Kevin Aviance was hospitalized after being the victim of a gay bashing early Saturday morning outside The Phoenix. He had to have surgery to repair a badly broken jaw. He was beaten by 4 men. Will it take one of us being beaten to death to get this fucking community to wake up? For those of you who DO NOT walk the streets in garish make-up and heels, I can tell you the climate IS HOSTILE. That doesn't mean gay men dressed "normally" cannot be the victims of these animals. Standing outside my building not 3 hours ago, 3 white teens in a Mercedes pulled over, jumped out of the car and yelled "Fucking Faggot" and "AIDS SPREADER" as they walked towards me. When I got safely inside my door, they still walked up and kicked the door and kept screaming. This is not the ramblings of some timid queen. I have walked the streets of Manhattan in drag for 15 years and never felt the least bit uneasy. When I came in and heard about Kevin on the news, I felt I had to write this, maybe against my better judgement. This may sound absolutely nuts, but I will say in all honesty, IF I AM EVER GOING DOWN at the hands of one of these animals, I will do everything within my power to fight back. I would rather die fighting than submit myself to that kind of human shit. I swear to God I have never considered more seriously leaving this pathetic, souless, shit hole city. It just isn't THAT fabulous anymore.