Tag: LGBT violence

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Two Men Arrested & Charged In Violent Hate Crime Attack On Gay Couple

Kealan Abraham (L) and Andre Duncan (R)

According to local Fox News affiliate, Andre Duncan, 39, and Kealan Abraham, 34, were arrested and charged with battery with a deadly weapon, battery with use of deadly weapon result of substantial bodily harm and conspiracy to commit criminal contempt.

The incident occurred near Vegas Drive and Simmons Street outside the gay couple’s home.

Charles Clements told police he and his boyfriend were followed home and attacked on November 29 as they arrived at their home.

The assault spilled onto their front patio where a glass table was knocked over and shattered. According to Clements, one of the men picked up a shard of glass and began to stab his boyfriend Vincent in the back puncturing his lung and breaking two ribs.

Clements said the men called Vincent a “faggot” and “an abomination” during the attack. Clements suffered head wounds.

Clements said neighbors heard the attack and then saw everything.

“Neighbors, everybody just looking,” he said. “Nobody called the police.”

Police said officers found Duncan’s driver’s license on the scene of the attack.

Vincent told police he recognized one of the attackers as a man who works with him at Walmart. That’s how the man knew about their relationship, he said.

“It was all about gay bashing,” Clements said. “The guy came up to my boyfriend’s job, calling him an abomination, calling him ‘fag.’”

When police went to Abraham’s home on December 2, Duncan’s car was present. According to police reports, he was seen leaving the home and drove to Walmart. Officers arrested him there.

Police arrested Abraham at his home.

Both men admitted to taking part in the fight but claimed there was not ‘hate crime’ aspect to the attack.

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Hate Crime: UK Teen Beaten & Left For Dead For Being Bisexual

(stock photo via Pexels)

A bisexual teen living in Nuneaton, a town in northern Warwickshire, England, was the target of a violent attack and was reportedly left for dead.

CoventryLive reports the attackers were charged in the attack and pleaded guilty to the assault, but received no jail time. Instead, they were given referral orders (a form of community service) and ordered to pay compensation.

The teen had been spending the day with friends when he was approached by one of the two attackers.

“What you hanging around with him for, you do know he’s bi,” said the first assailant.

The other then said, “Is this right?” as he launched into the violent beating.

When one of the victim’s friends said, “I can’t believe you hit him because he is gay,” one of the attackers replied, “I haven’t got a problem with gay people, but I have got a problem with greedy bis like him.”

The teen was allegedly knocked to the ground and the attackers began to kick him before dragging him into a wooded area.

As the beating continued, the teen says they threatened him if he told the police: “If you give our names to the police, we will find you and kill you.”

At home, he told his mother “three lads in balaclavas” had attacked him as the attackers had told him to say. But when he was taken to the hospital, all pretense fell away and he shared the truth of the beating.

Although the physical injuries of the attack began to heal, it is the psychological scars that continued to plague the boy.

His mother says he became a recluse, and she would sometimes find him “huddled with his hands over his head.” Eventually, the teen would refuse to leave his house out of fear.

Although people in the community rallied around him with support, the young boy says,“I just wish that the police and the court had done their jobs properly.”

“I feel let down, I feel like no-one did their jobs properly because, if they did, one of them would be in jail,” he told ConventryLive. “They attacked me because I am bisexual, what happened has changed my life, it has made me constantly look over my back.”

The after-effects of the attack were so severe, the family has moved from Nuneaton for fear the boy would run into his attackers.

HIs mother says that he has begun to recover some of his old self before the beating, but isn’t sure he’ll ever truly shake off the memory.

Having moved away, the family is coming forward now in an effort to highlight the injustice they feel they experienced.

“He just wants to stop any other kids going through what he has been through,” the mother shared with CoventryLive. “If they (the police) had said from day one it was not a hate crime, it wouldn’t have been so bad but all the way through we just kept being told that one of them might go to prison.”

For their part, the Warwickshire Police Force said through a spokesman, “We can confirm it was thoroughly investigated as a hate crime and charged as a hate aggravated crime.”

