The Angry Fag

News and Views from a Man Who Likes Men

Yet Another Attack on a Gay Man by Military Members

Posted on | March 8, 2006

Yet another case of homophobic violence perpetrated by members of the US Military has made headlines again. This time it was five soldiers ganging up on a gay man and beating him severely outside a bar in Georgia on Sunday and then leaving him barely conscious and laying in his own blood. Police picked up the five soldiers who were identified by individuals who witnessed the attack. Police say that one of the soldiers, Sydney Swift, even went so far as to admit it by saying "Yes, I beat that mother-fucking faggot up" but was told to shut up by the other four. The victim, David Bennett, was treated for for cuts and abrasions he sustained during the beating and was released from the hospital on Monday.

I could go on and on about homophobia in the military but it is a tired subject. We all know it is there so it does not need to be pointed out. The military just needs to get off their collective asses and get to work in getting rid of it. But I am left wondering how the military will handle the incident this time around given what happened the last time soldiers attacking a gay man. Will the authorities in Georgia be trumped by military officials who will merely slap the wrist of the offenders as they did in the case of the soldier who beat Kyle Lawson and broke his nose? Or will they defer to civilian authorities and let these five soldiers face real justice? I would not mind if they did not defer to the Georgia authorities provided that they receive punishment equal or greater than they would have faced under Georgia state law.

In a twist of irony, this happened when the Georgia state legislature’s Senate Judiciary Committee just approved a bill that would add sexual orientation to the state’s pre-existing hate-crime laws.

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