Aviance attackers
claim they were provoked into beating him

The four assailants indicted in the brutal beating June 10 of well-known New York drag diva Kevin Aviance claim they assaulted him becausehe provoked them. In a statement given to police following the attack, the suspects claim that they were talking among themselves in the East Villiage when Aviance bumped into one of them and reportedly said, "Calm down, sweetie." According to his police statement, 16-year-old Gerald Johnson then told Aviance, "Don't ever call me sweetie." The beating that followed left Aviance with cuts, bruises, and a broken jaw, which had to be wired shut. Johnson explained his actions in the statement, saying, "I did not hit the guy because he was gay. I just did not want my friend to think I was a pussy." An irate Aviance told the New York Daily News that the attack was "unprovoked" and that the suspect's account was "a lie." Johnson, Jarrell Sears, Gregory Archie, and Akino George, all age 16 to 20, were each indicted Friday by a Manhattan grand jury on two counts of first-degree assault. If convicted, each faces up to 25 years in prison. Also on Friday, Aviance's jaw was unwired, allowing him to eat solid foods again. (Sirius OutQ News)