The number of reported violent hate crimes against LGBT people in New York continues to escalate, as the city’s Anti-Violence Project is now investigating the assault of a transgender woman on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, NY.
Awareness for anti-LGBT violence in the city has grown exponentially since the murder of Mark Carson late last Friday. Political leaders have spoken out against the hate crimes and marched alongside concerned citizens at peaceful demonstrations, but it hasn’t yet brought an end to the crime wave. Earlier today we reported on the brutal attack against club promoter Dan Contarino, who was savagely beaten along with his boyfriend. There have since been reports that an unidentified gay couple was attacked around 5 a.m. today on Broadway, between Prince and Houston Street, by two men shouting anti-gay slurs. The two men, identified as Fabian Ortiz, 32, and Pedro Jimenez, 23, have been arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime.
The AVP will hold a Community Safety Night on Friday, May 24 to raise awareness and provide people with information and safety tips. The meetings will continue each Friday through June. AVP encourages you to report any violence you experience or witness to its free and confidential 24-hour bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline at 212-714-1141.
Some Queerty readers have indicated providing safety tips isn’t sufficient, and have suggested a reformation of the Pink Panthers, a neighborhood watch group founded by members of the activist organization Queer Nation, which once helped make the mean streets of New York safer for LGBT citizens. Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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craigers
We should restart the pink panthers. We must protect our community. Bash back!
niles
@craigers for starters, don’t call yourselves “pink panthers”. This notion of gay
men as being weak pantie-waists afraid to defend themselves must stop. If need be, in
the wake of this onslaught, concealed permits or at least Mace or stun guns may be
needed.
Ridpathos
To be honest, this has begun to stink of organized crime. I would bet that a few gangs are sending their lackeys to harass and/or kill any sighted homosexual couples in probably what they see as a righteous battle, especially as public opinion is just teetering in favor of gay marriage and the marriage bills are going through the works.
ShowMeGuy
They bash us because we let them. While I in no way support *eye for an eye* crime control…..the reality is, they will continue to bash us as long as we do not splatter one of their skulls against a stonewall.
The college town where I live had a team performing a rash of home invasions. One time, the resident shot a few rounds and hit one of the intruders. The invasions ended.
When a couple of these bashers eat some boot tread…..these bashings will stop.
Homophile
@niles:
For starters, you are a relic. The days of worrying what the straights think of us are over. We are who we are; some butch, some fem, some in between.
The “Pink Panthers” is not only a very fabulously clever name, it does the opposite of what you suggest. The group was founded to take back the streets from bashers and homophobes and was successful at doing so.
erasure25
@craigers: The Pink Militia. Time to arm up. Second Amendment applies to us too. Right wingers should totally support us killing our attackers, right?
(I’m not really serious, I hate guns. But it would be nice to use right wing solutions against presumably right wing people.)
Demented
@erasure25:
It is amazing how the NRA has been silent on this @erasure25. i guess only old white hetero men are allowed to arm themselves. i am annoyed that all of a sudden this is an epidemic. This HAS been an epidemic for quite some time, just it was happening in bars and bedrooms, not on a busy avenue in front of so many people (the sad murder of one of our own). If I remember correctly the last time this was this bad, it took the actions of the community itself to stop it, then the police got on board. We have a Mayor that is really more interested in what we eat then who is killing us. Unfortunitly this will be harder this time around. Back in the 70’s and 80’s we had our gayhoods which we could patrol and defend. Now we as a community is spread to all 5 corners of NYC, and it would be hard to police that ourselves. IF NYC would put half as much energy into getting the word out and stopping this as they do with stop and frisk, as well as the fort known as the WTC, we could nip it in the bud.
Jeton Ademaj
the ONE solution is the passage of National “Shall-Issue” Concealed-Carry Legislation. in the absence of a criminal record, a mental-health disqualification or some other disqualification, you SHALL BE ISSUED a license to carry a concealed handgun throughout the USA.
all of you who despise guns should be disgusted with yourselves for contributing to a political environment that keeps Queers physically helpless in the face of attack. pepper spray wont do jack…neither will “self-defense classes”. most attacks happen with the assailant(s) ensuring they has a massive advantage over the victim(s).
we need Force Equalization. your kum-bah-yayas have FAILed, and will continue to FAIl, and Queers will continue to bleed and die for that pathetic and irrelevant pacifist vision.
judderwocky
buy a gun. arm yourself. you don’t have to be defenseless. you can spout off all the high minded ideals you want, but at the end of the day are those ideals going to take on a group of angry men?
Homophile
Gun nuts are silly.
Jeton Ademaj
@Homophile: yes, people who have an irrational fear of guns and other weaponry are silly…but you’re also helping Queers get beaten and murdered.
?? ??
