By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-25 18:00:08 | Updated at 2024-12-26 06:12:03
12 hours ago
A University of Oregon staffer who was fired after telling Trump voters to kill themselves claimed that he is the real victim in the situation in a new Instagram rant.
Leonard Serrato was terminated from his position as Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life after he was placed on leave for telling Trump supporters to jump off a bridge in a video posted right after the Republican won November's election.
But Serrato claimed on Instagram Live that the media had changed the meaning of his video, sparking a harassment campaign against him.
'Once it went viral, the theme of my video changed. [The news media] turned the narrative into me telling all Trump supporters to unalive themselves,' Serrato said in a December 20 Instagram Live seen by the Daily Emerald.
'Because of this, I was then doxxed on Twitter. Not only was my work email, my personal email, my address, my family’s address back in Los Banos, and my cellphone number.'
Serrato said that after he posted the controversial video, he received thousands of threats and was called homophobic, fatphobic and racial slurs.
He added that he believes it was his own students who made the video where he told Trump supporters to kill themselves to go viral.
'At the time, my account was set to public, and because of that, individuals recorded what I said and posted it,' Serrato said. 'It was students who did this, but I know it was students because it was originally posted to the anonymous app called Fizz.'
Leonard Serrato worked as Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Oregon and posted the inflammatory video on his Instagram account. He is now revealed to have been fired
The school cited the reason for Serrato's dismissal as 'personal' and did not elaborate on why he no longer holds the position.
Serrato worked as Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Oregon before he posted a video on Instagram with the shocking message for Republican voters.
'I'm done crying. My sadness is over. My anger has set in,' Serrato said, describing himself as a 'proudly petty person.'
He continued: 'I'm saying this in the most disrespectful way possible - I don't care if you are my family, I don't care if you are my friend, I don't care if we've been friends our entire lives. You can literally go f**k yourself if you voted for Donald Trump.
'If you are so sad about your groceries being expensive, get a f*****g better paying job. Do better in life. Get a f****g education.
'Do something, 'cause you’re f*****g stupid and I hope you go jump off a f*****g bridge.'
The University of Oregon cited the reason for his dismissal as 'personal' and did not elaborate on why he no longer holds the position
Serrato said: 'If you are so sad about your groceries being expensive, get a f*****g better paying job. Do better in life. Get a f****g education. 'Do something, 'cause you’re f*****g stupid and I hope you go jump off a f*****g bridge'
Serrato then addressed his 'LGTBQIA' students, as well as those 'of color.'
'Take care of yourself and know that you have my support,' he said.
The university told KOIN in November that it was conducting an investigation into the matter.
'The University of Oregon finds the statements made in the video abhorrent and not in alignment with our values or mission,' the college said.
'We appreciate the conflict between his statements, his role in Student Life at the University, and our institutional values.'
Serrato had previously served jail time in connection with the deadly hazing of an 18-year-old fraternity pledge at Fresno State University.
He was an undergraduate student in 2012 when he was involved in Philip Dhanens's alcohol-related death.
Police said Serrato and others egged Dhanens to drink dozens of shots. He had a 0.4 blood alcohol level when he died.
Serrato went on to work at Fresno State as an assistant advisor of fraternity and sorority life
Philip Dhanens died in 2012 after a fatal hazing incident that Serrato was later jailed for
Serrato became an activist against hazing, using his experience to make speeches in colleges around the country
Serrato was one of the people who purchased the alcohol.
Dhanens had only been at college two weeks when he took part in a drinking binge at an off-campus fraternity house.
Serrato's lawyer at the time told ABC that the incident 'had a huge effect on a number of people including Mr. Serrato and his family.'
The lawyer added: '[Serrato] is very remorseful that this young man passed away at such an early age from this type of tragedy and he accepts responsibility for his actions and we'll move forward from here.'
Serrato went on to work at Fresno State as an assistant advisor of fraternity and sorority life.
He then became an activist against hazing, using his experience to make speeches in colleges around the country.
Serrato was just one of many who issued questionable messages following Trump's electoral win.
The editor of America's oldest magazine, launched an astonishing outburst against Republicans following Donald Trump's election win in November.
Serrato was just one of many who issued questionable messages following Trump's landslide electoral win
Laura Helmuth, the editor-in-chief of Scientific American, went on a rampage against Trump supporters in now-deleted posts on social media, calling them fascists, racists and sexists.
'I apologize to younger voters that my Gen X is so full of f*****g fascists,' Helmuth wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.
She also wrote: 'Solidarity to everybody whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high-school classmates are celebrating early results because f**k them to the moon and back.'
Helmuth then went after her own home state: 'Every four years I remember why I left Indiana (where I grew up) and remember why I respect the people who stayed and are trying to make it less racist and sexist.
'The moral arc of the universe isn't going to bend itself.'
Helmuth was booted from her job days later.
