Anti-Gay Activists Blame Engineer's Sexuality for Philly Amtrak Crash

It was only a matter of time before ultra anti-gay activists started to blame the sexual orientation of the engineer of the fatal Amtrak crash in Philadelphia for the tragic incident. The engineer was recently identified as a gay equality activist.

Pink Star News identifies Brandon Bostian as openly gay and reports that some anti-gay activists are blaming his alleged sexuality for the crash, which left at least eight people dead and more than 200 injured.

Though Bostian's lawyers said he cannot remember the crash due to serious head trauma, some members of anti-gay groups are citing his sexuality as "proof" of mental illness.

"Gays have a higher rate of mental illness than do straights. You decide if engineer's homosexuality is worth noting. I report it," conservative blogger Charles C. Johnson wrote. "It is reasonable to ask if this night shift #amtrak188 train driver was on meth or had history with it, given gay proclivities to it."

Like clockwork, the members of the "God Hates Fags" group, the Westboro Baptist Church, took to social media to blast Bostian.

"Reckless' Amtrak driver who killed seven people after driving train at 106mph in a 50mph zone is a fag? Figures," the group tweeted.

As Right Wing Watch points out, anti-gay pundit and American Family Association governmental affairs director Sandy Rios commented on the engineer's sexual orientation during her radio program, saying it was "a factor" in the crash.

"Now I am not saying, I am not inferring to those of you that are gay rights activists and like to monitor this show, I'm not inferring that this accident happened because he was gay, but I do think it's an interesting part of the story and you can bet it would be edited out," Rios said.

She then suggested Bostian could have been "going through some confusion that has to do with the very core of who they are." She later added: "I don't know, but I think it is something to be discussed and I think it's a factor and I doubt you will hear it anywhere else."

It was reported Thursday that Bostian "was active in the Proposition 8 fight" and also fought for marriage equality in New York in 2012.

"It's kind of insulting to have to beg people for my right to marry," he told the Midtown Gazette at the time. "I feel like we shouldn't even have to have this fight."

Bostian has not come out as gay to media.

The Associated Press reported federal investigators determined the train was traveling through Philadelphia at 106 mph before it went off the rails "along a sharp curve where the speed limit drops to just 50 mph." Authorities still do not know why the train was going so fast, however.