We were in complete shock on Saturday evening when the local news reported that a well-known gay performer was just bashed in the East Village. When Kevin's face appeared on the screen, we were speechless. Set upon by 6 young sissies who obviously figured they could never take down this giant of a man by themselves, they screamed anti-gay slurs at him while curiously demanding that he be more 'diesel'. I concur with Kevin that these monsters are anything but human.
I have a special fondness for the most visible member of the House of Aviance. He was just a local DC talent when I was venturing out into the gay world of nightlife in college, and I would see him at Tracks doing runway on the back porch where they grilled the hamburgers, often wearing nothing more than a pair of overalls, a giant afro and some sort of giant blingy necklace on. I thought he was the most exciting thing I had ever seen, and my sense of what it means to be gay in this world was impacted in a big way by his flamboyant but never girlish attitude. I've always meant to thank him for showing me how incredibly awesome and talented gay people could be, so I guess I'll do it now. Thanks, Kevin.
The nature of hatred is a strange psychological beast, however, and I had a complicated reaction to the news myself. When I was telling some friends about it later in the night, I described the attackers as "six black kids", at which point everyone in the room stared at me in disbelief and I quickly realized that the news had actually never clarified the race of the attackers. I was stunned. How could I be so careless, and more importantly why did I make that assumption? It didn't mitigate my sense of shame to later confirm that I was accidentally correct. I'd like to think that I'm not the same kind of sick bastard that could do the things that these little pricks did to Kevin, but ignorance of the kind that I displayed that night can easily blossom into things more sinister, and I glimpsed the dormant monster inside of me for possibly the first time. A humbling experience, to say the least.
I look forward to celebrating Pride this month, keeping Kevin front and center mentally. It's always cruel and horrifying when this sort of thing happens, but if there is a positive side to this it is that Kevin will easily serve as a dramatic symbol of what we are still up against even in the relative safety of the East Village. Be careful out there, kids, but never be ashamed of who you are.
Get well soon, Kevin.
UPDATE: Kevin released from the hospital, Towleroad has the goods.
Being there this night, I have to say that it is a brave mea culpa you are writing here Michael. It's never easy to admit that you are wrong, even when it's obvious and right away. "Everybody is a little bit racist" mellow the Avenue Q song... mellows everyone in its own mind... Gay, Republican puppets, black, white, French, Jews, even future ex recovering alcoholics. In shock is what we all are still right now regarding of the jaw dropping events of the past few days... And counting? Let's hope not and continue to show the world our pride... in movement!
David
Posted by: David | Monday, June 12, 2006 at 05:38 PM
You will be in my thoughts and prayers, Kevin.
That's a gut-wrenching post, Aatom. And a well written lesson that many of us who think we know ourselves should take to heart.
Posted by: Jamie | Monday, June 12, 2006 at 08:52 PM
Kevin? He's the sweetest warmest man, and I mean man. These horrific little bastards ought to be horse whipped. I'm feeling physically sick at thinking of what happened to him. Hello 2006?
Who wants to bet the cops never solve this one?
Posted by: Michael S | Monday, June 12, 2006 at 11:07 PM
Four of them have been arrested on hate crimes charges already.
But the Washington Post reports that "at roughly the same time as Aviance was beaten, three gay men were attacked by seven or eight men in the working-class neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, Patton said." That's the one that will go unsolved probably.
Posted by: Aatom | Tuesday, June 13, 2006 at 09:39 AM
I'm beginning to think the Pink Pistols have the right idea after all.
Posted by: Jamie | Tuesday, June 13, 2006 at 11:51 AM
Exactly, Jamie. I have to say that Instapundit has made me a believer in the 2nd amendment. Like drugs, the more you try to regulate them the more they spawn an insidious black market that has unintended consequences. And if you're going to be irrational enough to threaten me because of my sexuality, you totally deserve a pistol in the face.
Posted by: Aatom | Tuesday, June 13, 2006 at 12:02 PM