Still No Justice for Lesbian Arson Victims, But Community Fights Back

by Michael Jones · 2011-04-13 07:54:00 UTC
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You could argue that good news is hard to come by for Carol Ann and Laura Stutte. The couple, who has been together for more than 14 years, had their Tennessee house burned to the ground in September 2010 in a vicious anti-gay arson attack. The word "Queers" was spray-painted in black letters on the only thing left standing: an adjacent garage that lied next to a pile of ashes.

For nearly eight months now, Carol Ann and Laura have waited for their insurance company -- American National Property and Casualty -- to pay the claim on the burned down property. After all, that's what home insurance is for: to cover tragedies like this, and make sure families can get back on their feet again after disaster. But that's not what happened with Carol Ann and Laura. Instead, American National Property and Casualty has all but ignored their claim, refusing to pay them anything for the burned down house, and even continuing to charge them monthly insurance fees on the burned down property.

But while American National Property and Casualty has turned their back on these two women, the LGBT community in Nashville and around the country has stepped up and is helping seek justice for Carol Ann and Laura. And on this note, there are two amazing pieces of good news. First is that because of the online petition to hold American National Property and Casualty accountable for their disgusting treatment of these two women, Carol Ann and Laura were put in touch with a Pennsylvania woman who was able to donate an insulin pump to their family. Why is this so important? Because Carol Ann and Laura have a daughter who is diabetic, and the pump is necessary for her.

The second piece of good news? Activists with GetEqual are getting ready to hold what will be the first demonstration against American National Property and Casualty. What a way to take disgust at this insurance company public, and put pressure on the company in a very direct way.

Organizers and activists with GetEqual will be in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, staging a protest at the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) conference. It's one of the largest insurance gatherings of the year, and a perfect opportunity to shine a light on how awful American National Property and Casualty has treated victims of a hate crime.

"The lengths that this couple has gone to simply to ask American National Property and Casualty to honor their fully-paid insurance policy are horrifying,” said Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEqual. “No insurance company should treat people the way the Stuttes have been treated, and we’re asking American National Property and Casualty’s peers and colleagues to dissociate themselves from such a soul-less and discriminatory company.”

Booyeah.

So far, nearly 50,000 Change.org members have sent American National Property and Casualty a message, demanding that the company pay the Stuttes what is rightly owed to them as customers. Let's help keep up the pressure, and stand in solidarity with the folks who will be in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, raising awareness about the tragic crime that happened to Carol Ann and Laura Stutte, and the ineptitude and unjust actions of American National Property and Casualty.

Photo credit: YouTube

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.

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