Hi there we are from Jub We Talk India’s First LGBT Podcast ! We support people out there in their fight for right !
LaTeesha
Own a gun. Know how to use it. Shoot first. Ask questions later. Problem solved. It’s kill or be killed. The choice is easy.
Homophile
@Jeton Ademaj:
LOL
I’ll take “Hyperbole” for $500 Alex.
Homophile
Do we really have to have this argument? You are wrong if you think that more guns = less crime. There are studies and real examples all over the western world that prove that gun control = less gun death.
If you want to have an argument over the 2nd amendment, fine, but don’t try and tell me that the only way to protect ourselves is by arming the populace because that is simply not true.
/thread
Jeton Ademaj
@Homophile: stop lying, any study you offer i’m going to dismantle for you by methodology and sample and comprehensive bias. not to mention all the obfuscation you’ll have to offer to confront the reality that crime has gone down in the same time period that most States and municipalities have been passing “shall-issue concealed caryy” legislation. the “OK CORRAL” nightmare scenario guys like you (and your ‘researcher’ friends) hungrily predicted have never come to pass…and mass shootings conveniently happen where groups of people are reliably UNarmed.
armed queers just dont seem to get bashed like unarmed queers.
/thread.
Jeton Ademaj
It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to
put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. Violence is any day
preferable to impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become
non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent.
Non-Violence in Peace and War (1948)
-Gandhi…for all the impotent jellyfish demanding plaintively that their attackers “stop the violence”.
Allen D.
Call me crazy, but it seems that most bashings happen to people leaving bars (I’m probably over generalizing, but – bear with me).
In Utah, it is illegal to carry a gun if you’re intoxicated. So… how does that work, exactly? I think it’s only ok in 4 states.
So, gun folks – what’s the solution?
DarkZephyr
@Homophile: OK. Then what is your idea? If we find ourselves starring down the barrel of a gun wielded by a rabid homophobe and we have decided to remain unarmed ourselves, what can we do to protect ourselves in that moment? I am not saying that I support guns, but right now I will admit that being armed is starting to look a little good. What should we do instead?
Jeton Ademaj
@DarkZephyr: he wants you to despair…
J W G
Good comments…Leaves me hopeful that the LGBT community will shed this ‘everybody’s favorite victim’ image and start to take matters into their own hand. But here’s something to think about;
Owning a firearm is a big responsibility. It’s not like TV, it’s not like the movies. It should be the last resort and if your pull a sidearm out you’d better know how to use it. You need to know the law, you need to put aside emotions. You need to be sober.
I live in the state of Vermont. As blue and liberal as Vermont’s national image is it has one of the most lax gun laws in the nation. Most of the population here has, at least, a shot gun mostly for hunting which is one of the most popular past times here. It is legal to carry a concealed firearm here. There is a relatively small amount of crime but if you commit a crime in Vermont using a firearm they throw you in jail and throw away the key.
I support Gay & Lesbians right for arming themselves. We’ve waited long enough for the police to show up and protect us. It doesn’t happen. If one wants to acquire a firearm, know your state and local laws on firearms, and if in the unfortunate event you have to use it (and believe me it would be unfortunate) you better know what the f**k you’re doing. If some of you wish to carry a concealed firearm without a permit in a city or town that requires a one, I don’t care how much you were defending yourself, you’ve broken the law and you probably will be brought to charges. In places like Los Angeles & New York, concealed weapons charges are severe. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time!
So if you want the responsibility of owning a firearm, know the laws and abide them, know what you are doing, join a firing range, get someone to train you properly, don’t get drunk, don’t do drugs, and for gods sake!, manage your anger and don’t do something stupid. If you are not in the solution than you are part of the problem.
tdx3fan
@J W G: The fact that NYC and LA have such strict concealed carry laws is part of the problem. They should not infringe on the rights to bear arms (according to the constitution). Because they do, and most law abiding citizens do not attempt to protect themselves because of it, they become easy prey for anyone wanting to do them harm.
J W G
@tdx3fan: Here we are again my friend; Whether the law is just or not, it is still the law. I agree…I used to live in LA. But carrying a concealed weapon, let alone using it, is a criminal offence. There is so much random violence and gang warfare in Los Angeles that the police and the district attorney’s office are in no mood to make exceptions to anyone. They SHOULD not infringe on the right to bare arms but they do! That is the law! Now if one wants to change that law, whether practical or not, in a war zone like South Central is another matter. Ask yourself, do you want to live within the law or outside of it. And if you use a gun,concealed illegally, in Los Angeles, I don’t care who you are, you better have a damn good lawyer. I’m not saying this is right, I’m saying this is the law. There is so much gun violence in LA County authorities don’t care who you are and they don’t want to hear it. And if you were protecting your life on the street, believe me, you’ll come close to loosing it in LA County jail. Especially if the perpetrator you shot was a gang member and they know you are gay. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.
the other Greg
@Allen D.: You’re not overgeneralizing at all. The news reports bear out your impression; many of the incidents occur after bar closing time (4 am in NYC).
