—–Original Message—–
From: Lee N
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006
To: margaretcho
Subject: Kevin Aviance
Hey Margaret.
Not sure why I feel I need to tell you this, but here goes.
It pains me to see that Kevin Aviance was attacked. As I search for words to describe my anger, I settle on insulted. Not only was a great performer attacked, but I’m insulted that his attackers did it in the village. Not only did they hurt him with brute force, but they spit in the gay community’s face by doing it in the village. I’m truly infuriated.
I’m also hurt as a gay American at the media’s coverage. I’m reminded of a skit Wanda Sykes does about Tiger Woods and his level of blackness. Initial reports I read on the web indicated a Singer was attacked. As time progressed, they were now reporting that a performer was beaten. The last report I saw on CNN labeled Kevin as a drag queen. Now, perhaps my own on biases are coming out, and if they are, I apologize. But I suspect society’s level of stature associated with the three labels decrease as time progressed. In other words, society as a whole is more sympathetic toward the abuse of a singer. In turn, they are less sympathetic to a performer. And most people probably less concerned about some old drag queen being beaten. Am I crazy?
My heart bleeds for Kevin. The force required to break someone’s jaw is immense and I cringe at the thought of how much pain he has endured in the last few days.
Thanks for reading,
A huge fan who missed his opportunity to say hi on the February Atlantis Cruise,
Lee