives. This year will mark the 15th anniversary of his murder. Why do you think people are still so afraid despite all the change that's been made in the last decade?

i think it's because people still aren't openly talking about homosexuality. not the homosexuals, but the general public.

Oh, no! I just read your story. October 12th was like yesterday, Man. How are you doing? I'm an old lesbian from the States. It could have happened to any of us.

I'm doing better every day, thank you :)

How did he know your sexuality if he didn't know you personally? Also how did you find out it was a hate crime? Did he admit to it afterwords?

he hasn't admitted to anything yet. these are good questions that i have thought a lot about. he didn't know my sexuality, anymore than you know your single neighbour's sexuality. he pegged me as gay, most likely because of my "effeminate behaviour". when i encountered him at the bar previously, i recognized a glare after i was jokingly shouting out my friend's name. i recognized that glare as a gay man growing up in a small town. he was clearly targeting me when he b-lined towards me that night, and not towards andy. in the end, it is my belief that this was a hate crime.

As a gay person still in the closet, living in the south, this scares me constantly. Where were you? How did you cope?

in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada...i coped because i had a strong support system around me, thankfully! how old are you? would your family not be accepting of your homosexuality?

do you know the people who stabbed you?

i do not know him personally

As someone from New Glasgow, fuck each and every shitty, backwoods, uneducated prick in that town. You've got major balls for being out.

I didn't dare, not until I got away for college in Ottawa. Best of luck in everything you do, and always be strong.

thank you!

This is terrible to hear, Scott. Who formed the campaign? Do you have nightmares/flashbacks about the attack? What is happening to your attackers? Will you testify at their trial(s)? I'm gay and have only been the victim of people yelling at me. I think I'm very lucky.

The campaign started with a button designed for a benefit that said "Don't BE Afraid". Then continued on as a facebook page and photo campaign started by my friend Charlotte. No nightmares, thankfully. My attacker is in custody and is being tried, eventually, for attempted murder.

Scott,

How is rehabilitation going... are you working on being able to walk again or on adapting to your wheelchair?

Also, what punishment would you ideally like to see for Shane?

Extremely proud of you for doing this! Much love ♡♥

rehab is better than the hospital! ahahah ya, i'm doing lots of muscle strengthening exercises, and wheelchair tricks! punishment: i'm not sure. i think he deserves to be kept away from the public.

First I want to start off by saying you are very brave and I admire you greatly for coming out knowing there may be consequences like this! You are truly an inspiration!

My question would be how has becoming paralyzed affected the way you live your life the most? Is there anything you thought you wouldn't be able to do but have found no difficulty doing? Thanks for doing this AMA!

thank you! how has paralysis affected me the most? it's difficult/impossible to do the things i love the most, like swimming, running, biking, playing the piano, etc. hmmm right now i'm still in the beginning stages of paraplegia, so it's all overwhelming

Where were you stabbed and how did it feel?

thankfully i didn't feel anything...i was stabbed in the upper back, and he attempted to cut my throat

Are you openly gay or do people like your family not know?

Also, just curious, is dating difficult? Like finding other gay men? I've always been curious of how that works. If that makes sense?

i am openly gay...meeting/dating gay men is difficult in a small town....did you mean dating as a paraplegic gay man? because if so, i haven't yet

How do you feel about the current state of hate crime laws.

i think they are similar to rape laws. they don't have enough respect and empathy towards the victim.

Were you an active gay rights advocate even before the incident?

I was, in the sense that I was an openly gay man living in a small town, and I talked freely about my homosexuality.

What would you like to see happen to the guy who did this to you?

i'd like him to realize the full effects of what he has done...unfortunately he will never be able to do that, and i would never want this to be done to someone else, even my attacker.

What do you believe are the root causes of homophobia?

fear of your one's own self, which makes one afraid of change, difference, etc

I'm an American so excuse my ignorance, but what are hate crime laws like in Canada? How much time will this asshole get?

sometimes I wish we had Matthew Shepard's mom here to help us out with hate crime laws! i don't know how much time he'll get...the justice system in canada is verrrry slow!

No question, just want to say that I love you and hope you get out of rehab soon and safely

thank you!

if u had died (god forbid such a thing) would you want the guilty person to face jail time or the death penalty? (remember we are talking about a possible murderer who is targeting and killing homosexuals.)

i don't believe in the death penalty...so, i would say double life sentence

Not to be rude but what were the average reactions from peers after they learned that you were a homosexual?

that's not rude...the reactions I've experienced run the gamut! i've experienced complete acceptance, to people saying that "God does not condone homosexuality"

Do you know if your attacker is diagnosed with any social disorders?

No, he is not...do you mean ones schizophrenia or anti-social disorder?

Right, like schizophrenia or bipolar. I suspect he must have a disorder, but wonder if it is diagnosed. More and more, I hear of adults being diagnosed too late. Worrisome. I admire how you choose not to hate.

Just because someone acts like a piece of shit doesn't mean they have a disorder. Some people commit acts of violence and hate because they choose to while in full control of their faculties.

I should have written may instead of must. Just part of my hopes, I guess, that one day society can avoid producing people with such behaviour, which I view as a disorder. I hope people who get good social support growing up will not do such things.

he doesn't have any of the disorders (like schizoph or bi-polar) that can prevent him from being tried as someone who committed a crime with full awareness.

The attacker is a homophob, guess he has a big mental disorder.

!

Hi Scott! I'm a fellow Nova Scotian. Glad to hear you're doing good. Your Don't Be Afraid campaign is awesome!

No questions. Just wanted to let you know you're an awesome person. Let me know if you need any help!

THank you so much! we need your help! like the page and send us a pm for details on how to participate :) and you can help by talking about homophobia to the next person you meet! :P

Scott, I really don't have a question for you. I just want you to keep being an awesome human being and keep fighting the good fight!

• coffeefueled

thank you so much!