Lesbian's brutal gang rape investigated in Calif.
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By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 1 min ago
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AP – Lesbian allegedly gang raped by 4 men
SAN FRANCISCO – A woman in the San Francisco Bay area was jumped by four men, taunted for being a lesbian, repeatedly raped and left naked outside an abandoned apartment building, authorities said Monday.
Detectives say the 28-year-old victim was attacked Dec. 13 after she got out of her car, which bore a rainbow gay pride sticker. The men, who ranged from their late teens to their 30s, made comments indicating they knew her sexual orientation, said Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan.
"It just pushes it beyond fathomable," he said. "The level of trauma — physical and emotional — this victim has suffered is extreme."
Authorities are characterizing the attack as a hate crime but declined to reveal why they think the woman was singled out because of her sexual orientation. Gagan would say only that the victim lived openly with a female partner and had a rainbow flag sticker on her car.
The 45-minute attack began when one of the men approached the woman as she crossed the street, struck her with a blunt object, ordered her to disrobe and sexually assaulted her with the help of the other men.
When the group saw another person approaching, they forced the victim back into her car and took her to a burned-out apartment building, where she was raped again inside and outside the vehicle. The assailants took her wallet and drove off in her car. Officers found the car abandoned two days later.
The woman sought help from a nearby resident, and she was examined at a hospital. Although the victim said she did not know her attackers, detectives hope someone in the community knows them. One of the men went by the nickname "Blue" and another was called "Pato," according to authorities.
Richmond police are offering a $10,000 award for information leading to the arrest of the attackers.
Gay rights advocates note that hate crimes based on sexual orientation have increased nationwide as of late. There were 1,415 such crimes in 2006 and 1,460 in 2007, both times making up about 16 percent of the total, according to the FBI.
Avy Skolnik, a coordinator with the New York-based National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, noted that gay, lesbian and transgender crime victims may be more reluctant than heterosexual victims to contact police.
"Assailants target LGBT people of all gender identities with sexual assault," he said. "Such targeting is one of the most cruel, dehumanizing and violent forms of hate violence that our communities experience."
Skolnik said the group plans to analyze hate crime data to see whether fluctuations may be related to the gay marriage bans that appeared on ballots this year in California, Arizona and Florida.
"Anytime there is an anti-LGBT initiative, we tend to see spikes both in the numbers and the severity of attacks," he said. "People feel this extra entitlement to act out their prejudice."
___
Associated Press writer Haven Daley in Richmond contributed to this report.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A rock character
Studying the classics, only to stumble upon the shoulders of your own invention. The character takes his stance from the aggression of those without a voice, the faceless individuals, experiences that could compile a million miles in novels and the power to connect them all with a string. Image is based from those just mentioned, for he takes his right side of the face, paints it red, leaves the left it's natural color. Reason for the red; it must represent those who were murdered, brutalized and bashed for being themselves. The audience must face this character for the ignorance of society has the blood of others on their hands.
The words will be part social commentary, awareness, freedom, fighting back and the basic pursuit of happiness that all human beings such as ourselves yearn for. A name for the character is not needed for like those he represents, he is nameless, without an past, his form is the pain, frustrations and blood of those who were attacked.
If you want give him a name for he will represent all of us who believe in fighting back.
To borrow these images from icons, the cadence of troubadours, silence of the mimes and the strength of the man barring this paint on his body. He is not here for himself, the duty is poured from those he's channeling. The voice must rise above the guitars, the scream must be held with each note, the experience is drenched in the loss of freedom, the brutality of the lions of injustice.
There is no peaceful protest on this side of the wall. To protect yourself, monitor your surroundings, give a friendly hand to the underdog and defend yourself with every ounce of strength.
The words will be part social commentary, awareness, freedom, fighting back and the basic pursuit of happiness that all human beings such as ourselves yearn for. A name for the character is not needed for like those he represents, he is nameless, without an past, his form is the pain, frustrations and blood of those who were attacked.
If you want give him a name for he will represent all of us who believe in fighting back.
To borrow these images from icons, the cadence of troubadours, silence of the mimes and the strength of the man barring this paint on his body. He is not here for himself, the duty is poured from those he's channeling. The voice must rise above the guitars, the scream must be held with each note, the experience is drenched in the loss of freedom, the brutality of the lions of injustice.
There is no peaceful protest on this side of the wall. To protect yourself, monitor your surroundings, give a friendly hand to the underdog and defend yourself with every ounce of strength.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Are you strong enough?
While watching an episode of Law & Order, the story seemed to raise my ears for a bit. It was about the murder of a "hush" Gay boxer at the hands of his trainer's thugs and thus I just watched a bit of it, turned off tv. This began to wander over what the future could've held if I had pursued the life of an athlete and even one that is openly a part of the LBGT community. Remember the young football player in Mass back in 2000 and how the story was covered by the future 360 journalist Anderson Copper. ;-)
Aside from that brief digression I began to ponder the lifespan of my time if I had gone into sports as a teenager. It wasn't hard to conceive for it's in my DNA. My family has a long line of track & field, football, soccer and wrestlers within the cannon but I never took advantage of the DNA link. AS a teenager I was pretty skinny, strong legs (from running and constant bike riding), broad shoulders and a determination that didn't present it's self until I was much older.
