A San Francisco man convicted of making threatening calls to then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi last year has been linked to antigay calls made to two plaintiffs in a case hoping to overturn California's Proposition 8. Plaintiffs Sandra
April 4, 2011

A San Francisco man convicted of making threatening calls to then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi last year has been linked to antigay calls made to two plaintiffs in a case hoping to overturn California's Proposition 8.

Plaintiffs Sandra Stier and Kristin Perry received about 13 harassing messages during the 2010 trial, according to a Berkeley, California police report.

A recording of the calls was provided to The Advocate by a former law enforcement official who said that the number matches a number detailed in a grand jury subpoena involving threatening calls made to Pelosi.

Gregory Lee Giusti, 49, eventually pleaded guilty to threatening Pelosi and her family.

"You stinkin' lesbos make me sick," Giusti reportedly said during one message. "I hope you lose your case. ... Marriage is between one man and one woman only. That’s the way God arranged it, set it up. Two people of the same sex cannot procreate. And no, getting yourself artificially inseminated is not procreation in God's eyes. Or two faggots can't procreate no matter how much you want to butt f*ck each other, you stinkin' sickos."

Giusti allegedly made reference to Stier and Perry's children in another message.

"I think that’s really disgusting that you’re raising, um, kids, I think the law should state lesbos and faggots shouldn’t be around kids," the caller said.

"I hope you enjoy burning in hell, for that's where you're going to go when you die, for the Bible clearly states that lesbianism and homosexuality is an abomination in God's eyes... And you can tell those other faggots doing the case with you that I hope they both die of AIDS."

While no action was taken against Giusti in response to the emails, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) worked with the law enforcement and a private security firm to protect the plaintiffs in the case.

"Unfortunately, harassment and threats are all too commonplace for gay and lesbian Americans," AFER cofounder and board president Chad Griffin said in a statement. "When the government says it’s OK to discriminate against gay and lesbian couples, then it gives license to others to do so. Countless families bear the consequences of second-class citizenship. This is unconscionable and cannot stand."

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