A man from Loveland, Colorado raised the ire of the internet by writing a homophobic slur on his vehicle before driving around to protest the pandemic response of the state's openly gay governor.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, like many state leaders in the U.S., exercised caution in choosing when to reopen businesses since a quick return could cause a second surge in deaths from the virus.
Many conservative protestors, however, see the inability to visit their usual public places as an unacceptable infringement upon their liberty, leading to protests throughout the country.
Michael Drewer is one such protester who made his feelings for Governor Jared Polis clear by scrawling a homophobic slur on his vehicle.
And what was it that made Drewer so angry?
Say hello to Homophobic Pro-COVID Protester Michael Drewer of Loveland, Colorado! https://t.co/JbgXMbO6kR https://t.co/0T8OiUno4h— Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists (@Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists) 1589925958.0
Michael Dean Drewer is a 61 year old man from Loveland, Colorado was seen driving with “OPEN OUR GYMS F**GOT” writt… https://t.co/wq2hGj08Jj— Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists (@Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists) 1589925959.0
The 61-year-old was identified by a local anti-fascism group on Twitter.
Don’t act too shocked: Michael Dean Drewer, 61, also happens to be a Trump supporter and a fan of the Confederacy.… https://t.co/XOzVQiWOtQ— P A T • L E E (@P A T • L E E) 1589960344.0
SURPRISE!! Michael Drewer makes #LGBTQ global news! @CityofLoveland #Colorado #USA #LGBT https://t.co/7hKFkYEVo5— Dennis Koch (@Dennis Koch) 1590021561.0
Michael is no stranger to bigotry. Here he is in a Confederate flag tee shirt. He apparently doesn’t see any irony… https://t.co/t89HpzPFy5— Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists (@Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists) 1589925960.0
A quick search of the internet reveals Drewer is a die-hard Trump supporter.
Despite living in Colorado, which was not part of the Confederate uprising to protect slavery, Drewer frequently poses with Confederate iconography.
#Homophobic is #UnAmerican & we will call you out! work for yourself?Because employers will be notified of… https://t.co/dlpPUYIWnl— TheatreChat (@TheatreChat) 1589979528.0
Though Colorado, like many states, is beginning to reopen following the pandemic-associated shutdowns, gyms are considered "high risk" spaces.
Dr. Saskia Popescu commented to Vox:
"Gyms can be difficult places to maintain social distancing and the volume of high-touch surfaces and objects makes them uniquely challenging for infection prevention efforts."
Y'all think Michael Drewer is thinking about moving yet?— Justin Ingram (@Justin Ingram) 1590020030.0
@COSAntiFascists Sad. Ignorance and hate are not cool, Michael Drewer.— Waterdancer411 (@Waterdancer411) 1590009991.0
Twitter torched Drewer without hesitation.
Not much else to say about Michael. He’s a boring and bigoted man living a sad life, whose only joy seems to come f… https://t.co/fCgSmD4LeO— Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists (@Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists) 1589925962.0
This kind of toxic masculinity is NOT okay. We stand with @jaredpolis. https://t.co/OC7gxWKIqA— thedruproject (@thedruproject) 1589994683.0
@COSAntiFascists Uses homophobic slur to demand a business open up so he can be around sweaty men...— TACHYON SUPER DIMENSION 3rd STRIKE (@TACHYON SUPER DIMENSION 3rd STRIKE) 1589926731.0
Other people were focused on how the images shared online blurred Drewer's dog's face for privacy reasons.
@COSAntiFascists Thank you for blurring the doggo’s face. He/she doesn’t deserve that 👏 👏 👏— Meaghan🧚🏻♀️ (@Meaghan🧚🏻♀️) 1589926505.0
@COSAntiFascists The pixilated dog face to protect the innocent is too great:)— Samuel Bell (@Samuel Bell) 1589930479.0
@COSAntiFascists Shame! Hatred is so uncool, and ignorance is unnecessary. Get help.— Waterdancer411 (@Waterdancer411) 1590009757.0
Though Drewer angered many, he will be happy to know that Colorado's gyms will be open again before long.
Once they are, will he be able to find anyone to spot him?