Sexuality may have led to student assault
NHPD filed report on nearby crime April 5
This is a poorly written and possibly misleading headline. "Sexuality" is defined as:
1. The condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex.
2. Concern with or interest in sexual activity.
3. Sexual character or potency.
The YDN clearly meant to say that "sexual orientation" or "sexual preference" may have led to assault -- though I agree with the above commenter that, gay or not, there was a degree of provocation by the victim. My immediate reaction when reading the headline was that "sexuality may have led to assault" was suggesting something along the lines of someone getting sexually assaulted for being overtly sexual. That a headline would suggest such a thing, even for a split second, should be considered a journalistic failure.
An accurate headline would have been "Homophobia may have led to student assault": It wasn't the student's sexuality that caused a fight, but the two other men's inability or unwillingness to accept it without violence. The headline, as it stands, blames the victim for being attacked.
"At 6'2" and 200 lbs, I have lived a full life for several decades without ever having to so resort, by always observing the following rule: When challenged to physical violence, always back down, then run."
True wisdom but so difficult to implement.
This is an instance of two grown men (in years not in mental manturity) who started a conflict simply based on alcohol and testosterone.
His being gay had nothing substantially to do with the violence.
If he said "I'm a law student/Indian/Democrat/Texan/environmentalist/capitalist/pro-life etc." followed by "do you have a problem with that?" there would have been violence
I obviously don't know all the facts, but this is a pretty weird story.
Why was he giving one of his eventual assailants a bike-ride to his house? Why would this guy even engage with two random guys on the street asking about his bike in the first place? Why would he continually make conversation with them before saying, "You got a problem with that?" What role did his admitted drunkenness play in his behavior of the incident and his recollection?
I'm not doubting that a hate-crime may have taken place. I just feel like this guy's story - and the reporting - leave a lot of obvious questions unanswered.
"People live in fear of discrimination and, consequently hide their sexual orientation, hide their families, their children and their lifestyle as a result," Johnson said. "I believe it will positively impact the health of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered community". So I think we should give GLBT more support and understanding. Or GLBT may want to try biloves.com to release them and come out here totally.
I agree with "Not Anti-Gay" in that this didn't seem a particularly homophobic incident but rather an alcohol-related fight. Happens all the time. You should be proud about your identity, and friendly to those who ask after it, but pride and arrogance are only a stone's throw apart, and attempting to confront what you perceive as bigotry when you're drunk and out-numbered is seeking confrontation. What made "got a problem with it" seem like an intelligent comment in the first place? If someone says "you call me a faggot" answer "no dude, I didn't. Have a good night."
do you have a problem with that?
another instance of yalies not understanding the real world. don't act tough, you'll just get your ass beat. new haven is not messing around here.
I heard that, taking LGBT's lead, the Bakers Dozen will be demanding up to $50MM for a community awareness program aimed at ending anti-musicality in our lifetimes!
Hooray for BD!
This is a poorly written article (fragments of a turbid account of an incident, the details of which are not clear), that the authors have tried to meld to another story about LGBT work in the community. It's compounded by a poor editorial decision to make it the day's lead story.
Now that the YPD knows about the incident, it would be great if a campus-wide email could be sent.
I don't see this as a case of homophobia either. It really is because of the "do you have a problem with that?"
i'm not so sure that sexual orientation was the reason for the assault (based on the facts presented in the article)...and if it was, i'm not so sure why it's newsworthy that the world outside of yale is sometimes homophobic...i kind of knew that already. note that the victim didn't notify yale authorities because he thought it was separate from campus life (wasn't it?).
Dear #4, I think you misspelled cowardice.
"Do you have a problem with that" is male code for "Want to fight?" or "Put up your dukes". Aside from the possible gay-bashing aspect to this incident near Crown Towers, this sort of challenge goes directly to the gonads of all but the most secure males, who feel immediate castration anxiety at the thought that another male might think they won't resort to physical violence. At 6'2" and 200 lbs, I have lived a full life for several decades without ever having to so resort, by always observing the following rule: When challenged to physical violence, always back down, then run.