People who attack others because they’re gay (or think they might be) are a mystery to many of us. We can understand being enraged over all kinds of things, from traffic on the road to managerial incompetence in the office to the people partying all night next door at home.
But to beat someone up, someone you don’t even know who has done nothing to impinge on your life, because of who you think they are: That’s another world.
Thanks to Peter Regier and David Holtzman, the two men who got attacked this June on the doorstep of their near-Chinatown condo, I entered that world a little. As I mentioned in my story for Vancouver magazine, what struck me the most about what happened after their assault was the way their neighbourhood rallied around them.
The second thing that struck me, when I did all the research, was how little we really know about the people who attack. Police investigators and lawyers often see them as just not very bright, quick-to-violence types who are inclined to get into confrontations with all kinds of people, not just gay men.
As a result, much of the research and analysis is done by those who see homophobic assaults as such an alien, horrifying crime that the perpetrators come off as not really human. So we never get much insight into what’s going on inside those minds. Which would be a good thing to have if we’re going to try to stop this in the future.
8 responses so far ↓
1 jesse // Nov 14, 2010 at 9:24 pm
These attacks often stem from a perpetrator’s very personal reasons and history, things often not wanted to be discussed with anyone.
2 Jason King // Nov 15, 2010 at 9:14 am
It’s the “banality of evil”….we’d like to think they are unlike us, but they generally aren’t….yes, they are insecure, ignorant, homophobic, etc. but they are still individuals like you and I….
Continual education is what’s needed…and there needs to be outreach to ethnic communities that seem to have less tolerance to homosexuals. If you’re brought up believing it’s “wrong” or “evil” or “immoral” it’s going to color your judgment significantly.
This is IN NO WAY a defense of these individuals….but until we see them as “just like us”, we’re never going to fix the problem.
3 Todd Sieling // Nov 15, 2010 at 9:28 am
I agree with Jason in that we need to see the perpetrators as fully human with complex histories, and not the cartoonish sketches that police and lawyers draw. But “just like you or I”?
Sure, except for extremely violent outbursts that totally mess up people’s lives. I think that’s a significant difference, and frankly it makes them quite different from “just like us”. I’m not behind the Conservative’s drive to cast criminals as this irredeemable element within society, but these people aren’t “just like us” because most people don’t have an irresistible need to lash out violently.
4 Ron // Nov 15, 2010 at 8:33 pm
I think the reason that gay people get bashed is not because of anything they do, but because they have lower social status. The bashers are obviously people with anger issues. Instead of dealing with their anger (such as by questioning and addressing sources of conflict, hate, and abuse in their own lives) they seek an apparently safe outlet — what could be safer than going after stereotypically wimpy men who, after centuries of marginalization, are socially sanctioned receptacles of contempt? There’s nothing the victims could have done to stop triggering the attack. The longterm solution is education, but in the shortterm if I was gay I would be inclined to enroll in Krav Maga and keep a weapon handy at all times.
5 Jason king // Nov 15, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Ron, I have met many a gay man who could kick the crap out of most straight guys…it’s a stereotype…
And I was using “just like us” rather liberally…there are obviously some significant differences in view and attitude.
6 Jo // Nov 16, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Just read this yesterday:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8772014
7 Ron // Nov 16, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Jason – oh totally, some gay guys I know could tie me into a bowtie if they were inclined – it is just one stereotype. But I’m guessing that huge muscle dudes are not the ones getting bashed by these insecure weasels-with-issues.
8 Tessa // Nov 16, 2010 at 7:46 pm
I know the feeling of helplessness with this. Many years ago now when I was a teenager me and several friends were harassed repeatedly on a busy skytrain for several stations before we saw the two men involved had a knife with them. There was a moment of panic, we didn’t know what to do, and even though there were people around nobody ever did anything to intervene, to stand up for us. We eventually got off and called the police, but in the end it was never resolved. Two people were arrested briefly and held, but we never confirmed it was them. By happenstance I was standing in the room when the subject’s dad came in – he seemed frazzled and worried, asked if they’d been drinking. He didn’t seem the type to preach hate, either. I just feel lucky nobody was physically assaulted.
It is unfortunately something most queer people in the city can attest to, I’m sure, at least some incident or another in their lifetime. But it is getting better – that much I’m sure. Even when I lived up in northern BC I could see the progress, and that was truly heartwarming. There’s nothing like driving up to Liard Hot Springs near Fort Nelson, relaxing in the water with my girlfriend of the time and another lesbian couple, and feeling perfectly comfortable.
Cheers to continued, albiet slow, progress.
Leave a Comment