At some point, I came to think of late June as gay bashing season. It seemed that the couple of weeks before and after this city's Pride March (and the anniversary of Stonewall) brought every bigot out of the woodwork. In fact, after the first Pride March in which I participated, I found myself consoling someone who'd just been attacked by a bunch of teenagers two days after moving to New York from Alabama.
But lately I've been hearing more and more stories of violence against LGBT people for being LGBT people at other times of year, including this one. Maybe the "season" really has extended. Or, perhaps, I am simply more aware of attacks that occur.
Today one of my favorite bloggers, Vickie Davis, related the story of two transgendered women who were murdered within 20 hours of each other in Brazil. I can assure you that Vickie is a realist and not someone who's fallen into mindless cynicism. So, she can honestly say that it's "without malice" when she says that such incidents are "to be expected" in a country where a trans person is slain every other day.
Now, tonight I learned of Barie Shortell, who was brutally attacked when he was walking home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His medical bills are expected to come to more than $100,000. And he doesn't have health insurance. Friends are holding a benefit and have created a Facebook page for donations to help pay for those expenses.
But lately I've been hearing more and more stories of violence against LGBT people for being LGBT people at other times of year, including this one. Maybe the "season" really has extended. Or, perhaps, I am simply more aware of attacks that occur.
Today one of my favorite bloggers, Vickie Davis, related the story of two transgendered women who were murdered within 20 hours of each other in Brazil. I can assure you that Vickie is a realist and not someone who's fallen into mindless cynicism. So, she can honestly say that it's "without malice" when she says that such incidents are "to be expected" in a country where a trans person is slain every other day.
Now, tonight I learned of Barie Shortell, who was brutally attacked when he was walking home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His medical bills are expected to come to more than $100,000. And he doesn't have health insurance. Friends are holding a benefit and have created a Facebook page for donations to help pay for those expenses.
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