The persecution of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals is the practice of persecuting a person, usually through physical attack, because they are or are perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. In some circumstances, this is referred to as "gay-bashing", but it is somewhat a misnomer — all Queer groups, including gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people — can be targeted. The term "gay-bashing" is rarely modified into dyke-bashing, trans-bashing, queer-bashing, or simply bashing.

Bashing can include uttering threats, physical assault and battery, sexual assault and rape, torture, attempted murder, and murder. In some districts, bashing may be treated legally as a hate crime. Bashing also includes attacks on gay people who may have made sexual overtures to their attackers, with the argument being that such a disproportionate response must be occasioned by homophobia on the part of the assaulter. The term is often used in the metaphorical or exaggerative sense of criticising or denigrating homosexual people per se or opposing homosexual practices. (See also gay panic defense, hate speech in these instances)

Instances

Some notable victims of hate-related assaults include:

• Harvey Milk, gay politician (1930 – 1978)
• James Zappalorti, gay Vietnam veteran (1945 – 1990)
• Brandon Teena, transsexual man (1972 – 1993)
• Matthew Shepard, gay student (1976 – 1998)
• Patrons of the Admiral Duncan pub, bombed by David Copeland in 1999
• Bertrand Delanoë, gay politician (stabbed nonfatally in 2002)
• Gwen Araujo, transsexual woman (1985 – 2002)

A tragic example of gay-bashing occurred on September 22, 2001. Ronald Gay entered a gay bar in Roanoke, Virginia, opened fire on the patrons, killing Danny Overstreet and injuring six others. Ronald said he was angry over what his name now meant, and deeply upset that three of his sons had changed their surname. He claimed that he had been told by God to find and kill homosexuals, describing himself as a "Christian Soldier working for my Lord".

Tennessee Williams was the victim of a gay-bashing in January 1979 in Key West, being beaten by five teenaged boys, but he was not seriously injured. The episode was part of a spate of anti-gay violence that had occurred after a local Baptist minister ran an anti-gay newspaper ad. Some of his literary critics spoke ill of the "excesses" present in his work, but these were, for the most part, merely attacks on Williams' sexuality.

Gay-bashing is occasionally committed against heterosexuals who are only perceived to be gay. Prominent incidents include:

• Actor and comedian Norm MacDonald (of Saturday Night Live) was attacked by two men in New York City. They thought he was homosexual because he was well-dressed, with styled hair, and lanky; he was walking through Greenwich Village, an area popular amongst homosexuals. He suffered a concussion.

There are also urban myths and unconfirmed stories told about gay-bashing, often devised to make a point. For instance:

A man was shot to death in an Iowa bar because he was standing quietly in a corner holding a purse. He was perceived as an unwelcome homosexual; in actuality, he was holding the purse for his wife, who was in the restroom.

See also: Transphobia, Homophobia

External links

• Remembering our Dead, a site which remembers transgender victims of violence.