Acra Lee Turner wants to protect Eureka Springs from frolicking, cash-spending LGBT tourists
Eureka Springs, Arkansas is an eclectic town tucked in the picturesque hills of the Ozark Mountains. It's a well-known vacation destination for a lot of very different people. Motorcycle enthusiasts often fill area hotels because of the rolling scenic drives in the area. Religious tourists flock to the
"Great Passion Play" and numerous other religious attractions. Art and antique collectors rummage through the dozens of second-hand stores. And many Midwestern LGBT tourists flock to the unusually gay-friendly (for the Ozarks) hotels, restaurants and pride celebrations.
Embarrassed by state-wide efforts to pass discrimination laws, like the one in Indiana, and not wanting to scare off the thousands of LGBT visitors who frequent the city, the Eureka Springs City Council introduced and passed Ordinance 2223, which states simply enough:
That didn't sit well with some in the community and there is an effort underway to repeal the ordinance. Backers of the repeal put together a video which includes scary warnings of what might happen if a transgender person uses a bathroom, dramatic world-ending music, and curiously enough, the stern, rambling warnings of Eureka Springs minister who also happens to be a convicted serial rapist. From
The Arkansas Times:
Acra Lee Turner, 60, currently serves as a pastor of Penn Memorial Baptist Church in Eureka Springs. In an interview with the Times, he confirmed that he is the same Acra Lee Turner who, as a 22-year-old man, was convicted of three counts of rape in Stephens County near Lawton, Okla. In April 1977, he was sent to prison for three concurrent sentences of 30 to 60 years for those crimes, including — according to this story from an Oklahoma newspaper — the rape of an 80-year old woman who was beaten so badly that she was almost unrecognizable.
Victims and family members worked for years to keep him behind bars:
According to The Oklahoman, Turner’s first victim delivered 4,861 signatures to the Pardon and Parole Board in 1991. It was the sixth such petition she’d delivered.
"It's been difficult, but this is the only way I can stay ahead of him," the victim told The Oklahoman in 1992. "I believe if he gets out, he will commit the crime again, and this time he won't leave a witness. "
Watch the video, entitled "Vote Against 2223 to Defend Jobs, Faith, Freedom & Bathroom Privacy" below and read more about Acra Lee Turner and his strange ramblings, including claims that LGBT protections aren't about human rights
here.