Speechless (But not quite)

hate crime

Function: noun

Date: 1984

: any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)

Whenever I hear the word "hate" I always think of one thing. All the times I said it as a child, and my mother would tell me that hate was "a strong word" and I should never use it. I think that every child's been told that time and time again. Hate IS a strong word, and it's a strong emotion, and I think that any one who ever's truly felt hate towards another individual (which I have) can testify to that. Hate crimes. It's something that in 2009, you hope you wouldn't have to hear too much about. Sadly that isn't the case.

From lynchings of African Americans, to Anti-Semetic attacks on Jews, to the murder of Brandon Teena, history has been plagued with violent violent attacks on groups and individuals for things that can't change about themselves and things that make them who they are. It was October 6th 1998 when Matthew Shepard was lured from the bar that cold, fateful night. His skull was smashed with a pistol butt as he was lashed to a fence, and left for dead in near freezing temperatures. Nearly eighteen hours later he was found by passersby and taken to a hospital where he remained in a coma for seven days until slowly slipping away. at his funeral, picketers carried signs saying "God Hates Fags" and "Fags Deserve to Die". Now over a decade later, while progress has been made, innocent individuals are still being attacked on a daily basis all because of who they are.

I've had my own personal experiences with hate crimes throughout my life. Ranging from countless vocal attacks based on my race and/or sexual orientation, and then unfortunately my first physical attack happened in Dublin in 2007 when I had a bottle broken over my head for both my race and sexual orientation. (It's a rough life us black gays lead! I'm two walking hate crimes just waiting to happen. lol. I'm sure white supremacists would use my facebook pictures for rifle shooting practice rounds if they could. Morbid I know, sorry I digress). Anyway my second and most recent physical hate crime interaction actually occurred a couple months ago in broad daylight in Central Park. While I wish it hadn't occurred at all, I must brag about the fact that while I took one hard punch and busted my lip open; my attacker took one hard punch from me, and got knocked the fuck out. I warn all gay bashers: Don't fuck with a black gay with a napoleon complex who's just trying to walk his puppy… But back to the point, in a terrifying most recent statistic from the FBI, over EIGHT THOUSAND hate crimes were reported in the year of 2008. These included nine MURDERS, and numerous violent sexual assaults. And we can only imagine how many have gone unreported that would probably only cause those numbers to skyrocket.

In June, right before pride, one of my friends was viciously attacked in Washington Heights by a group of six men. I can't even begin to express how absolutely heartbreaking is was to see the pictures of his face and body afterwards. His ENTIRE face was covered in blood, bruises, welts, and two black eyes which took a while to heal. It was discovered that this group had been attacking numerous gay men in the area…

And now, I just learned that a couple of people who are the nearest and dearest to my heart, were attacked last night in the middle of Hells Kitchen on 9th ave of all areas. An area where most gay men, where I, would feel the most comfortable…It all started when a guy threw a lit cigarette at my friend. When he turned around the assailant said "Keep moving, faggot." Words were exchanged, they got more heated and they the guy attacked my group of friends. One was thrown against a car so hard it was dented, another got punched twice in the face, and another got kicked to the ground. This was all before the bouncer of McCoy's (where the attacker had just walked OUT of to smoke), even attempted to stop. Police were called, and after five cops showed up, they asked for both sides of the story. Then, in what is possibly the most infuriating and depressing part of the story, the police did NOTHING! They refused to give my friends the guy's information so they could file their own report (stating they wouldn't because the guy was a Marine), and they even refused to run the plates of the car that was dented because "They're NJ plates." And then on top of that, the bouncer at McCoy's, allowed the man who had just PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED three INNOCENT individuals BACK INTO THE BAR!!! As you can tell, I'm getting very fucking angry again, and obviously I'm sure every one of you are as well… This behavior is just completely unacceptable. Obviously I want to beat the shit out of that guy to begin with, but honestly I'm even more disgusted and devastated by the behaviors of both the NYPD and the staff of McCoy's. There is absolutely no excuse for it, and for the people that are supposed to be protecting the innocent and the attacked, to showcase their own prejudice and hatred, and to let it get in the way of them doing what they're paid to do is unforgivable. It should not be tolerated, and every single last one of them should be out of a job.

When it passed the Hate Crimes Act of 2000, the New York State Legislature stated that:

"Hate crimes do more than threaten the safety and welfare of all citizens. They inflict on victims incalculable physical and emotional damage and tear at the very fabric of free society. Crimes motivated by invidious hatred toward particular groups not only harm individual victims but send a powerful message of intolerance and discrimination to all members of the group to which the victim belongs. In a democratic society, citizens cannot be required to approve of the beliefs and practices of others, but must never commit criminal acts on account of them. Current law does not adequately recognize the harm to public order and individual safety that hate crimes cause. Therefore, our laws must be strengthened to provide clear recognition of the gravity of hate crimes and the compelling importance of preventing their recurrence. Accordingly, the legislature finds and declares that hate crimes should be prosecuted and punished with appropriate severity."