(h/t CoventryLive)

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Gay Men Attacked At Knife-Point In Key West Hate Crime

Christopher Yarema and Stephanie Burnham (mugshots via Monroe County Sheriff’s Office)

Two gay men from West Hollywood, California, were vacationing in Key West, Florida, when they became the victims of a hate crime.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, the two men had rented a large boat and dinghy in order to spend the day on Wisteria Island, a small federally-owned uninhabited island located several hundred yards off of Key West.

After spending the day on the island, the two men were preparing to leave when a couple, identified as Christopher Thomas John Yarema and Stephanie Lynn Burnham, approached shouting obscenities.

According to the police report, one gay men was wearing a Speedo-style swimsuit and it upset the couple.

One of the attackers yelled, “Hey, Mr. Speedo [expletive], get the [expletive] off our island.”

That was followed by Burnham shouting, “You have five seconds to get off, or I will kill you.”

Yarema then reportedly punched one of the men and broke his sunglasses. Burnham then slammed the same man with an oar.

When the man pushed her away in an attempt to defend himself, Yarema pulled out a knife and began slashing at the men yelling, “You knocked down my wife, I’m going to kill you!”

At one point, Yarema punctured the men’s dingy, but they were able to escape to their larger rental boat before it had completely deflated.

Once back onboard, the men were able to radio the U.S. Coast Guard for help.

The Sun-Sentinel reports that Yarema, a fisherman and roofer, has been charged with aggravated assault and causing property damage.

And Burnham, described as a Key West laborer, is charged with battery and causing property damage.

The boat rental company told the police the damage to the dinghy is estimated at between $2000 and $5000. The sunglasses that were broken in the scuffle were apparently worth about $800.

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UPDATE: Suspect Arrested In Connection With Alleged Brooklyn Hate Crime

Alleged suspect in Brooklyn hate crime

UPDATE: A 25-year-old man, Brandon McNamara, has been arrested in connection with the gay bashing.

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Two men were viciously attacked early Sunday morning as they left a gay bar in Brooklyn, New York.

According to ABC7, the two men – one 29-years-old, the other 34-years-old – had just left the Metropolitan Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, when a man approaching them called out with a homophobic slur.

The incident quickly escalated with the attacker punching the 34-year-old in the face, and throwing the 29-year-old against a tree. Both were knocked unconscious.

The good news is a bystander managed to snap a fairly clear photo of the attacker as he ran away.

One of the victims suffered a broken finger, while the other had to be treated for a broken shoulder.

Speaking to ABC7, Aidan Pongrice, a neighbor in the area, urged people to take action.

“Not just to find and arrest this one person, we need people to take action to go out and vote and make sure that we don’t have people and leaders in this country that actively dog whistle against my very existence,” said Pongrice.

The New York Police Department are now asking anyone with any information about the incident or identifying the attacker in question to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-8477.

Watch the report below from ABC7.

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Two Gay Men Attacked In Washington DC

William Southern in the ER after alleged gay bashing

William Southern, who recently moved to Washington, D.C., says he and a friend were the target of a violent hate crime this past Sunday.

In a post on his Instagram, Southern wrote that he and his friend, Robbie Barletta, were at the corner of 16th and U Street when the incident occurred.

According to Southern, they were attacked and beaten by mob of 4 men and a woman simply because they were gay.

Both men suffered several cuts and bruises, and Southern was sent to the emergency room for stitches to treat a split lip.

Southern posted photos of his injuries as well as their bloodied t-shirts.

But the social media post was not a ‘woe-is-me’ story. Southern makes it clear the incident only underscores his self-confidence in knowing who he is and living his life out loud.

“I will never stop being gay, I will never feel ashamed of who I am,” writes Southern. “Most importantly, I will never let anyone around me feel like less of a person simply because of who they are!”

He also thanked members of his Stonewall kickball league family for being there for him even though he’s a fairly new transplant to the DC area.

Southern closed his post with an upbeat message of community unity, writing, “May we stand strong and move forward.”

