#IDAHO: Never Forget Sean Kennedy

Thinking today of this young gay man, whose 2007 killing still makes my stomach turn.

Gay-Basher Kathryn Knott Set Free After Just 5 Months

Be on the lookout for this charmer, who has no qualms about beating up gay people when she has two big men by her side. Read HERE.

Punchausen by Proxy Syndrome

Calum McSwiggan, Gay YouTube Star, Charged With Filing False Report 

 By now you've surely heard about this kid who said he was gay-bashed in West Hollywood only to have the police say he made the whole thing up. I'm really not trying to pile on -- he's double-downed, vehemently denying the allegations, saying being called a liar is far worse than any gay bashing he could possibly endure (I wonder how he feels about being called a drama queen) -- but it's pretty simple here. Do you -- as you wrote in a post plugging your vlog on Instagram alongside a selfie in a hospital bed -- have "three broken teeth and six stitches" in your head or not? (Being British and hitting yourself with a pay phone receiver while in custody don't count, by the way.)

Man Found Guilty in Infamous Dallas BBQ Attack on Gay Couple

When I read this case had gone to trial I was somewhat surprised, as it turned out the attacker was also gay, and it sounded like investigators were looking at the whole ugly incident as pox on everyone's houses. I was wrong. On Wednesday, Bronx resident Bayna-Lekheim El-Amin, 42, was convicted of attempted assault in the first degree, and assault in the second degree and faces up to 15 years in prison. I think everyone behaved badly -- but you can't smash someone on the head with a chair just because you're angry at something they said. Read HERE.

El-Amin attacked Jonathan Snipes, 33, and his boyfriend Ethan York-Adams, 26, on May 5th, 2015, at the Dallas BBQ in Chelsea, after a sloppily drunk Snipes confronted El-Amin in what he perceived to be a homophobic verbal attack directed at the couple.

Animal to Be Caged

Kathryn Knott did the crime, and she's gonna do the time. Thanks to everyone who signed the petition. Read HERE.

Online Petition Urges Philly Judge to Deny Sentence Reduction for Kathryn Knott

This homophobic bitch didn't show her victims any mercy so why should the justice system show her any? Her father's a police chief -- and she was already acquitted of the most serious charge -- so who better to make an example of?  Sign HERE.

Her henchmen, Kevin Harrigan and Philip Williams, pleaded guilty to assault and conspiracy charges for the 2014 attack and as a result received no jail time. Kathryn Knott accepted no responsibility for her actions, rejected the deal (with no jail time) and went to trial. She was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to 5-10 months in jail. I see no reason why she shouldn't be required to serve the time she received. 

Do You Know Where Bayna El-Amin Is?

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Bayna El-Amin -- identified by the NYPD as the man seen hurling a chair at a couple in a Chelsea Dallas BBQ -- should contact Crime Stoppers at 646-610-6806. 

DNAinfo reports:

Police believe El-Amin has fled the state and are looking for help tracking him down. El-Amin has 18 prior arrests spanning back to 1993, police said. All but two of those incidents took place out of state. He has arrests on record in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Alabama and New Jersey for assault, shop lifting, drug possession, credit card fraud, forgery and possession of stolen property. El-Amin's two most recent arrests took place in New York state in April 2012 and October 2013, but both cases were sealed, police said.

Witness Claims BBQ Victim Threw the First ... Punch -- UPDATE

Gay Hate Crime or White Gay Privileged Media Manipulation on NYC’s Chair Throwing Fight?

Well, here's a twist in my Cinco de Mayo sobriety. According to a blogger at The G-List, the widely reported attack on two gay men at a Dallas BBQ in Chelsea wasn't a case of gay bashing, but instead an incident basted in racial overtones, with an extra large side dish of "white gay privilege." The themes weigh heavily in a post that claims to tell the full story of the shocking incident in Chelsea. I'll let everyone judge for himself, but if the witness -- a guy called "YouTube personality Isaam 'Houston' Sharef" -- is correct that (beaten up) Jonathan Snipes did in fact initiate hitting one of the guys at the table that then attacked him -- after having already spilled one of their drinks and not apologizing -- I'd almost be willing to chalk this whole thing up to "I guess you get what you get when you go physically assaulting someone." (The use of a chair when Snipes was retreating speaks to the other man's complete lack of character, but it never would have happened if Snipes hadn't struck someone in the first place.) The blogger also claims to know the perceived "attacker" (bald guy with the chair) is actually a gay man, which deflates the "homophobic attack" theory even further.

Although I'm somewhat bewildered by the "white gay privilege" term -- The G-List describes Snipes' actions as coming off as "a pissed off privileged white gay man who thought that his skin color allowed him to approach brown-colored men [who called him a faggot in public] without repercussion because he felt the self-important right to put them in their places" (huh?) -- I guess I -- HAVING LIVED THROUGH THE HEIGHT OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC WHEN NO ONE GAVE A FUCK ABOUT WHITE GAY MEN AS THEY DIED BY THE THOUSANDS -- should be happy to be alive at a time when it's actually something that is being considered. (I doubt many white gays in the sticks -- or at any Cracker Barrel -- would agree much, though.) Still, if Isaam Sharef is telling the truth, I can't help but wonder if pinning this sad event and the ensuing coverage on some vast "white gay privilege" theory isn't a bit much. when in fact it may be just that Jonathan Snipes is an asshole. (Sorry, being drunk and/or getting bad news is no excuse for laying your hand -- or foot -- on someone, although if someone were popping gum I may be willing to hear you out ...)