And yes they should be prosecuted and punished with appropriate severity. So what can we do to help? Well first of all, some phone calls need to be made. If anyone has any media contacts in the news or anything please let me know. Also, it would be greatly appreciated if some phone calls could be made to McCoy's bar letting them know that it is completely unacceptable for any individual who fought and attacked innocent people outside to be allowed BACK into the bar. Their information is as follows:

McCoys

(212) 957-8055

Also, even more phone calls need to be made to the police department that blatantly refused to deal with this case professionally… or at all for that matter. They acted completely inappropriately and that is repugnant and offensive. Please please please send a phone call their way and let them know that those cops need to be penalized. Their information is as follows:

Midtown Department

306 West 54th Street

212- 767- 8400

And finally, it would be amazing if everyone could come out and show their beautiful faces at the National Equality March in DC October 10th-11th. We need to speak our minds, we need to be heard, we need to create change, and we need to do it NOW. Get more info at broadwayimpact.com or equalityacrossamerica.org/march

I've now babbled on long enough. I apologize if this blog was a rough read but as many of you know I work overnights and I just got home from a horribly long shift and haven't gone to sleep yet. (Meanwhile it's 12:14pm lol). So it may not be as well written as it would've been had I gotten some sleep, but I felt the strong need to post this and I'm hoping that all of you help out in making some phone calls… All my love to each and every one of you, and please, be safe...

Oh Mackenzie

I know, I know. I simply haven't been blogging. I suck. But I'm breaking the virginity that has been regrown due to my absence (I'm sorry I can't help but constantly think of Poor Jessica on True Blood and make constant constant vulgar references to it). So anyway, yeah I'm back in full force, and I have a long written list of shit that I'm going to write about but quickly, did anyone watch the Mackenzie Phillips interview on Oprah? She was a child star, and the daughter of the late John Phillips from the Mama and the Papas. So basically she just wrote this memoir about her lifetime of drug abuse and more shockingly about how she had an incestous relationship with her father. FOR TEN FUCKING YEARS!!!! I know, right?! She says that basically she woke up one day out of a drug and alcohol induced blackout to find her dad on top of her going at it, and that this then consensually went on for ten years... I know, try not to gag.... She didn't end it until she became pregnant, and didn't know whether the baby was her father's or her boyfriend's. She had an abortion, and never let Daddy penetrate her again... It was a fascinating interview, as well as creepy and incredibly disturbing. I thought it was appropriate to attempt to eat my lunch during this hour, but it was a bad idea. I lost my appetite, and could've definitely vomited had I wanted to... So basically, if you have any interest in anorexia or bulimia and want some assistance, watch someone talk about having sex with their father for ten years, and you shouldn't have too much trouble.... And no I do not condone eating disorders...

One thing I did come up with was a fabulous new catchphrase though. Chaddy and I were talking about another subject that makes us both nauseous, and I said "Omg. Vomit. Worse than Mackenzie Phillips". New catchphrase coined. Basically if something is horrible, or makes you sick, and you need an extreme to compare it to, simply say "That's so much worse than Mackenzie Phillips." You might not find this funny because pretty much nothing is as bad as incest with your dad (FOR TEN FUCKING YEARS), but it can help in convincing another individual how bad you think something may be....

You'll thank me later.

Done and Dunn.

And so it begins....

So here it is...

The launch of my blog and my first ever blog entry. Yay!

OMG Random Flashback! Remember LiveJournal?!? That was like good ole middle school and high school days for me. I never actually had one, and I always wish I had, kind of like I always wish I had a blog but was always too lazy and unmotivated to actually create one. Well take that laziness, cause here she is in all her glory! BAM! (said only with a NeNe Leeks Housewife of Atlanta dialect...and yes I called it a dialect. It will soon be featured on my resume under "Special Skills")

I guess my biggest issue with why I haven't actually kickstarted this whole thing into motion other than my love of procrastination, my constant struggle with depression, my laziness and recent lack of all things motivated, my newfound estranged relationship with passion, and the fact that I didn't have a fucking working laptop until last week for the past couple of months due to a fight with a glass of apple juice and my old laptop in which my laptop lost hard (and yes I did say apple juice- get into it, y'all know you love it). Anyway, I guess my biggest issue was the fact that even though I always have all these random things I want to blog, I felt like I needed some huge introduction for myself to the blogging world. Some long babbling rant where I tell you all about me, and list eight million facts that you probably could care less about. What I've now come to the conclusion though is that a. most of you know me. and b. if you don't, this blog will just be your way to get to know me, no introduction needed.

All you need to know is that I'm a twenty three year old New Yorker who is going to give you a little piece of his mind, on a somewhat constant basis. I would say daily but I know that knowing me that's probably just not going to happen... I originally wanted my blog to be all perez hilton and dlisted out, insistent that this would be my quick track to fame and superstardom. Luckily, I'm now over that, and this blog is pretty much just going to be all the thoughts that go on inside my head if you sawed it open and peered inside my brain. But without all the tools and blood that actually commiting that act would require. Some of it will be pretty fucking hilarious. Some of it will probably be pretty fucking depressing (I'm warning you all now). Some of it will just be songs and videos that I love and want to share with the rest of the world. Some of it will be stories from my personal life whereas some of it will be stories from others that I've heard. But my ultimate goal is that all of it will be really fucking entertaining and a great read. Let me know if I achieve this goal, and feel free to let me know if I fail miserably. If you enjoy it I'm ecstatic, and if you don't, then don't fucking read it... Yet another disclaimer, I have the mouth of a sailor and while I will try and refrain from profanities as much as possible in case old people or children read this, I can't promise that you won't read the f word so many times that you'll actually feel like you're getting f#$ed.

So what else can I say? Let the blogging games begin, and hopefully I can actually work on my commitment issues by committing to this damm thing... And from the very bottom of my heart, thank you for checking this out and I truly hope you enjoy what's to come.

Done and Dunn.