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Loading ...Gay man fights for life after homophobic attack
09.04.2008 4:19pm EDT
(London) Three teenagers are in police custody following a vicious unprovoked attack in East London that has left a gay man in hospital fighting for his life.
The 20-year old victim, whose name is being withheld by police for his protection, was stabbed seven times.The attacked occurred as the man and his female friend were walking towards a gay-friendly bar. Police said five teens swarmed the victim and the woman. They yelled homophobic taunts at the man, before beating him over the head with a bottle and then stabbing him in the back and torso.
He was rushed to Royal London hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed Thursday in serious condition.
Investigators are continuing to search for two other teens involved in the attack. They said that the teens could be charged with attempted murder, but that could be upgraded to murder if the victim succumbs to his injuries.
“What we’re concentrating on is tracking down and bringing to justice the people who committed this evil crime,” Det. Insp. Howard Way told the local newspaper The East London Advertiser.
It was the 47th homophobic attack in East London in the past 12 months.
Local politicians appealed for calm in the area’s substantial gay community, as demands for greater police protection rose on Thursday.
“This is a sickening and vile assault,” said George Galloway, the Member of Parliament for the area.
“A near fatal knife attack on a defenseless man is horrific enough. The fact that this also appears to be a homophobic hate crime compounds the evil.”
A gay man murdered in NYC this week. This man fighting for his life in London. A young buy murdered in his own classroom this year. What a truly sick and F*CKED UP world we are living in today. I blame these sick twisted religious and political nutjobs for continuing to spread their ignorance and hatred of GLBT people in the world.
I agree with you 100%, Chris!
As long as members of the GLBT community are continually vilified around the globe, more and more of these violent crimes will occur. Unfortunately, even in Great Britain where gays have some degree of equality, this is the case. The fact that Gay and Lesbian marital relationships are recognized only in a apartheid-like institution called “Civil Partnerships” in Britain only reinforces the odious notion that we members of GLBT community have to be segregated from mainstream society, and that we are not worthy of being fully integrated into all aspects of society’s traditional institutions.
When any country creates a “Separate, but Equal” system of laws, for any minority, it instills institutionalized disrespect as an acceptable way of viewing those people. While I realize that societal attitudes are often quicker to change than the law often is, especially among the younger generation, there are also more entrenched pockets of resistance to change as well that persists long after legal changes have occurred. In order for some degree of security to exist for any minority group, full integration into society must be demanded. Any system that sets any minority apart is evil in that it contributes to that minority as being perceived as intrinsically inferior — thus an acceptable target for public denigration, as well as group specific hatred, which often leads to violence.
(c)Bud Evans 2008
(more commentary can be found at my blog — Rainfish2000 on blogspot)
It’s awful but remember that straight people get killed every day for no reason too, dying horrible violent deaths at the hands of people they don’t know. Obviously I agree that any hate or sexuality-related crime is also totally evil and I hope the boy gets better. The UK in general is just out of control. I think they should hand over the keys of prisons to the decent law-abiding people and let the criminals slash one another up outside in freedom while we live in prison. At least we’d be safe, have hot meals and get free Sky TV.
Until judges and juries stop “slapping criminals on the risk” in these types of cases and use the laws that exist to exact maximum punishment for these horrendous crimes, they will continue.
Let me see if I can get this correct this time.
Until judges and juries stop “slapping criminals on the wrist” in these types of cases and use the laws that exist to exact maximum punishment for these horrendous crimes, they will continue.
Chris is right.
IMO 100% of the hatred towards us comes from the worlds religious fanatics & their “holy” bibles. And, they feel totally justified.
It’s encouraging that the younger generation is not buying into this evangelical fundamentalist nonsense.
Chris is right.
IMO 100% of the hatred towards us comes from the worlds religious fanatics & their “holy” bibles. They feel totally justified.
It’s encouraging that the younger generation is not buying into this evangelical fundamentalist nonsense.
Straight people get killed all the time but is it for them being straight? certainly not
This type of thing is the sad result of the hatred spread by those bigoted people who seem consumed with hate for gay and lesbian members of our society. Sadly, many of them hide behind the cloak of religion. No truly Christian person spreads hatred, nor is he or she consumed with the private lives of others, particularly their sex lives. Hatred is sowed by these people, and “as you sow, so shall you reap.” The young street thugs and Baptist ladies bear equal responsibility for these tragedies.
Here in America we have a political party, the party of george the Iraq liar Bush, and John McCain, who pander to the religious murderers who cause these kinds of tragedies, in the name of God.
What we need is not only hate crimes laws, but making the people of the religious right who spread this kind of poison guilty of murder by proxy.
It is time that religion doesn’t get a free ride. Our own religions – some of them, and some of their members, are little different then the people who gave us 9/11.
I agree with ya Chris…I have been saying for years that the religious right have been the underline cause of these attacks. They will always deny it, like I heard today from a interview with a few of the nut cracks…maybe their all on crack????
Watch out that we do not equate Christian churches with homophobia. Few would disagree that some churches foster hostility against LGBT people. However we cannot label all religious denominations as bad for the LGBT community. Many mainstream churches welcome us and are not only gay friendly but actively supportive, I know Christian denominations which have used church funds to support HIV/AIDS issues, organizations, centers, and even provide hospice-like housing. We should never lose sight that many of us find solace in the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) which is a Christian denomination founded by gays for gays; the existence of a gay church reminds me that Jesus Christ said, “If they hate you remember that they hated me first.”
After reading this article, and several others this morning, its no wonder gays often feel they need to hide from the work. Further, the fact of LBGT teens killing themselves in record numbers makes perfect sense.
Its hard enough for LGBT adults to tip-toe through life without living in horror all the time, but for an emotionally unstable teenager resorts to the only thing they can to stop the pain.
It really is a shame that we’re considered second class citizens, and that we’re all going to hell according to most of the religious organizations. What I don’t understand here is why. Why does the world have to brutally attack us just because we exist. This isn’t normal behavior for any group in this world. The last group that I can recall in the USA that was treated exactly this way were the African-Americans during segregation.
It has always been my hope that we as a society could learn from the past, and better ourselves, but that obviously isn’t happening. Welcome to the new dark ages.
Maybe one solution would be for LGBT people to learn to better protect themselves. Violence being used to combat violence should never be the first options, but I think we’re past that, and its time to consider it as an option.
With so many religious and political figures making a good career out of homophobia what else do you expect?