On Wednesday afternoon, 25 year-old skateborder Kerry Tyler Street was attacked near his home in Surrey, British Columbia.
“If I seem a bit hazy right now,” Street said in a video blog posted early Thursday morning. “It’s cause it’s still kind of shocking, and I’m also on morphine right now. Just got out of the hospital around 11 o’clock this night, cause, for the second time in my life, I’ve been gay bashed. And the catch is, well, I’m not gay.”
According to Surrey Now, Street was skateboarding 104th Avenue in Guildford Town Center when an unknown assailant punched him in the face. The blow knocked Street to the ground, at which point his attacker began kicking him in the face and calling him a faggot. Once the perpetrator finished, he walked away, and four bystanders rushed to help Street, who was left with a broken nose and four cracked teeth.
“When people try to say that like, ‘Oh gay people aren’t discriminated against,’ it’s like that’s definitely a bunch of shit,” Street said. “Like, because he thought that I might potentially like guys, he thought that was a good enough reason to leave me bleeding in the middle of the street.”
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Surrey Now reports that police are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses. They’re looking for a 6 foot, 200 pound white man with short brown or dirty blonde hair. The suspect would be in his late 20s to early 30s, and he was wearing a black Crooks and Castles jacket when he assaulted Street.
Despite the rough road ahead—including spending upwards of $8,000 to repair his missing teeth—Street is maintaining a remarkably charitable outlook. “I think that man was a ticking time bomb,” he explained. “I think he was just looking for someone to injure, to make someone feel pain. I guess I’d say probably that someone hurt him really bad… So, I pity that man. And I don’t hate him for it. It’s not his fault if he doesn’t know any better. But it doesn’t excuse what he did.”
HirsuteOne
Isn’t this one of the problems we deal with? People who use the word “fag*ot” as an insult in general and not just as hate speech? Maybe he pis#ed someone off and they were settling a score by beating his a$$ and not committing a hate crime? Either way, it’s egregious, but IMO there are just too many details lacking to make a determination.
bledoutcolor
This is illustrates exactly one of the arguments ive used against homophobes who dont want hate crimes laws: straight people are gay bashed too. Anyone who is gender noncormforming or effeminate (males, butch females) is a target for homophobia or transphobia too. Doesnt matter if the victim is straight; if the perpetrator believes them to be gay then its still a hate crime. Thus hate crimes laws protect everyone equally. I respect this guy for being courageous enough to share his story to help end homophobia, and gracious enough to empathize with his attacker without pardoning him of his wrongs.
As for the above poster, I respectfully disagree. The victim seems to have a lot of detail on his attacker and seems to be lucid and observant. There is no lack of information here, and you are assuming just as much by writing it off as a vengeful assault between acquaintaces as people who are jumping to the conclusion it was a hate crime (even though all evidence seems to point to this).
Either way unprovoked assault is never justified and I hope the perp pays his dues and is caught. Meanwhile much love and respect to Mr. Street for speaking up and I wish him a speedy recovery. Maybe good samaritans will open up a charitable fund to deal woth the medical costs.
David Gervais
Note that his medical costs are covered. His dental costs are not covered automatically, but there is a provincial victims of crime agency that will cover his dental bill if asked.
HirsuteOne
It’s horrible he was beaten. It just seems he wasn’t doing anything to trigger a gay bashing. I don’t think the attacker actually thought he was gay. I think he just used that word as a pejorative while committing an assault.
LandStander
@HirsuteOne: “I don’t think the attacker actually thought he was gay. I think he just used that word as a pejorative…”
Based on what? Where you there? How can you think anything about the assailants intent, unless you have more information on the case then was presented here?
LandStander
@LandStander: Where = were and then = than *
scotshot
@HirsuteOne: If you feel you don’t have the information needed to make an informed opinion…………….
DarkZephyr
@HirsuteOne: So you are saying that when a gay person is bashed, its their fault because they have “done something” to “trigger” it???
Rockery
@LandStander:
@scotshot:
We don’t have enough info either way. But just saying fggggt is not an indication of a gay bashing, unfortunately is just used as a negative slur synonymous with b*tch
DarkZephyr
@Rockery: The fact that the world is seen as an insult speaks volumes about the opinion that the person using it has for gay people. In my view, every time its used as a means to insult someone, its a gay bashing, because the person using it clearly considers gay people pretty damned lowly, especially if its seen as “synonymous with b*tch”. The person using the slur would then have to be both homophobic AND misogynistic.
scotshot
@Rockery: Faggot, among other terms of affection, was used the three times I’ve been bashed. I always welcome hearing it as a sign of affection. Thanks for imparting your wisdom.
