Homophobe, or just really angry his name is spelled with two n’s?
Kalvinn Garcia, age 25, plead guilty on May 26, 2022 to an arson attack on a gay bar, an attack that was meant to cause bodily harm to the patrons inside. The incident occurred on February 24, 2020 when Garcia set an adjoining dumpster ablaze outside Seattle’s popular drag establishment Queer/Bar. Luckily, the fire only scorched the wall that the building and the dumpster were sharing and none of the estimated 50 people inside were injured in the attack.
The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2020. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark said in a press release:
The defendant targeted the patrons inside Queer/Bar, a known safe space for the LGBTQI+ community. Hate crimes have no place in our society today and we stand ready to use our federal civil rights laws to hold perpetrators accountable. All people deserve to feel safe and secure living in their communities, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Garcia will be sentenced in September, and he’s currently facing 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. I think we should aim for the prison sentence, because let’s be real – this guy isn’t going to have a quarter of a million dollars to pay the state of Washington.
“I think it’s wrong that we have a bunch of queers in our society,” Garcia had reportedly told police when he was arrested after the fire. And I think it’s wrong to spell Kalvinn with two n’s!
Rest easy, Queer/Bar family! This nightmare is almost over!
Sources: The Advocate, Justice.gov