But that's just me.

Another thought: Even if Isaam Houston Sharef is correct, will the general public really care about the "full story" considering the attacker's decision to escalate things so dramatically and pick up that chair and throw it at the guys? Doesn't seem like a person -- white gay privileged or otherwise -- has to manipulate ANYONE to think that is just a step too far.

If Isaam Sharef isn't correct -- and even if the bald "attacker" is gay -- and he really did what the video appears to show he did, isn't the blogosphere right that Mr. (Not Fighting) Clean should be arrested and charged ... for assault with a deadly weapon?

Read for yourself HERE.

P.S. I'm so "WGP" I thought the bald "attacker" was (a white) Hispanic!

UPDATE: Police released surveillance video of the chair-wielder, but despite everyone and their brother knowing who he is, he has yet to be caught. (Plenty of bitches, but very few snitches.) The guy is now being described as "trade." I'd add unnecessarily rough to that.

VIDEO: Gay Couple Bashed With Chair at Dallas BBQ in Chelsea

Truly sickening. This happened just blocks from my apartment. I hope this coward is arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It's not over, all right. Read HERE.

You Had Me at 'Defiant Tweet'

‘I’m NOT sorry I’m gay’: Defiant tweet goes viral after Ohio college student punched after kiss 

Cole Ledford, 20, posted a photo of his swollen, bruised eye after he was attacked near the Ohio State University campus late Nov. 6. The tweet, along with a celebratory message of his sexuality, went viral and attracted worldwide attention for the college junior, who has unwittingly become a gay rights activist overnight.

Good for him. Read HERE.

Drag Queen Heidi Glum Attacked Over Fab Footwear

My friend Scooter writes on his Facebook wall:

My dear friend and baby sister Miles DeNiro was brutally attacked while people stood around and watched... Miles is very small framed guy ... The attack should have never happened.. the video made me sick to watch... no one broke up the fight. I hate fighting and won't stand for it in my presence.

Queerty reports that Miles -- aka drag performer Heidi Glüm -- sustained multiple injuries during a violent and bloody attack on June 22 at a popular pizzeria in Washington.

A crime of fashion?

Heidi described the events like this:

““[It was] really petty drunk girl nonsense that escalated into insanity. The Latino girl was touching my face telling me I needed to blend my makeup while her African-American friend was trying to bully me for wearing Christian Louboutin heels.” 

The victim said he has ”three large bumps and a huge gash” on his head, as well as several cuts on his arms. He also noted that he’s suffered hair loss, which continues “to come out in clumps when I touch it.”

Keep reading HERE.

The Rainbow Connection?

 Sort of an odd ad: Are they suggesting you'd better be insured for when you get gay-bashed?

Caption Me

From HERE.

Arrests in 2 New York City Gay Bashings

Man turns himself in for allegedly bashing gay man in East Village

A man turned himself in for bashing a gay man in the East Village, cops said today. Pretty impressive that the cops have nabbed people in both of the post-Carson attacks.

The New York Post reports:

A man turned himself in for bashing a gay man in the East Village, cops said today. Gornell Roman, 39, allegedly pummeled victim Dan Contarino and called him anti-gay slurs on Monday while they were walking to a homeless shelter the two were both staying at, authorities said. He was charged with two counts of felony and misdemeanor assault and felony aggravated harassment, all as hate crimes, police said. Roman turned himself in yesterday evening to police in The Bronx, and has not been arraigned yet, authorities added. This is one of two gay-bashings that have happened since Mark Carson, 32, was shot to death in the West Village on Saturday. Two men were also arrested for attacking two men on Broadway near Houston Street about 5 a.m. Monday and shouting anti-gay statements at them in English and Spanish.

One Bad Apple ...

Wisconsin Applebee’s re-hires anti-gay beating victim fired for ‘bad publicity’

The good news is Timothy Phares got his job back. The bad news is that he still works for Applebee's -- and the worst f**king Applebee's ever. Read HERE.

LGBT Activist David Kato Murdered

RIP: David Kato, 1965-2011

Heartbreaking news from Uganda, where the country's most well-known activist was brutally attacked with hammer in his home before dying en route to the hospital. Here's hoping this is a turning point for the LGBT population of this country, which has been under siege with a newspaper publishing names and photos of gays and lesbians and a government trying to pass legislation to make homosexuality punishable by death. 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the following statement about the murder:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues. We urge Ugandan authorities to quickly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for this heinous act. David Kato tirelessly devoted himself to improving the lives of others."

UPDATE: His murderer was sentenced to 30 years in prison.