So, this is extremely hard for me and I have not 100% settled on how I feel it. But, Sunday a friend of mine @robertandre and I were the target and the victims of a hate crime. We were attacked by 4 men and a women on the corner of 16th and U in Washington DC, simply because we were gay. The four men and the lady brutally attacked myself and my friend, I was sent to the ER where I received stitches to pull my lip back together. But, the moral of this story is not that it happened or for people to feel sorry for me. This is a statement, I will never stop being gay, I will never feel ashamed of who I am. Most importantly, I will never let anyone around me feel like less of a person simply because of who they are! I am fortunate enough to have an amazing support system even though I have only lived in DC for a few months. I am proud and honoured to be apart of @stonewallkickball, my kickball family came together and has given me amazing support and I never would have met them without the lady’s and gentlemen who were courageous enough to put together these teams to support LGBTQ rights and give them a safe haven to be themselves. May we stand strong and move forward.
A post shared by William Southern (@wsouthernxd) on Sep 18, 2018 at 1:54pm PDT

(h/t Towleroad)

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Convicted Murderer: “Homosexuals Are A Disease To Mankind And Must Be Put Down”

Peter Avsenew

 A 33-year-old Florida man, who was convicted of the 2010 double homicide of a gay couple in the gay-centric neighborhood of Wilton Manors, will receive the death penalty.

While a court-appointed lawyer asked for mercy saying Peter Avsenew had been sexually abused by his stepfather as child and lost his sister to murder, Broward County Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes upheld the unanimous recommendation of the jury that he be put to death.

Avsenew was convicted last fall of the murders of Kevin Powell and Stephen Adams, a gay couple who had been together for 30 years.

According to prosecutors during the trial, Avsenew met the men through a sexually suggestive ad on Craigslist. After killing the couple, he stole their car, belongings and money.

At his sentencing hearing in January, the convicted killer flipped off members of the family in the court room after hearing the jury’s recommendation for the death penalty.

He told the judge at the time of sentencing he had no regrets and he was “proud of the decisions” he’d made in his life, according to the local ABC news affiliate.

While the judge could have spared his life, Avsenew sealed his own fate by writing a letter to the Holmes saying “It is my duty as a white man to cull the weak and timid from existence.”

“Homosexuals are a disease to mankind and must be put down,” he added. “These weren’t the first and won’t be the last.”

Missy Badget, a family member of one of the victims, said at the time, “After what happened in that courtroom just now, I’m happy that he’s being put to the death penalty.”

Avsenew is the first convicted felon to receive the death penalty since a new law went into effect requiring a jury to be unanimous in its recommendation for execution.

(h/t Sun-Sentinel)

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News Round-Up: August 15, 2018

(via Instagram)

 Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Julio Morales is happy to get to 38 in one piece. What was a birthday you felt proud of?

• A gay couple shared bloody pics of themselves after a homophobic attack in Belgium.

• Hot men took over the Red Dress Run this year and it was New Orleans fab!

• If you ever want to see a Fox News host yell at a Trump supporter, this may be your chance. Fox’s Ed Henry called Katrina Pierson out for lying on-air the day before about Omarosa’s allegations that Trump used the N-word.

• Twitter finally suspended InfoWars‘ Alex Jones for inciting violence. But just for a week…

• The latest Omarosa bombshell – Trump covets his daughter, Ivanka. #Oy…

• Is there a Designing Women reboot in the near future?

• As an effeminate gay actor, Corey Camperchioli was once teased for his feminine traits. Then he made a film project about it as he wears his femininity as a badge of honor.

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Houston Man Attacked/Beaten Walking Home From Bar

Christopher Bradford

A gay man was violently beaten by a group of attackers as he walked home from a bar in the Montrose area of Houston.

Seconds before the brutal beating, Christopher Bradford says he remembers hearing footsteps running behind him.

From ABC13:

“Someone grabbed me from behind (and) threw me to the ground,” Bradford said. “I was getting punched, kicked, and then, belt buckles we’re flying at me.”

Bradford said the attacker used the buckle end of a belt to hit him while he was down.

“Got me across the side of my head and I got four metal staples. They hit me with a rock in the forehead,” he said.

Bradford said many people were around, but no one helped. He was on the phone with a friend when the beating started and that friend drove up, scaring the attackers off.

“There was blood everywhere. It was in my eyes. I couldn’t see,” he said.

He believed the attackers targeted him because he’s gay.

“I kept asking why. I was like, ‘What did I do? Why are you hitting me?'”

