Anti-gay note left on car in downtown Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids man said he and a co-worker were subjects this week of an inflammatory note targeting their sexuality.

'We were kind of shocked,” said Ray Laufer, 25, a recipient of the note. 'We didn't understand who would need to go out of their way to leave a message like that.”

The message was left Tuesday on a car windshield in downtown Cedar Rapids, Laufer said.

'Get out of our neighborhood you (epithet)! Trump is now president! Burn in hell!” the message read.

Laufer, who is gay and has been out for two years, said he did not report the letter to police, but did respond to an interview request from The Gazette. His friend, who was driving the car on which the note was left, is also gay but is not out to his family. Laufer said he was leaving it up to his friend to report the incident to police.

Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow said the incident has not been reported but would be investigated if it is.

'Investigating an alleged crime is challenging without some type of complaint or contact with the victim in this case. They would be able to provide invaluable details as to the date, time, location, circumstances and potential suspects/motive for the note being left,” he said in an email Friday. 'The complaint would be taken seriously and it would be investigated as a potential hate crime.”

Laufer said he and his friend were downtown about 1 p.m. for lunch. They parked about a block away from Bricks, where they had lunch.

Afterward, when the men returned to the car, Laufer's friend saw the note when he engaged the windshield wipers.

Laufer, who later posted the note to Facebook, said he doesn't know who might have left it.

'We were having our own conversation,” he recalled. 'We weren't being overly gay in front of anybody, making anybody feel uncomfortable. It kind of blew our mind.”

He said friends and strangers have sent him messages of support following the Facebook post. Laufer hopes more people will speak up if they see someone committing this type of act.

'It took me 23 years to find my voice,” he said. 'Now that I have it, I don't want to give it up.”