When I first heard that my pals LeeMichael and Bryan had been harassed with homophobic mailings for the last five years in their hometown of Milton, MA, I was doubly incensed. First of all, the fact that homophobia is still a thing is reprehensible on its own. Second, that it was done via abuse of the postal service is diabolical. I have a special place in my heart for the US Postal Service (as LeeMichael circa 1997 will attest) and I absolutely abhor anyone who abuses such an agency for nefarious purposes.
For all the horrors and fears stoked by such harassment, and for all five years of living in such worry, this story has a very happy ending, and not only because they caught the individual responsible. Bryan summed up the experience like this:
I am so very excited to announce that LeeMichael and I are announcing a fundraiser for our local Gay Straight Alliance in the high school and middle school. As some of you know, our family faced many years of harassment via mail from an individual that would subscribe for magazines and services with offensive and homophobic names directed to our address. This was a time of apprehension and sadness for our family. This year, after a hiatus, the individual again signed us up or a subscription under the name Michelle Fruitzey. For the first time, we were able to get a handwriting sample. Our town as a community and with the help of the local police was able to identify the perpetrator and arrest him for years of criminal harassment. Our family decided to turn a bad situation into a great situation by “owning” the name Michelle Fruitzey and having a fundraiser for the local GSA in our town schools by selling t-shirts. Let’s educate against bullying in all forms, especially against GLBT youth… You can also order t-shirts to support our cause at https://fundly.com/iammichellefruitzey. We are so very grateful to the Town of Milton and our many friends and neighbors that provided us so much support. Thank you!
A more in-depth article on the whole saga is here, while you can purchase the t-shirts directly at this link. In this month of Pride, it warms my heart to see that some neighbors still care, and that people, at their best, will always work to help and protect one another.
