"Top Chef" Contestant Beaten In Anti-Gay Attack

AP:

A Miami woman who was a former contestant on the reality show "Top Chef" was beaten by attackers yelling anti-gay slurs, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Josie Smith-Malave, a lesbian who was featured on Season 2 of the Bravo channel show, was among a small group of women asked to leave a Sea Cliff bar over Labor Day weekend, lawyer Yetta Kurland said. About 10 young people followed the women out and began screaming anti-gay epithets, spitting on them and then beating them, Kurland said.

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[mrcontinental]

I hope she's okay.

[helonias]

When will they beat up the adulteres?

Isn't that a worse sin.

[johnnyjust]

So far there is no evidence this even happened.

But a bandwagon is a bandwagon.

[barrycourage]

Why would the AP report an incident that never happened? There must be plenty of evidence.

You need the official statement from an investigation by police, who were not there, to believe an incident happened?

Where's the police report certifying your existence?

There are more gays and lesbians who have been battered in hate crimes than would fill a thousand bandwagons.

[lisakaz]

I hope Josie and her friends are okay and they twits spend some quality time in da Big House.

[Kalima]

This is 2007 isn't it?
Some things never change.
In the early 70's in London it was Asian
bashing.
Same kind of useless creeps as in NY,tried
to beat up my boyfriend,now my husband,
in an almost, deserted Tube station.
They had no idea that he knew judo and
karate and as he stepped forward they
stepped back.
These people hunt in packs and are cowards
on their own.

[MrScooter]

"...Asian bashing."

Siberian Russians? Sri Lankans? Eastern Indians?

[Kalima]

Japanese.Does that make it clearer?

[IMPRISONBUSH]

WHY
WERE
THEY
ASKED
TO
EAVE ?.

[JulieSA]

I don't know, but according to the article, "About 10 young [New Yorkers] people followed the women out and began screaming anti-gay epithets, spitting on them and then beating them, Kurland said."

Whatever they did, and it was apparently not criminal, since they weren't arrested, do you think it's ok to beat someone and scream anti-gay epithets?

[ownsthepodium]

Any idea what the anti-gay epithets were? Probably no mistaken that's what they were but would still be interesting to hear exactly what it was.
Would also be interesting in hearing what led to their being asked to leave. While a beating would not be ok depending on what they were doing it may not have been surprising. Just giving one side of the story leaves room for suspicion and conjecture.

[MajorKong]

A guy from Dallas once told me about "rolling queers" when he was growing up there.

When I asked what that meant, he said "Me and my friends would find a gay guy, beat him up and take his money."

We called that a mugging where I grew up. I didn't realize it was a team-sport in Texas.

[JulieSA]

It's not. I grew up in Texas, and I've never heard of such a thing. I have gay friends and relatives, and it's not a big deal.

Kong, I've seen a lot of your posts, and you're smarter than this.

This incident happened in New York, but I would never tar all New Yorkers with this, because I'm not a bigot. Why do you think it's smart to make such a bigoted statement about millions of Texans, based on what "a guy" told you?

You were in the Air Force. That means you were stationed in San Antonio at least once. You should know better than to make such a blanket ignorant statement.

[conservativeoriginalist]

"This incident happened in New York, but I would never tar all New Yorkers with this,"

Too bad many of your compadres would tar a state, region, or ideology if it didn't happen in dark blue Long Island. If it happened in Birmingham or Omaha, I'm sure the stereotypical "intolerant bigot red state Christian" rants would be plentiful.

"because I'm not a bigot"

Having no love lost for a group that partakes in different or counter cultural behaviors than one's self isn't bigoted. Its actually quite natural. Taking violent, unnecessary action towards a group is. I personally don't care for the homosexual lifestyle, which doesn't make me homophobic, and I certainly do not seek to discriminate against them, and since we're citing third person anecdotes, my lesbian friends understand where I'm coming from (since they hold a similar view from the opposite side of the spectrum, being they detest children and see no societal need for marriage).

Bigot has a meaning. Applying it to everybody for not making a concerted effort to fall a step short of engaging in a lifestyle is disingenuous, and certainly takes away from the meaning and severity of the word. Certainly, these "gay bashers" were acting in a bigoted manner, and since actions define character, are bigoted. Simply not condoning a lifestyle isn't bigotry.

[MajorKong]

Actually the person that told me the story was another Air Force officer and a T-38 instructor pilot.

We were stationed together at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. The fact that it was coming from an otherwise nice, educated person is probably why it made an impression on me.

[VOTER]

Wrong, Julia.

Being in the Air Force means at some time you have been stationed in Texas but NOT in San Antonio.

[steamboat]

There are thugs in all 50 states, not just in Dallas, TX. But remember this, 90+% of the people in the country are decent people

[ADVOCATE4ZPG]

Taking your percentage as 'apocryphal truth,' why are the other ten percent so violent, angry(?), and so insensitive to mayhem? Who begets these people and why? How can they be identified, observed, and suppressed--in advance?

[Blutus]

Americans can turn into pigs at the drop
of a hat.

[Rand]

There's no need for a hat to drop! And it isn't limited to Americans

[tarantino3]

thank you for clearing that up Rand -- it's unfair for Blutus to make this solely about "Americans" -- it's just the evil side of human nature revealing itself through the use of anti-gay slurs and physical violence ...I hate ignorance just as much as the next American, but this is a worldwide problem that must be addressed and not just a local epidemic. (watch Top Chef tonight, BRAVO!!)

[dadw5boys]

Flordia Crackers getting their 15 minuites of fame.

[Rand]

The word is "infamy"

[dadw5boys]

OK now lets not all get anal retentive at once.

[mckinley]

This happened on Long Island, braniacs

[JustJoeKing]

Thanks, us Floridians get enough crap without taking the heat for another state.



As usual, these pseudo-bad asses needed the safety of a large pack.

[JulieSA]

New York, genius.