The homophobic words printed in Ohio State University’s student newspaper stuck with Steve Snyder-Hill for nearly 30 years, and now the former U.S. Army major who served two tours in Iraq is being candid about why he brought them to light, prompting the Maumee judge who wrote them to apologize.
Judge Dan Hazard wrote a pair of letters to the Ohio State University student newspaper in the 1990s that were, in his own words 30 years later, "reprehensible" and "deplorable." He suggested all AIDS research funding be cut off because "95 percent of those inflicted with the deadly disease pretty much deserve it anyway," and questioned why homosexuals deserve equal treatment under the law.
Those statements and more like them penned by the judge appeared to receive no widespread attention or scrutiny, until Mr. Snyder-Hill recently took to social media to post a letter that he had carried with him since its publication in the Lantern in April, 1993.
"People were posting about the history of Columbus on Facebook and posting old pictures of people and gay establishments," Mr. Snyder-Hill said. "So I decided to post Dan's letter and said, 'Here's something that happened back when.' I don't want people to forget we have a horrible history too."
Mr. Snyder-Hill is openly gay and recently retired from the Army after a 30-year career. He attended OSU from 1991-2000 — overlapping with Judge Hazard’s time enrolled at the college. He has been an outspoken advocate for gay rights and railed against the Army's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
During a 2011 Republican Presidential debate, Mr. Snyder-Hill asked candidate Rick Santorum if he would “circumvent the progress that’s been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military” shortly after the controversial policy was scrapped. The crowd booed the question, which Mr. Snyder-Hill said he asked in part because of the letter from 1993.
Major Snyder-Hill said he did not know Mr. Hazard was a judge when he posted the letter online Jan. 7 in a private Facebook group dedicated to LGBTQ history in Columbus. He said he doesn’t wish to ruin his career. What Mr. Snyder-Hill seeks is proof the judge is the kind of person he says he is today.
However, Mr. Snyder-Hill said he was ready to accept Judge Hazard's apology. Judge Hazard issued a statement to The Blade last week, saying in part "I wrote this and another of the same tone as a teenage college student 27 years ago and by no means hold those beliefs today. I have zero excuse and could not attempt to justify it then or now. It was hurtful to anyone that saw it in 1993 or today."
The Blade published a second letter to the editor on Thursday, written four months prior in December, 1992, in which Judge Hazard said AIDS patients deserve to have the disease and "These people think they deserve equal treatment under the law. I challenge anyone to name any civilized nation that looks at queers as 'normal' human beings."
It was the first time Mr. Snyder-Hill saw that letter.
"That changed everything for me; I went right into outrage," Mr. Snyder-Hill said. "He calls for genocide. He says in that letter that we don't deserve the same protection under the law. This is a judge. He's in a position of power.
"I need to understand what changed in his heart from wanting us dead to now thinking we're equal.”
Mr. Snyder-Hill said he sent an email on Friday to "the entire city of Maumee," including Judge Hazard. He would like to have a conversation with the judge but has not heard from him as of Monday.
“But this second rant is extremely concerning because he clearly states gay people DO NOT DESERVE equal protection under the law,” Mr. Snyder-Hill wrote in the email to city leaders. “This is like an anti-abortion activist going on to lead Planned Parenthood. I think you should be concerned by the residents of your city being targeted by someone who wrote these awful things. To me this apology is just simply not enough. Not after reading the second article, which I didn’t even see back in the 90s.”
Maumee Mayor Richard Carr did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Snyder-Hill suggested the judge volunteer for an LGBTQ organization or mentor LGBTQ youth to prove he is a different person today. Judge Hazard responded Monday to emailed questions from The Blade, saying he would “not ever be opposed to these suggestions.”
“I treat every person who appears in the court with dignity, respect, and impartiality,” Judge Hazard said. “I apologize to Mr. Snyder-Hill, and anyone else for any hurt my words written 27 years ago caused them. I believe that he would accept my sincerity and that I have changed as he has stated that his campaign ‘Trust the Power of your voice and how it can change hearts and minds’ has changed people's attitudes. I am one whose heart and mind was changed through education and life experience. My opinions on the issue are completely different today than those I had as a teenager.”
Judge Hazard added that he is open to dialogue with Mr. Snyder-Hill.
Mr. Snyder-Hill has spent several years advocating for the LGBTQ community. At OSU in 2015 he gave a TED Talk on discrimination in the military. During that talk he referenced then Dan Hazard’s words from the 1990s, and said those words prompted him to write his own letter to the editor in response — his first foray into activism.
"You wouldn't know me from anybody else," Mr. Snyder-Hill said during the speech. "If you sat me beside you, you wouldn't know I was gay. I look like you, I sound like you. But there is one difference: I served my country for you to be able to say the things you said about me."
In a statement last week, Equality Toledo leaders said the thoughts expressed in the judge’s letters to the editor underline hate and discrimination that the LGBTQ community still faces today.
“We understand the judge recognized his thoughts as harmful, and we welcome him and his staffers to stop by our office for training or conversation.”
Ohio Supreme Court Disciplinary Counsel Joseph Caliguiri this week declined to comment on the situation.
"Because our process is confidential, we can't confirm or deny any investigation or case until there's something filed formally with our board of professional conduct," Mr. Caliguiri said. "I couldn't speculate as to whether something would result in formal charges."
Toledo Bar Association Executive Director Brad Lagusch said the organization has no jurisdiction over judicial officers.
Mr. Snyder-Hill has also filed a lawsuit pending against OSU, saying he is one of Dr. Richard Strauss’ many victims. The former OSU doctor, who committed suicide in 2005, is accused of sexually assaulting more than 250 male athletes and students from 1979-1996.
First Published January 28, 2020, 6:48 p.m.