Few of us are going to look obviously “gay” to a basher unless we are: (a) being affectionate to a bf in public or (b) leaving an obviously GAY bar.
The gun nuts can’t identify with having a boyfriend – perhaps because gun fanaticism is a well-known overcompensation for small c*ck size – and they’re essentially blaming the victims for going to bars and enjoying themselves in a gay setting. Apparently we’re all supposed to become gay Muslims or gay Mormons just so we can carry guns at 4 am.
The answer is a Pink Panther-style MILITIA – the word in the 2nd Amendment that the gun nuts usually don’t even notice, and if they notice it they don’t know what it means so they just ignore it.
@J W G: Why are you so sure that LA County is violating the constitution? LA County has had laws like that for a long time. The Supreme Court has struck down a few laws they considered overly restrictive (e.g. Washington DC recently), but they’ve upheld several others. I love how all the gun nuts seem to be Supreme Court “self-appointees,” but you don’t need to believe every ridiculous thing they declare.
judderwocky
@the other greg
“Few of us are going to look obviously “gay” to a basher unless we are: (a) being affectionate to a bf in public or (b) leaving an obviously GAY bar.
Full story here: http://www.queerty.com/eight-reported-attacks-against-lgbt-new-yorkers-what-should-be-done-20130521/#ixzz2U28otqx0
”
Is about the most foolish thing you could have said. There are multiple sociological studies showing that even strangers can identify sexual orientation from subconscious ques, facial features, and behavioral traits.
your comments are wrong and flat out offensive.
the other Greg
@judderwocky: “Offensive”? How?
Those sociological studies refer to clues when you meet someone face-to-face, interpreting speech patterns, etc.
Which wouldn’t apply to bashers’ quick decisions on the street about who to bash. They are going by other superficial factors.
Sauja32
You people who think carrying concealed weapons is the answer: how stupid ARE you? More guns on the street will mean more violent crime. Most of the attacks spoken about here did not occur with guns. If everyone got to carry one, the attackers are that much more likely to have been carrying themselves. Unless you have some ridiculous notion that the only people buying guns will be those people are are potential victims of violence?
The sheer idiocy of the more guns will equal safer people argument astounds me. So goddamned naive.
Jeton Ademaj
@the other Greg: judderwocky refuted your stupidity about being “obviously” gay. now i’ll stomp on your idiocy for claiming that those of us who advocate for armed self-defense have been blaming Mark Carson for being attacked…where? WHEN?
tittering moronically about penis size is the best you can do, obviously. i’m delighted to refute you there, too… ;-D
Jeton Ademaj
@Sauja32: we can’t possibly be any more stupid than someone who doesn’t understand that hate crimes are invariably crimes of opportunity AND impunity. NO bigots go attacking where/when they think their own safety is in question.
the first gaybasher getting his brains spattered across the street will be quite discouraging to other gay bashers.
pity the complete idiots who think marching and rallying has ever stopped a violent bigot from victimizing someone.
viveutvivas
No good can come of feeding the gun trolls.
judderwocky
“derp law abiding citizens commit crimes with guns derp”
Please explain to me how me having a gun contributes to violent crime. I am so sick of that damn argument.
Secondly, you are ignorant. Those studies have also analyzed walking patterns.
judderwocky
“No good can come of feeding the gun trolls.”
Except basic defense.
You want to run around with homophobes bashing your skull in and now way to do anything about it, be my guest. You want to revel in the enlightenment while you have YOUR skull bashed in, be my guest! However, I will carry a gun, and when somebody attacks me, I will, legally shoot them.
J W G
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. And why must people stoop to name calling and insults with others here in this forum just because someone has a different opinion? There is obviously a wide riff in ideologies here. Just like the nation as a whole. Which tells me LGBT issues are outside of liberal and conservative medium. We are people of all walks of life. I’m in bed with the Demo’s because the evangelical Christians have the republican party in their back pocket but that’s not ingraved in stone, it is just those evangelical right wingers that sanction the violence that gets inflicted on us. Know your enemy’s!. Learn to debate issues without regressing into character defamation. Hate messes up good judgement.
Homophile
@Jeton Ademaj:
“any study you offer i’m going to dismantle for you by methodology and sample and comprehensive bias.”
LOL
Is this just math you do as a gun nut to make yourself feel better?
Any study you disagree with is wrong? Nice bubble you live in.
Jeton Ademaj
@Homophile: not “any” study, just the ones u referenced…but, try me!
2eo
@Homophile: His organisation has just called to form an ACTUAL militia, they should be considered terrorists, because they are.