Brent Jason’s definitely got a set. Rather than let a bunch of thugs talk trash about his friends, the Canadian queer spewed a few insults of his own. Unfortunately, the verbal aggression turned physical.
The brouhaha began last week outside the popular – and only – gay bar in Sudbury, Ontario, Zig’s Jason and his friends were chilling outside when a trio of men walked by, cat called the girls, insulted one of Jason’s male friends and then walked away. Jason stared them down as men strolled down the street, prompting one of them to come back. The men exchanged words and all seemed well until both Jason and the other man started in again. The Sudbury Star reports:
Before the group left, the man and Jason exchanged sexual insults and that’s when the situation got physical, [Jason’s friend Crystal Abouhanna] says.
“After that, the guy started walking towards (Jason) and I knew then and there that the guy was gonna start swinging and he did… So, Brent started turning around to walk away … the guy came at him and took a swing and then Brent backed away.
“The guy took another swing and I could see that Brent was pretty nervous because this guy was swinging at him. Then (the suspect) got him in the face and Brent got shoved into the wall. You could tell he was hurt because he touched his face right away.
The hooligans hoofed it when Abouhanna called the police. Jason, meanwhile, headed to the hospital, where a plastic surgeon confirmed his cheek’s fractured in three places – an injury which may permanently rob him of feeling on the left side of his face.
Abouhanna says she returned to the scene later, where one of the assailants allegedly returned to yell at more Zig’s patrons. The cops arrived, the man fled, but turned himself in on Thursday. Jason’s gay ways made investigators wonder if the suspect,
Kevin Romanowski should be charged with a hate crime. Considering the impetus of the fight – trash talking and general machismo – coppers have ruled that this attack is not, in fact, a hate crime. Just boys acting a fool…
leomoore
I don’t like gay bashing. I also don’t like it when people escalate a situation but are not prepared or capable of responding on equal terms. If one takes actions that escalate a situation that is likely to lead to physical aggression, be prepared to respond physically.
It is courageous not to respond to provocation. It is stupid to respond with counter-provocation but nothing to back it up. It is courageous to defend yourself or others from physical aggression. It is not courageous to provoke physical aggression. He is a victim of his own idiocy.
Dawster
Jason’s friend “crystal”? hmmm….
SeaFlood
Um… that’s a hate crime. Talking shit is not the same thing as giving someone a black eye. Wow… look at what patriarchy does to “loud-mouthed” gay boys!
*sick*
Bill Perdue
If the NDP and Liberals actually supported equality (instead of just wanting our votes at election time) they’d sponsor a volunteer militia whose main duty would be the supression of antigay activities by superstitious (religious) groups and skinheads. The same is true of the Democrats in the US. The fact that they don’t is a clear sign that they aren’t serious about full equality.
EqualRights=GayOrNot
hey leomoore I just wanted to say that it is AWESOME to see that someone can see through these false, bullshit newspaper stories. You’re the man. But Brent told that guy he was going to, and I quote “I’ll fuck you in your ass!” Peoples opinions seem to change when they hear that part. Fact of the matter is, this was by no means a hate crime. It was some fool talkin shit and couldnt back it up. Gay or not if your gunna run your mouth, you best be able to back it up. Equality. Gay or not, things would not have went much differently and i don’t believe that many ppl would have reacted much differently then Kevin did.
Marie-Claude
wow… to begin with, it’s not everyone that is okay with the fact that there are gay people. I personaly have absolutly nothing against people who have different sexual orientation. But it doesn’t take someone very bright to know that if you are gay, you don’t run your mouth to total strangers on the street saying . That’s just asking for it…
I believe that this is just once again, a victim of his own idiocy.
Marie-Claude
* saying im gonna fuck you in the ass.
Carole
I can’t believe that Kevin was actually charged for defending himself from this verbal assault. All this talk about gay rights, what happened to the rights of straight people? If I was walking down the street and a guy yelled a similar comment at me and I turned around and punched him, the law would probably say he deserved it by provoking the situation, but because this guy is gay it becomes a hate crime?
I think there is something wrong with our justice system. My understading is that Jason is a very big guy and I guess he was tries to use his size to intimidate other people but didn’t anticipate Kevin being able to punch the way he did. You want to provoke other guys Jason, then suffer the consequences and take it like a man, don’t go running to the law playing the poor little victim just because you’re gay.
Brian
Carole. Kevin was not defending himself. He initiated the “verbal assault” and against more than one person, no less. Would that mean that all of the people he insulted would have had the right to lay a beating on him?
Do you think we should all just shut up and keep on taking slurs from straight people indefinitely? I could fill a library with all of the verbal abuse that I have put up with– and most often silently. Would it be acceptable for me to punch every person who “verbally assaulted” me? No. Kevin is violent. His behavior was illegal. He has been charged with a crime and that is what is supposed to happen when you put your hands on another person like that. You can’t mouth someone off and then punch them out just because they say something back.
Rights for straight people?? Are you for real?? Name one right that I have that you don’t.
What about the right to safety? As a woman, you should really be able to identify with that one.
Brian
Carole. Kevin was not defending himself. He initiated the “verbal assault” and against more than one person, no less. Would that mean that all of the people he insulted would have had the right to lay a beating on him?
Do you think we should all just shut up and keep on taking slurs from straight people indefinitely? I could fill a library with all of the verbal abuse that I have put up with– and most often silently. Would it be acceptable for me to punch every person who “verbally assaulted” me? No. Kevin is violent. His behavior was illegal. He has been charged with a crime and that is what is supposed to happen when you put your hands on another person like that. You can’t mouth someone off and then punch them out just because they say something back.
Rights for straight people?? Are you for real?? Name one right that I have that you don’t.
What about the right to safety? As a woman, you should really be able to identify with that one.
Guy
Oh, so apparently Brian was there. You likely weren’t, but I was. Kevin didn’t initiate any insults–he reacted to THREAT, on both his physical and mental/emotional well-being, as well a threat to his sexuality. Everybody has an opinion about a secondhand story they heard. But I was there buddy. And THREATS are punishable by law.
Guy
Not to condone violence, but Brent quite literally asked for it. Which is why the police who found Kevin at the bar down the street, where he WALKED after the incident–not fled, did not arrest Kevin. They took a quick statement and sent him back into the bar to drink more beer. The professionals know what they are doing.