Beyoncé yesterday paid tribute to a gay man killed over the weekend in a suspected hate crime. On Beyonce’s official website, a simple message read ‘Rest in power, O’Shae Sibley.’
Sibley, 28, was a professional dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn. According to CNN, on Saturday night, at around 11pm, “Sibley was dancing – vogueing – to a Beyoncé song with friends at the gas station when a group of men approached them and started to shout gay slurs at them.”
The men were dancing to a track from Beyoncé’s Renaissance album. The record was inspired by classic house music and ballroom culture.
A close friend of Sibley’s, Otis Pena, posted an emotional Facebook live video after his friend’s death to explain what happened. He said they’d stopped for gas in the Midwood section of the borough, just a couple of blocks from Pena’s house. They’d been out that day to the beach to celebrate Pena’s birthday.
“They murdered him because he was gay. Because he stood up for his friends,” Pena said.
After the group was subjected to slurs, an argument ensued. A man stabbed Sibley in the torso. Pena said he applied pressure to the wound before Sibley was taken to Maimonides Medical Center. He was pronounced dead there.
Summy Ullah, an employee at the gas station, told the Gothamist that the men approached the dancers and told them their flamboyant display was an offense to their faith.
“These people were like ‘we’re Muslim, I don’t want you dancing,” said Ullah.
The altercation was caught on the gas station’s CCTV cameras.
New York Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal was among those heartbroken by the news of Sibley’s death.
“Heartbroken and enraged to learn about O’Shae Sibley’s death this weekend in New York. Despite homophobes’ best efforts, gay joy is not crime. Hate-fueled attacks are.”
A police spokesperson told the Guardian that Sibley’s death “is being investigated as a possible biased incident”. No arrests have been made at the time of writing.
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ZzBomb
“These people were like ‘we’re Muslim, I don’t want you dancing,” said Ullah.
Yeah, religion really is a problem. If your faith is “offended” by someone else’s existence, it’s not faith you have, it’s stupidity.
abfab
Word.
Thank you.
missvamp
it’s not stupidity- it’s hate. pure & simple. religion hiding hate & fear. sad little men, afraid of a man dancing. how tragic, that he had to die because of their hate & fear.
dbmcvey
We don’t want any theocracies, no matter what denomination.
Mister P
A tragic story. I feel for his friends and family.
That should not have happened.
Kangol2
This is such a sad story. My heart goes out to O’Shae Sibley’s friends and family. Given the victim, though, and the circumstances, I was wondering if Queerty was going to report on it at all.
I guess the celebrity aspect of Beyoncé (thank you, incredible, gracious, caring person!) publicly honoring O’Shae Sibley merited coverage, but even if she hadn’t, it deserved to be written about here.
The murderer’s anti-gay slurs and use of religion should factor into whatever charges, conviction and sentencing this murderer receives.
London_Resistance2
and meanwhile in other news, when our bearded nazi pals are not stabbing gay men for dancing in the usa or here in parks in England, they’re currently rioting all over the muslim world cos in sweden and denmark protestors have burnt copies of the koran!!
Muslim countries: they have out of control high birth rate, they have no food and can’t feed themselves, they have very bad governments off the corruption scale, but they are not rioting over those issue. Oh no, they’re rioting cos someone burns a fVcklng book
Kangol2
Well, we can all thank you country for invading a number of them and wreaking havoc throughout the past 300+ years, so maybe look in the mirror first to understand why so many of them are in crisis, because Britain had quite a horrible hand in creating the troubled Muslim societies we’re seeing all over the globe (in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, etc.)!
mildredspierce
Very concerning that the oppressed are now the oppressors. Burgeoning groups of “offended” Muslims now running their mouths in Canada. Silence from moderates. Very concerning indeed….
mike_derryberry
So incredibly sad. Someone just enjoying life and a moron kills them in the name of religion.
nm4047
once again the ‘religion’ card is played, no doubt some ambulance chasing lawyer will represent and defence of his clients constitutional rights etc. blah blah blah.
LegionKeign
Nice that be-YAWN-say was able to capitalize on O’Shae Sibley’s death. I wonder if she’ll pay for his funeral service.
Kangol2
She’s done more than you. Are you ponying up a dime?
abfab
Should you find out that Bee did just that, will you apologize for being an asshole, LegionKeign?