Two American homosexuals were viciously beaten while visiting the Caribbean island St. Maarten's. All Headline News reports:

St. Maarten's top tourism official says the assailants who attacked two gay Americans will be punished. He described the vicious tire iron beating as 'barbaric and inhumane."

Dick Jefferson and Ryan Smith were airlifted to Miami for medical treatment. Jefferson has been released, but Smith is reportedly being treated for brain damage. Both men are journalists from New York. They were outside a bar with several friends on Thursday when three men attacked them.

Jefferson says the attackers yelled anti—gay slurs at his friends earlier in the evening. He described the attack as a hate crime, and joined a U.S. gay human rights group in criticizing St. Maarten for what they have described as a sluggish response in the case.

I happen to know several black men from various Caribbean Islands as well as some from Africa, and quite a few say that they beat (black) "queers" for fun. I wonder why we don't hear more prominent black and gay leaders speaking out against that particular type of "black on black" racism? Racism and gay—bashing are wrong regardless of the color of the assailant or the victim, right?

Joe Crowley   4 13 06