digitalfreaknyc

This has been all over the news here in NYC the last couple of days. Thought some of you might like to know.


NEW YORK, June 11 (UPI) -- Popular dance singer Kevin Aviance was the victim of a vicious gay-bashing attack in New York and despite "pedestrians everywhere," no one stopped to help him.

Aviance, 38, remained hospitalized Sunday at Beth Israel Medical Center, where he he had undergone surgery Saturday night to repair a broken jaw, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Three suspects, two 20-year-olds and a 16-year-old, were charged Saturday night with first-degree assault as a hate crime, police said.

Aviance's publicist, Len Evans, told the Times his client was walking home around 1 a.m. when he was approached by six or seven men, who shouted anti-gay slurs and started pelting him with objects fished from a nearby trash can.

The men started punching him and threatening to kill him as people walked by on the busy street.

"They dragged him to the curb," Evans said. "There were pedestrians everywhere. No one helped him."

The singer who had No. 1 hits with his remake of "Din Da Da" in 1997 and the 2002 "Alive," was finally helped by passersby as he lay unconscious on the street.

EdTheRipper

I read about this the other day. I hope they throw the book at the perpetrators.

Giles

The Kevin Aviance - he and my friends hung out with him when he was in DC dancing at Tracks (oh so many years ago) - what terrible news.

digitalfreaknyc

The bigger problem is that the east village is VERY gay friendly. For this to happen there is sobering.

Rogue588

It should also be noted, as Kevin pointed out in the article I read, that he was dressed "as a boy" when the beating occurred.

I remember coming out of the real Sound Factory back in the mid 90's to see someone getting a beat down.

It was only a pimp beatin' down his ho...

digitalfreaknyc

Not that it would matter...but yeah, i noticed that as well.

Either way, disgusting that it happened. And scary for me.

TheMadMonk

Am I the only person to have no idea who this guy is? Those #1 hits of his don't ring a bell, either.

digitalfreaknyc

Do you listen to dance music?

Rogue588

Oh, I wholeheartedly agree...but there might be some who stumble across his more...flamboyant...pics and might entertain the notion that he was "looking" for it..

Giantrobo

I don't know who this guy is but I've been hearing about this for the last few days. I hope those animals get some serious time in jail.

mndtrp

I've never heard of him either. I don't listen to "dance" music, as I hate the vocals, but I do listen to other forms of electronica.

Regardless, that's kind of crappy. Good thing they caught the kids who did it.

Spiderbite

What does that mean?

digitalfreaknyc

He's a female impersonator.

kvrdave

That sucks. Is that very common in NYC? I think of it as "gay friendly" but don't know that I have a basis for that.

I wouldn't read much into that. It is actually a well known phenomenon that a stranger in danger is far less likely to get help when there is a crowd, than when there is just a single person there. I remember reading about it in Psychology 101 back in the late 80s and then doing research on it in grad school.

Not that it makes it any better, but I wouldn't want to leap to the idea that no one helped because he was gay. It is more likely that no one helped becuase humans suck in a crowd.

digitalfreaknyc

Actually, it's not terribly common in NYC but lately (the last few years) I've heard about it more often. NYC is very accepting, for the most part. I could kiss or hold hands with my boyfriend (if i had one) anywhere in the city (and even in queens, where I live) without fear. There are times, however, when it does become unsafe and gangs do not help. Even if Kevin is in "boy-mode" it doesn't mean that he didn't look feminine and that alone can make people act out. I've seen guys make comments to each other on the subway if someone was obviously gay but yet they're standing next to me and have no idea. Sometimes I want to beat the shit out of them and other times I want to say to them, "you know, there's a '***' right next to you. watch your fucking mouth."

In any case, it's horrible. I have heard conflicting reports about people not helping him. in fact, I've heard that it was a pedestrian who helped him to the hospital. And if they weren't involved, how the hell did they catch all these kids so quickly? Something is weird about the story.

Howiefan

Exactly, just like women dressing provocatively are asking to get raped...

digitalfreaknyc

Unfortunately, we're getting some more...right in my city.
Doesn't make me scared. Makes me pissed. This is the same subway i ride every day. This could be me.

http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_524/m...sthanjust.html

BDB

I'd never even heard of him till I saw this thread, then EW had a story on it in the latest ep.
Sucks that people are getting harassed/beaten up because of how they are..