I could've easily been on the track team or wrestled with the best of them, shit even boxing (great grandfather boxed back in his day) but due to being shy, a bad student and then the fact that my peers were already aware that I was different, would've made me a target. That tv episode stayed within my mind, analyzing the "what if's," and how i could've basically showed my high school peers that, "yes i am who i am but i bet you never thought i'd could pin you down like that," for they would just label me another faggot of the pack. Society gets it in their head that if you're gay, bisexual and within the ranks that you don't like to get your hands dirty, that sweating is bad and finally that its ok if you appear weak to the rest of the world.
As someone who has spent their entire life having to prove their self worth, I will admit in my youth I was weak, letting people drag who i was into the mud, scared of conflict and then like that something inside me changed. I realized that nobody could protect me, I had to step into the role of self protector, guardian and later protector to others. My way of fighting was, "proving that a man of my stature can fight," i'm not afraid to get knocked down or bust my knuckles because you tried to attack me, if anything you try to hurt me and i'll defend myself to the fullest extent. Here's where there's a line, you see I really dislike violence and yet i've always had alot of aggression inside me.
With age comes the constructive ideas that will ultimately keep me from ending up dead somewhere. I've learned that while i cannot go back and be that athlete back in high school and send a fuck you to all the homophobes, i can use my aggression as a constructive force to keep myself strong and hopefully inspire others. My mission still is to get as strong as possible, to stop mistreating my body as I had been doing for so long and take great care of its attributes.
Viva La Vida
Aside from that brief digression I began to ponder the lifespan of my time if I had gone into sports as a teenager. It wasn't hard to conceive for it's in my DNA. My family has a long line of track & field, football, soccer and wrestlers within the cannon but I never took advantage of the DNA link. AS a teenager I was pretty skinny, strong legs (from running and constant bike riding), broad shoulders and a determination that didn't present it's self until I was much older.
I could've easily been on the track team or wrestled with the best of them, shit even boxing (great grandfather boxed back in his day) but due to being shy, a bad student and then the fact that my peers were already aware that I was different, would've made me a target. That tv episode stayed within my mind, analyzing the "what if's," and how i could've basically showed my high school peers that, "yes i am who i am but i bet you never thought i'd could pin you down like that," for they would just label me another faggot of the pack. Society gets it in their head that if you're gay, bisexual and within the ranks that you don't like to get your hands dirty, that sweating is bad and finally that its ok if you appear weak to the rest of the world.
As someone who has spent their entire life having to prove their self worth, I will admit in my youth I was weak, letting people drag who i was into the mud, scared of conflict and then like that something inside me changed. I realized that nobody could protect me, I had to step into the role of self protector, guardian and later protector to others. My way of fighting was, "proving that a man of my stature can fight," i'm not afraid to get knocked down or bust my knuckles because you tried to attack me, if anything you try to hurt me and i'll defend myself to the fullest extent. Here's where there's a line, you see I really dislike violence and yet i've always had alot of aggression inside me.
With age comes the constructive ideas that will ultimately keep me from ending up dead somewhere. I've learned that while i cannot go back and be that athlete back in high school and send a fuck you to all the homophobes, i can use my aggression as a constructive force to keep myself strong and hopefully inspire others. My mission still is to get as strong as possible, to stop mistreating my body as I had been doing for so long and take great care of its attributes.
Viva La Vida
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Viva Revolution.
We're living in an era of the 'double edge sword' and with it we stand on the shoulders of giants. A week ago our country let one door of oppression fall by the waist side but in California it put up another door to those hoping to marry and obtain the same liberties as heterosexual couples. This is a time to raise your hands in protest and ASK why. To obtain a revolution that has been brewing underground for centuries. It's your job as a member of the human race to defend equal rights for all.
If you notice religious zealots are kicking hardworking individuals in the teeth and all in the name of 'jesus.' Lets go back to the civil rights movement where 'christians' would bomb black churches and utter that 'we're good christians, it is god's will.' Hmm I don't remember that meeting when I arrived in this world. We're all born to love but then as soon as the chord is cut, many go the way of the idiot box.
So as a member of the LGBT community I urge all of you to make your voices heard. This ban on same sex marriage will eventually be overturned but there is so much more that we as a community must endure. It is time to fight, stand up to injustice and embrace REVOLUTION. When you watch the news, take into account your voice as a person, are you being represented. Be a humanist, fight on the front lines and never back down from your instincts.
We are all strong individuals and as tom petty uttered with his iconic growl, "No I WON'T BACK DOWN, I won't Back Down."
If you notice religious zealots are kicking hardworking individuals in the teeth and all in the name of 'jesus.' Lets go back to the civil rights movement where 'christians' would bomb black churches and utter that 'we're good christians, it is god's will.' Hmm I don't remember that meeting when I arrived in this world. We're all born to love but then as soon as the chord is cut, many go the way of the idiot box.
So as a member of the LGBT community I urge all of you to make your voices heard. This ban on same sex marriage will eventually be overturned but there is so much more that we as a community must endure. It is time to fight, stand up to injustice and embrace REVOLUTION. When you watch the news, take into account your voice as a person, are you being represented. Be a humanist, fight on the front lines and never back down from your instincts.
We are all strong individuals and as tom petty uttered with his iconic growl, "No I WON'T BACK DOWN, I won't Back Down."
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