The beating of
openly gay singer Kevin Aviance along with several other
attacks on gay people on the streets of New York City
last weekend have spurred local activists to organize
a rally against hate on Saturday. Gay New Yorkers and
their supporters will gather at the northeast corner
of 14th Street and First Avenue and then march to
Christopher Park. The rally will begin at 2 p.m., followed
by the march at 3 p.m.
Aviance, 38, was
brutally attacked by a group of thugs yelling antigay
slurs after leaving a club in the East Village early last
Sunday. He suffered a broken jaw, bruised knee, and
other injuries. Later that morning in Queens, a
group of three friends were attacked by a larger group
yelling antigay and racist epithets as one member wielded a
baseball bat. That same day, a man was followed off a train
by another man who harassed him with antigay language,
pushed him down elevated platform exit stairs to the
street, and kicked and punched him repeatedly.
Four men
suspected of beating Aviance were arraigned on Wednesday on
assault charges, but they did not enter a plea. (The
Advocate)
