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Roanoke Virginia Auto Body-Shop Restores Bullied Gay Student's Vandalised Car

Jordan Addison reacts to his "new" car.

ROANOKE, VA -- An openly gay college student has had a tough time this year as vandals have defaced his car four times. Radford University student Jordan Addison told local television station WDBJ that between March and May of this year his car was vandalized four times. Once at his home and three times on-campus.

"The first time there were some homophobic slurs keyed into the side of it," says Addison, "Then the second time I had dye keyed into it."

Addison is convinced that his car was targeted because he's openly gay. A homophobic slur written across one side of his car was impossible to remove or cover up he said.

"The lowest estimate I got just to fix the damage to the doors was like $2,500 and for a college student that's a lot of money," says Addison.

Forty six miles away in the city of Roanoke, Virginia, Richard Henegar, Jr., the manager at Quality Auto Paint and Body along with his employees decided to help Addison out for free.

"Once I saw the vandalism that was done to it I said that's uncalled for we're gonna fix your car that's the least we can do," says Henegar.

Henegar estimates the shop and its employees spent 100 hours in the last two weeks working on the car. There are new tires, a new paint job, tinted windows, new security system, and new stereo. The total cost was well over $10,000.

But according to Henegar, the effort to restore the young student's car became a task that was embraced by ten other local automotive businesses around the Roanoke area.

"We can't afford to do this ourselves," says Henegar, "We might have all the good intentions in the world but I can't finance something like this ourselves."

The ten good samaritan businesses were Parts Unlimited in Vinton, Advance Auto Parts, Moon's Auto Body, Rice Toyota, Val's Automotive, The Rod Shop, B&C Exterminating, Twists & Turns, AJ's Landscaping, and Sunnybrook Auto Spa.

The new and improved car was unveiled to Addison on Monday and he was struck speechless.

"It looks great," Addison told the television station, "It hasn't looked that great the entire time I've had it." 

"We were glad to see he was pleased with it," says Henegar.

Missouri City's Council Weighs Sending LGBTQ Equality Ordinance To Voters In November

SPRINGFIELD, MO -- An ordinance that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s non-discrimination ordinance banning discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender residents generated three hours of vigorous public testimony in a public hearing August 13.

The intensity of the debate over this ordinance has one Springfield city council member wanting to send the issue to voters instead of a decision by the city's elected officials.

According to the Springfield News-Leader newspaper, the council is scheduled to resume public discussion on the issue and possibly vote August 27. But Councilman Jeff Seifried has asked city staffers to draft an alternate bill that would send the ordinance to the November ballot instead.

Supporters and opponents of the change turned out in force at the meeting, filling City Hall to capacity. Those who favored the ordinance described it as a matter of civil rights; opponents said it would infringe on their ability to run a business in accordance with their religious or moral views.  

“The reason I’m interested in taking it to a vote of the people is due to the tremendous amount of community input and discussion I feel still needs to happen and that this issue deserves,” Seifried said Monday. “It forces a community discussion that we need to have.” Seifried, who had indicated tentative support for the bill a week before the first public hearing, said he thinks “two weeks’ discussion is not enough vetting on both sides.” 

Seifried said he thinks that a public election is the best forum for an “open, transparent, fact-based discussion.” Several opponents of the law have asked council members to send the ordinance to a public vote, saying it likely would be defeated. Supporters of the law have lobbied against a public election for the same reason. ~ The News-Leader

Stephanie Perkins, deputy director of Missouri's LGBTQ advocacy group PROMO, said in an e-mail that similar non-discrimination laws in more than 150 cities and a dozen states all have been passed legislatively, by local councils or state legislatures. 

"None of them have been passed by the ballot initiative process,” Perkins said. “If we had minority issues voted on by the majority, we would still not see the end of slavery, women voting, African-Americans voting, or even the existence of non-discrimination laws in the first place.” 

Councilman Tom Bieker said he feared that the ordinance will fare badly in an election question on the ballot which is why he suggested sending it back to a committee or task force for further discussion.

"What I’m worried about is if this gets to the polls it will fail miserably … and we’ll take a 20-year step back,”  Bieker  said. 

City Manager Greg Burris said Seifried’s bill will be considered an emergency bill — allowing it to be voted on at the same meeting it is introduced — in order to meet the August 28 deadline for placing it on the November ballot.