Kevin Aviance, pop singer and famous drag queen, was
attacked on June 11 in New York City. He was walking towards his home in Chelsea from a bar around
1AM when he was verbally and physically attacked by a group of young men. While taunting him with homophobic comments,
the youths beat Aviance unconscious. Although there were witnesses to the incident, no one came to Aviance’s
aid. He suffers a broken jaw and is
unable to participate in the New York City Pride celebrations as he had
planned. Four men have been arrested and
charged with first degree assault as a hate crime.
The attack on Kevin Aviance is an abomination and yet
another unfortunate example of the gender war in America. As the GenderYOUTH Network gears up for its
fall campaign, 50 Under 30, Aviance’s
attack is an urgent call for action. GenderYOUTH’S 50 Under 30 campaign
highlights the pervasiveness of young people who are murdered every year due to
their gender identity and expression. The case of Kevin Aviance confirms the overwhelming similarities between
gender-based violence. Although Kevin
Aviance is 38, his alleged assailants are all twenty years-old and
younger. Kevin is gay, black,
biologically male, and was attacked by males in a major cities. Because of his pop star status, Kevin’s
attack was covered by the mainstream media. Yet the articles on the incident often focused more on Kevin’s celebrity
than the nature of his attack. In the New York Times article on June 12, the
only picture of Kevin was one of him and Janet Jackson. If only all victims of gender-based violence
had famous friends! Moreover, all of the
articles were quick to mention that Kevin was not wearing women’s clothing, as
if that made the story more legitimate.
For more information about Kevin’s attack, visit:
http://www.queenmother.tv/nycgirl/aviance/avia.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/12/ap/entertainment/mainD8I6VAI82.shtml
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/nyregion/11drag.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/nyregion/12beating.html
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