To the editor:
There has been a cluster of gay bashings recently. This morning, I was sent a picture of a young man I know who was attacked. It was not a good way to wake up. It seems like I hear about these things more often than not. I wonder what these men go through when faced with these awful situations.
Recently, a couple was walking through Midtown Manhattan near Madison Square Garden when a group of eight young men who just left a Knicks game assaulted the two men. The news report said that witnesses recorded the assault with cell phones. No one intervened. Police are still looking for the eight suspects.
Less than a week later, two men were attacked near a Midtown PATH station. Port Authority Police apprehended two of the suspects. Both victims were rushed to the hospital, where one of the men underwent eye surgery.
Another man was shot in the head and killed near Stonewall Inn, where in 1969 a violent crack down and police intimidation gave birth to what we know as the gay-rights movement.
There has been a recent spike of gay bashings being reported in the news — in France, while French legislators were voting on same-sex marriage; in the U.K.; and here in the U.S., it seems like the reports just keep coming in.
Just this morning, I got a message from a friend telling me that a former Philly local was attacked in the East Village. His attack was the same night as a rally of LGBTs and allies in response to the recent spike in antigay violence in New York City.
It feels reminiscent of the cluster of LGBT-related suicides in 2010. It is reminiscent because when we hear about these cases, people feel helpless. Personally, I feel mad. However, I understand why others feel fear. They are worried about the safety and well being of themselves, their friends and their families. I just feel angry.
Aside from the many questions that are raised with this recent spike in violence towards the LGBT community, I have other questions — questions that are rarely asked.
Questions like: Have we as LGBT people been lulled into a false sense of safety because of all the same-sex-marriage talk? Do we think that the movement is over because President Obama supports LGBT equality? What can we as individuals do to protect ourselves? Something similar to a town watch? Community self-defense classes? Why in these cases do we not fight back?
Since I was younger, I’ve always carried a knife on me when I go out, especially when I go out by myself. I lived in Camden, N.J., and Philadelphia. I understand very clearly what kind of danger is present. Ongoing. I am always aware of my surroundings. I am quite observant and take mental stock of every situation I am in.
The vicious beating and death of Matthew Shepard changed me. It changed my life. Very quietly I watched the news reports in 1998. I was in high school. I was still in the closet. He died on my birthday that year. His unnecessary death has stayed with me all these years. It gave me motivation. I said to myself that I would not be a victim. That I would fight back. That even if it was only me, that I would push back against all the violence, all the hatred and all the bigotry.
A couple of years ago, I went to a book signing with Matthew Shepard’s mother, Judy Shepard, who penned the book, “The Meaning of Matthew,” where she wrote about Matthew’s life and the circumstances of his death. It was a truly inspiring experience to meet her, to tell her that her strength gave me strength.
I told her that her son’s death would not be in vain. I told her that I would not be a victim and that I would fight back both for myself and for Matthew. That his tragedy gave birth to my gift and passion as an activist.
I won’t be a victim. I will not live my life in fear. I would do everything in my power to protect those I love and care for. Even if that meant the loss of my life, I would rather die with my dignity intact trying to protect my partner Matt and/or any one of my dear friends.
We cannot sit idly by while our LGBT brothers and sisters are victimized. Take a self-defense class. Carry a knife. Start a town watch in your local LGBT community. Have a conversation with your friends; tell them to always be aware of their surroundings. Tell them not to walk home late at night by themselves. Most importantly, if you see something happening or something that just doesn’t seem right, call your local law enforcement. Just don’t do nothing!
Do something, anything! Get involved!
Mahatma Gandhi once said: “It is better to be violent if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.”
— Paul Joseph Cheeseman Clifton Heights, N.J.