i'm not that political...till you piss me off.

those of you who don't live in new york (or obsessively read gay blogs like i do) might not have heard about what happened over the weekend, but it's a little upsetting: a gay (drag-ish) performer named kevin aviance was jumped by four teenagers in the east village on his way home from the phoenix. he was released from the hospital a couple days later, his jaw wired shut. now, depending how you feel about kevin aviance, his jaw being wired shut may actually be a blessing in disguise, but that's beside the point. the point is, violence against gay people doesn't just happen in montana and south dakota and rural oklahoma (sorry, home state, it's true).

last night at the albatross (caw!), astoria's own dive gay bar, a man got up on stage (it was open mic night, aka dykes with mikes) and talked about the kevin aviance attack as well as another attack that apparently happened last weekend in astoria, at 34th street and broadway. now, i live at 33rd street and broadway (for all you would-be stalkers out there!), and the fact that there's been anti-gay violence a block away from my pad makes me just a little nervous.

once the first man was done speaking, the drag queen/hostess took the mic and continued: "now, i don't know where you all are from, but i'm from texas. it's not safe to be gay in texas. i came here because i knew it was somewhere i would be safe to be myself. so please, take action. make sure it's safe to walk home from here; for me to walk home from here. in heels." her words really did strike a chord with me. i don't look over my shoulder as much here as i did in baltimore, or even indiana or oklahoma. there's generally such a live-and-let-live (or don't-fuck-with-me) vibe in new york that i'm never really concerned about being jumped or attacked or pummelled with spray paint cans (a la kevin aviance). clearly, i need to be a little more careful.

the more i've been thinking about this recent spat of violence, though, the more i've realized just how much the climate is changing for gay people in this country. in the late 90's and early 00's all kinds of progressive things were happening, thanks in no small part to clinton/gore. sure, he signed "don't ask/don't tell," but he also never would've pushed for a federal "protection of marriage" amendment.

things are getting pretty uncomfortable for gay people here; it's something you can feel as soon as you leave the liberal bubble of the northeast. we're suddenly facing government-sanctioned discrimination, which does nothing but send a message to every would-be homophobe that it's ok to hate us. our government is setting an example of which it should be ashamed. and every faggot, every drag queen, every butch dyke that is attacked and left bleeding in the street can thank george w and his cronies for fostering a climate in which it could happen. and when they're done thanking him, they can send him their hospital bills.