Caleb Tout (mugshot)

The suspect, Caleb Tout, 19, was later arrested. He reportedly told officers he was drinking and beat Bradford because he was looking for someone else who allegedly exposed themselves to Tout’s girlfriend.

“You really don’t know the intention behind it. One of them was laughing. They were getting amusement out of this,” Bradford said.

Bradford says coming out of this incident, he’s learned a lesson he’ll never forget.

“I will never walk home alone. That’s never going to happen again,” he said.

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Indonesia: Two Men Publicly Flogged For The Crime Of Homosexuality

A young gay man is given 80+ lashes with a cane in the province of Aceh in Indonesia for being gay

Hundreds of people cheered as a gay couple were flogged more than 80 times in a public square in Indonesia’s Aceh province, where Sharia Law is observed.

A vigilante mob, suspecting the men of homosexual behavior, apprehended the men in a beauty salon earlier this year and handed them over to authorities.

AFP reports:

A crowd of about 1,000 people, including tourists from neighboring Malaysia, snapped pictures and shouted “flog them harder” as a hooded figure rained down lashes from a rattan cane on their backs.

The unidentified men were the second gay couple whipped in public this year in Aceh, underscoring the increasing discrimination faced by Indonesia’s small LGBT community.

Aceh is the only region in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, that imposes Islamic law. Public flogging is a common punishment for a range of offenses including gambling, drinking alcohol, and having gay sex or relations outside of marriage.

Officials in Aceh had previously announced an end to the practice that has been described as “medieval torture” but, to date, there has been no change in policy.

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Democratic Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Ban ‘Gay Panic’ & ‘Trans Panic’ Legal Defense

The Gay & Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act, introduced by Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.) in the U.S. House and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in the U.S. Senate, would ban the use of anti-LGBT panic defense from being cited as a legal defense in federal court.
Rep. Joe Kennedy III (L) and Sen. Edward Markey (R)

For decades, criminals have used the fear of being hit on by gay men or discovering a potential sex partner is transgender as ‘gay panic’ or ‘trans panic’ as a legal defense in court to justify violent attacks on LGBTs often to the point of murder.

But now, two Massachusetts lawmakers have introduced legislation that would put a stop to the defense across the country.

The Washington Blade reports the Gay & Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act, introduced by Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.) in the U.S. House and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in the U.S. Senate, would ban the use of anti-LGBT panic defense from being cited as a legal defense in federal court.

“Gay and trans panic legal defenses reflect an irrational fear and bigotry toward the LGBTQ community and corrode the legitimacy of federal prosecutions,” said Sen. Markey. “These defenses must be prohibited to ensure that all Americans are treated with dignity and humanity in our justice system.”

The Massachusetts senator adds that sexual orientation or gender identity “cannot ever excuse violence, and our courtrooms should not be used as chambers of hate.”

Kennedy told the Blade an admission of committing a violent crime against someone because they’re LGBT “is not a defense, it is a hate crime.”

“Legal loopholes written into our laws that seek to justify violent attacks against our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender neighbors should never have existed in the first place,” he added.

Earlier this year, a Texas man was given a lighter sentence thanks to using ‘gay panic’ defense after stabbing his neighbor who he claimed attempted to kiss him.

From The Washington Blade:

James Miller, 69, admitted to stabbing Daniel Spencer, 32. Miller said he rejected a kiss from Spencer when the two met at Spencer’s home in 2015, prompting Spencer to become violent and to charge at Miller with a glass. Miller said he then stabbed Spencer in self-defense.

Reports surfaced Miller invoked “gay panic” defense in his claim, although according to an NBC News report Miller’s attorney denied that and said his client acted purely in self-defense.

The sentence for Miller was for criminally negligent homicide, which carries a lighter sentence than murder or manslaughter. A jury recommended Miller receive 10 years probation, but a judge added six months jail time, 100 hours of community service and $11,000 in restitution to Spencer’s family.

The American Bar Association unanimously approved a resolution in 2013 denouncing the practice and calling for an end to the use anti-LGBT panic defense in court.

Currently, three states – California, Illinois, and Rhode Island have banned the use of gay and trans panic defense.

Photo credit: Rep. Joe Kennedy (Ted Eytan/Flickr – CC license) Sen. Edward Markey (public domain)