Reader comments
Gay man in South S.L. is called victim of hate crime

whatever.... | 1:29 a.m. Aug. 1, 2008

...it seems like he was beaten because kidnapped somebody else's child.

It just baffles me that they are so upset about this. Stop using sexual orientation as an excuse. The man took somebody's kids. If he was in my house, he would be dead. And it would not have anything to do with being gay or straight, black or white, male or female...just being stupid enough to take my kids.

Anonymous | 7:04 a.m. Aug. 1, 2008

The man kidnapped somebody's children. Are you suggesting that gay people can use their sexual orientation as a shield to commit crimes and we should look the other way?. Unless there's more to the story, he is lucky to be alive. The father has every right to protect his children from anyone, gay or straight.

Chris | 7:46 a.m. Aug. 1, 2008

It has not yet been proven that he kidnapped these kids. It does seem awfully weird that someone would kidnap two kids and take them right next door, where several other people are staying, doesn't it? The explanation that the children were awakened by their parents' party and wandered next door to Bell's house is a plausible one. I think we should withhold judgment until the police have had a chance to do their job and talk with all the witnesses.

Comments continue below

Wow | 8:42 a.m. Aug. 1, 2008

It amazes me the way gay rights activists' brains work. Their way of thinking is so completely opposite of my own, it is hard to imagine that we could ever find common ground.

The police wouldn't have arrested this man on kidnapping charges if there wasn't some credible evidence that he came into the home and took the kids. If the kids had just wandered next door, that would be easy to explain and the proper course of action would have been to take them home or at least call the parents and let them know.

To turn this into a gay versus straight issue or an unproven child molestation issue is just disingenuous. It is straight up kidnapping and I'd have a very hard time restraining myself if someone came into my home and took my kids, gay or straight. So please, gay activists, get a clue.

This is a reminder... | 9:19 a.m. Aug. 1, 2008

...of why gay-rights activists like hate crimes laws so much. When a member of the gay community commits a crime, just accuse everyone of being "hateful".

Simply yelling "hate crime" helps deflect attention from the fact that Mr. Bell took the kids without the permission of the parents, and then hid them in his bedroom.

Roger | 9:32 a.m. Aug. 1, 2008

If small children come to your house in the middle of the night, take them home. Don't keep them. And don't expect praise from their parents if you do keep them. Most of all, don't act surprised or play the victim if the parents become upset that you kept them.

Idiots | 12:09 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

He was taking them home. He was getting dressed in fact.

jfs | 12:36 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

Chris
how naive, two little girls were kidnapped by next door neighboors, who shared housing with other people and the children were killed.

Kinda Harsh | 12:54 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

I agree gay or straight, take the kids home. BUT what also disturbs me, is the parents that were at a "gathering" in a seperate part of the house and supposedly checking on the kids, didnt notice them missing until 6 am??

Anonymous | 3:20 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

I have read up on this situation and associated comments - what I am reading is that the kids were either awakened or were still up at that hour of the morning, and they wandered over to his house/apartment. The guy that is accused of taking them told them that he would help them find their mother, but she showed up before he could do anything towards helping the kids get back home. According the the news reports I have read, the mother got the kids, then went to her place and got others agitated up to attack the neighbor and claim kidnapping. It will be interesting to see what is revealed in court if this ever gets to trial, but what I cannot understand is why, if this person and his partner got so beaten up at that time, why was no one arrested for assault and/or battery by the police department? There's a LOT more to this story that what we newspaper and internet readers know so far!

not a gay-activist issue | 3:29 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

Gay activists are not trying to say that kidnapping is not a crime. If you actually do your research you will find that the kids were not taken from their home, they went over to d.j.'s house. He was in the process of taking them home when the men broke into his home and left is a bloody mess. This is a hate crime issue because of the men beating him, not because of the kidnapping charges

questions | 5:22 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

If the men (gay or straight... I don't care) were not dressed enough to take two young children home, WHY did they open the door? I find it odd they were in a bedroom and someone was getting dressed!
Just because the parents didn't check on the children until 6a doesn't mean they don't care. How many parents check on their children every 5 minutes or every hour during the night?
If anyone tries to "rescue" my children they better NOT be doing it in a bedroom! Who cares what their sexual preference is if they are not dressed and young children are in the bedroom with them.

I agree | 9:50 p.m. Aug. 1, 2008

with Questions! To call this a hate crime based on sexual orientation is one more reason I don't trust the gay lobby. To beat another person up in this circumstance may be taking the law into one's own hands, and not acceptable in our society. And a chargable offense. But understandable.

If two little kids came to my house in the middle of the night, I certainly wouldn't have them in my bedroom when I wasn't dressed! They'd be sitting on the couch in the living room and I'd be calling their parents and/or the police.

To Questions and I Agree.. | 10:47 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008

It was 6 am....And 2 very young kids show up at his house, who knows exactly what he was wearing?? Maybe it was a god send that he ansewred the door. Who knows where the children might of wandered off to. How did the mother know to go right to his house first? If I found out my toddlers were not in my house at 6 am, I'd call the police. Has this happened before??
As I read the story, it says the kids weren't harmed.. Ya'll are insinuating he's some kind of freak.. I didn't read anywhere in the story that he was a pedophile?? Maybe I need to go back and re- read it...lol
And as far as checking on your kids, if I was at a gathering in my own home, heck yeah I'd check on them. And I sure the hell would make sure my 2 toddlers weren't able to walk out my front door at 6 am.. It's called Parenting..

ok... | 11:34 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008

if your kids were taken out of your house, wouldn't you beat the living daylights out of the person that took them? This has nothing to do with being gay. I hate that now gay people are playing the gay card like Obama plays the race card!

KCH | 4:35 p.m. Aug. 3, 2008

The kidnapping is not a gay issue!!
The fact that others in Mr.Bell's house were beat up by the father of the children and his friends is the issue.
The fact that others were attacked and still no charges have been pressed against the men who broke down the door to get into Mr. Bells house and attack him and his partner is the problem.
As a Gay Activise I was outraged by the kidnapping and by what little media reports I saw and read which never mentioned the assaults. As I have learned more about this assault and that no charges have been filed against the attackers I wonder why
Why the Police and DA have not done there job in treating the assault and the kidnapping as two separate but equally-chargable incidents.
That is where the injustice and "gay card" comes into play.

UtahPeopleHate | 11:05 p.m. Aug. 11, 2008

To all the people who have made such vile remarks about gay rights activists, start reading up and thinking for yourself!

The reality is that few if any gay rights organization has backed this because they know that people like you would instantly demonize the situation without reading up on it.

What bothers me most about this situation is that all of you think that just because you are behind a keyboard that you can read a slight portion of the whole case work and jump to conclusions.

And furthermore, the Deseret News needs to remember the use of the word "alleged". Deborah Bulkely paints this story with as much incriminating wording as possible, I guess balanced journalism really is a lost cause.

Oh, and for those out there who still think D.J. did it, keep in mind that there were 4 other adults at his house, and they saw everything.

Anonymous | 9:39 a.m. Aug. 21, 2008

Where is the justice? You don't have the wright to take the law into your own hands.

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