HirsuteOne
Certainly are lots of butt hurt folks who are using me for cheap therapy.
If anyone has an issue with my opinion or goes into faux outrage after reading too much into it, well you are just going to have to build a bridge and get over it.
PS – Rockery restated it perfectly fine.
scotshot
@HirsuteOne: FUCK YOU PRINCESS!
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
Wow. Irony.
scotshot
wow, an ironic 19 year old
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
You obviously have a lot of anger over the horrible things that happened to you. However, twisting a comment, putting words into other’s mouths and getting outraged over something that wasn’t said isn’t helping. Please, just stop. Find someone in your area to talk to. LGBT outreach center, something.
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
go to ncavp.org to find a resource in your area.
HirsuteOne
@LandStander:
If you have an opinion about the story, then certainly feel free to add it.
HirsuteOne
@DarkZephyr:
No.
scotshot
@HirsuteOne: I don’t need to be “outraged” to tell someone to fuck off.
I read your comment & didn’t twist words or put words in your mouth. Next time give a thought to what you’re writing, obviously what you meant to say is different than what you wrote.
Get a degree in Psychiatry before giving medical advice. Your ‘diagnosis” and advice is incorrect and way off the mark. MYOB.
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
You’re totally correct. My bad. You don’t have an anger problem at all.
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
You actually have an irony problem.
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
Oh, and please feel free to take your own advice. (Don’t worry about owing me. That one is on the house)
DarkZephyr
@HirsuteOne: Then what did you mean?
“It just seems he wasn’t doing anything to trigger a gay bashing.”
What kinds of things do gay people generally “do” to “trigger” gay bashings?
HirsuteOne
@DarkZephyr:
OK, just to make you feel better.
He was skateboarding. Not generally accepted to be a trigger to a gay bias crime as opposed to being seen leaving a gay bar or holding hands with a same sex companion or some of the other frequently reported scenarios in hate related attacks.
Happy now, dear?
royster
i’d like to know more about the “first time” implied by the headline’s “second time”….
DarkZephyr
@HirsuteOne:
I think that I would be a lot happier if you were a bit more compassionate with your replies to honest inquiries, but I suppose that will have to do.
Have a Happy Halloween. 🙂
HirsuteOne
@DarkZephyr:
You will just have to deal with it. I don’t suffer fools or histrionics.
DarkZephyr
@HirsuteOne: Have no fear, I will manage to get by. 😉
HirsuteOne
@DarkZephyr:
That’s great! With optimism like that, you’ll be back on your knees in no time!
DarkZephyr
@HirsuteOne: And my fiance LOVES when I am on my knees too. I am pretty good at it! 🙂
HirsuteOne
@DarkZephyr:
Well I certainly hope so since you’re obviously not getting married for your looks or personality!
NormanJones
my Aunty Hannah got a fantastic white Acura TSX Sport Wagon just by some parttime working online… read this post here,,, smarturl.it/bhtmj6
Rockery
@DarkZephyr:
I understand what you mean, but that type of homophobia (while not acceptable) would be somewhat implicit and not a conscious effort to be homophobic. I hear “that’s so gay” all the time and I doubt everyone using that truly understands the impact it has and hates gay people . I don’t think we should use “gay bashing” using your definition because I think it minimizes the horrendous physical assaults some of us endure
@scotshot:
You’re just ridiculous. Maybe you should look to DarkZephyr’s comment to see how to actually challenge someone, yours was just nonsense and laughable. Like it or not a lot of straight people will call one another faggot during a fight not to seriously imply the person is gay, but to liken them to gay person, meaning weak (which yes is very problematic) but its not an indication of a gay bashing. Sorry but that’s just the way it is, if it makes this guy and yourself feel better to call it that, go ahead. But I live in reality, could he have been gay bashed? Yes, if being called a faggot is all he is basing it on, then it might not have been
scotshot
@HirsuteOne: @HirsuteOne:
Oh the irony! hahaha!
scotshot
@Rockery:
WOW! Looks like I’ve been schooled by two of my betters on these pages.
I suppose that my being so completely ridiculous is the reason I elicited so much attention from you and the other one.
Oh, the irony of it all.
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
While it certainly is a shame that you were attacked for being gay, I’m guessing with your attitude people have to resist the urge to slap the shit out of you on a regular basis.
scotshot
@HirsuteOne:
Isn’t it enough to be so obnoxious that no one likes you and you have no friends in real life, but you have to come here and repeat that same behavior? TSK.
HirsuteOne
Awwww, now you’re making me feel bad.
HirsuteOne
@scotshot:
Awwww, now you’re making me feel bad.