Hate Crime

from JoeUser Forums
One week ago today I was a victim of a hate crime. I was in a failry large midwestern city taking a weekend off. I had decided to go to one fof the local malls and do some shopping. I was dressed in drab (guy clothes) and wandered around the mall for a couple of hours mostly just looking.

I found a nice little wig shop there and decided to check it out. I looked around, tried on a few wigs and as they didn't have anything I really liked I decided to go out and get a bite to eat. I was walking through the parking lot when I was approached by 5 guys who looked to be in their early twenties.

From their comments I gathered they had seen me in the wig shop trying on wigs. They attacked me right there in the lot. While I managed to injure two of them failry badly, I took the worst of it. All the while they were beating and kicking me they were calling me a "faggot" and a "queer" and other such things. Of course at this point it was pointless to try and explain to them that I was, in fact, not homosexual.

After it was all over I managed to make it to my car and drive to the hospital I had passed on my way to the mall. Thankfully, it was only a few blocks away. They stitched the cut on my cheek, did x-rays, and all that stuff.

My jaw was broken in three places, I had three broken ribs, numerous contusions and cuts, and all but the twelve front teeth were totally gone, and some of those remianing twelve were broken. They called in a surgeon who examined me and the x-rays and scheduled surgery for my jaw that monday.

Now my jaw is plated and wired for the next eight weeks. I am on a liquid diet as I can't move my jaw, and breathing is difficult due to the tightly taped ribs. The entire right side of my face is black and swollen. All of this because some narrow-minded homophobic morons thought it would be fun to kick the shit out of someone they don't even know.

It truly saddens me to know that people in this world can be so cruel and vicious toward a complete stranger.
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3,289 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
That was really not very nice of them at all Get some rest, sounds like you could use it...
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
I am very sad that happened to you as well. Please take care of yourself and feel better. As horrible as it was, it sounds as if it could've been even worse (I mean 5 against 1?!) - and try to remember that there really ARE good people in the world too.
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Jenny: That's awful. It's hard to believe that things like that happen in this day and age. I'm glad to hear that you are *mostly* OK. As Hamster311 said, please take good care of yourself. Best wishes.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Jenny CD,

Unbelievable. Who are these people? On what plane can they believe they are right, inserting themselves into someone else's life in such a way?

Was nobody else around? Damn, what a helpless feeling just knowing people are capable of treating other people like this.

And then pathetic me, wanting to say, "I hope you're okay." Yeah, right.

TBT
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

I was in a failry large midwestern city taking a weekend off.


Which one?  I might be able to get access to the PD's report...you did report this, right?  If you didn't the ER should have.


On behalf on humanity, I apologize some of my fellow man's closed-minded viciousness.

Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Thanks everyone. Dharmagrl, I intentionally left out the name of the city for exactly that reason. Yes, it's been reported but so far nothing's been done. Sadly, in many cities still today a crossdresser being beaten, even one in drab, isn't exactly high on the police priority list. I left out the name of the city because the last thing I want is for things to become plastered all over the newspapers because somebody decided to make a "cause" out of it.

I do have my job and life to think about.

I'm a firm believer that what goes around, comes around. They'll get there's eventually. Besides, I'll heal in time, but they'll still be stupid bigots.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

I wouldn't have made a 'cause' out of it, just so you know.  I  understand that you have a life and a job to think about.....and I don't care for the media too much.  I was just interested in which city it was....because 1) I'm nosey, 2) I live in the midwest and wondered if it was near me.

Karma is alive and kicking, I know, I've been there seen it and it's an integral part of how I live my life.

Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
because 1) I'm nosey, 2) I live in the midwest and wondered if it was near me.


The nosey part I can understand

Thank you to those who expressed concern, ourage, and empathy. I know there are indeed good people in the world today. I meet them every day. While I am always cautious when I am out in public, whether dressed or drab, I am more so these days. I have taken to carrying pepper spray and will be buying a stun gun in the near future.

It's sad that a person has to walk around carry defensive weapons just to go shopping or otherwise minding their own business. While I have not given up on hunaity as a whole, the reality that there are human predators out there was strongly driven home with this incident. I am a "live and let live" kind of person and just wish more people could be the same.

I still don't quite understand the mentality of a person who somehow feels threatened by a crossdresser, a gay person, a person of different race or religion. It just makes no sense to me. Crossdressers have strong ties to the gay community because we share some common experiences such as "living in the closet", "coming out" and the prejudice and bigotry of society in general. Sometimes those ties are helpful because we can help each other and understand what each other is going through. Sometimes, for the crossdressers, these ties are hurtful because in a way they help to feed the stereotypes that people hold about us.

Wouldn't it be nice if people could just simply accept other people for who they are, not WHAT they are???