3 Lesbians Charged with Hate Crime in Beating of Gay Man

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Feb 27, 2012 in Crime | 66 comments

Erika Stroud: Hater?

Sisters Erika and Felicia Stroud (21, 18) and Lydia Sanford aren’t denying that the three of them viciously assaulted a gay man for accidentally bumping into them on a stairwell. They aren’t even denying that they broke his nose or that they repeatedly used “insulting homophobic slurs” against the man while beating him.

The three lesbian women are however fighting the hate crime charges against them, saying they “openly identify as a lesbian … so any homophobic (conduct) is unwarranted.”

Say what?

Civil-rights attorney Chester Darling agreed. “No one should go to court. It’s knuckle justice,” he said. “It’s a fair exchange.”

But Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, said prosecutors will have no problem proving the women committed a hate crime, even if they are lesbians.

“The defendants’ particular orientation or alleged orientations have no bearing on our ability to prosecute for allegedly targeting a person who they believe to be different from them,” he said.

Which lawyer has it right here? Is it “fair knuckle justice” if a group of gay women beat a gay man? Or is the sexuality of the attackers themselves irrelevant if they used homophobic epithets while beating the man?

Is it a hate crime if lesbians beat a gay man? How about if the roles were reversed? Would it be a hate crime if three gay men attacked a lesbian?

Sound off in the comments below.

(via Boston Herald)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Heather-Bailey/100000158142530 Heather Bailey

Hateful violence. They should be punished as any straight person would be. Disgusting. The last thing we need is to be turning on each other.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Megan-Kyle/100000586878623 Megan Kyle

Just because you identify your self as homosexual DOES NOT you or– anyone for that matter, the right to use homophobic slurs . . .

they’re tastless and totally uncalled for and a hate crime nonetheless

this makes me sad
Anonymous

Dammit, don’t we have enough to worry about without Gay on Gay (Lez as the case may be) crime?!
theodore williams

Phooey on that “knuckle justice” excuse. Three alleged lesbians with lousy judgement and piss-poor self-control, trying to hide behind civil rights after beating a guy over a trivial incident. (Security-camera footage, please?)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1132429329 Amanda McDonald

And what the hell is “knuckle justice” anyway?

http://www.facebook.com/KefetxMelodie Melodie Renee Hawkins

I heard the term and immediatly thought of “moose knuckle” >_>
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=565659760 Ed Feraco

Perhaps you should change places with the victim and find out? Hmm?

http://www.facebook.com/people/Emily-Phillips/848844856 Emily Phillips

Did you watch the video…? The prosecutor’ story only makes sense if these women are stark-raving lunatics. What’s most likely happening is that this guy is racist and sexist. Believe it or not, there are bad gay people too.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Royce-Earnest-Jr/515733979 Royce Earnest Jr

“Knuckle justice?” So if someone bumps into you you get to beat the crap out of them? If it were 3 men would it be ok? If it were 3 straight men that beat a woman or a gay man would it be ok? NO! Assaualt is assault! And if anyone was throwing gay slurs it does indeed make it a hate crime, even if it comes from lesbians. Gay on gay crime is the worst kind to me.
http://www.t-r-a-n-s.tumblr.com Kai Markas

I think the determination lies in the motivation behind the attack. If they attacked him solely because he was a gay man, then yes, it’s a hate crime. But if the motivation was not inspired by the man’s sexual orientation, then it’s not a hate crime. It’s hard for me to say that, because I don’t approve of anyone using homophobic slurs, but hate crime legislation is used to protect us from crimes motivated by homophobia, transphobia, racism, and so on. If the motivation was not his sexuality, then I don’t think it can be tried as a hate crime.

http://www.facebook.com/patrick.a.sallee Patrick Alexander Sallee

Totally agree on all accounts. The sexuality of the defendants has nothing to do with the question of is it a hate crime or isn’t it a hate crime. The motivation is the only thing that matters.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=565659760 Ed Feraco

Oh please!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1055220075 Marcelo Pereira

Definitely a hate crime. Your sexual orientation doesn’t exempt you from committing a hate crime PERIOD. Try them as you would anybody else. This is shameful.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1501543172 Melanie Roussell

It’s a crime of assault either way.
Anonymous

Its still a hate crime, jus for the fact a lot of lesbians think that they are like straight men. If 3 gay men did that to a lesbian they would go to prison. The law is the law, and these bitches need to be punished to the fullest extent. Being gay should not be a “get out of jail free” card. If they get away with this, hate crimes will go unnoticed…… All, if the suspects use the “I’m a homosexual” retort. Homo or not, YOU ASSAULTED SOMEONE!!!!!!!! They deserve to be put under the jail. Gays and lesbians have a hard enough time living day to day life. Why would you want to do that to someone who’s in the community that you want to be a part of?????????smh
Anonymous

i think it would still be a hate crime. even if you are a lesbian does not mean that you like gay men. i’m sure there are plenty of “lesbians” out there that dislike gay men and the fact that they used homophobic slurs just supports the hate crime theory. i think the first lawyer who says it is “knuckle justice” is just as ignorant as the three women being charged. also the fact that he ACCIDENTALLY bumped into them frustrates me. why would you violently attack someone for bumping into you by mistake. it’s sad that African Americans continue to create a bad name for ourselves. these three women need to go to jail, point, blank, period.

Anonymous

People of all colors do bad things. That doesn’t make them representative samples of their community. Why doesn’t that logic apply to us black people, nique?

Anonymous

you’re absolutely right ppl of all colors do bad things no doubt. however where i live every time i turn on the news an African American has killed, robbed, or beat someone up and then ppl around me always complain about how other races talk bad about us and what not. this is a prime example of why other races look at us the way we do. we are constantly in the news (at least in my area) and i’m tired of it all. i’m not trying to say other races aren’t talked about do wrong etc. but as i previously said where i live it’s constantly “us” and it saddens me. and when we are constantly in the news for things like this then those ppl do become representative samples of our community because that is how we are portrayed and that is how ppl look at us. it is sad to think that way and i personally feel that they do not represent me but tell that to the ppl who don’t know me but all they see is my color on news for stuff like this.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Terra-Fitzhugh/509333490 Terra Fitzhugh

To be quite honest, sexual orientation should have nothing to do with it. Lesbians can commit a hate crime against gay men. It may not be a sexual orientation based crime, but it could be a gender issue. But, a hate crime is a hate crime. A MAN (orientation aside) bumped into the women (orientation aside) and the women attacked the man. Why is it that people think that only men (still) are capable of horrendous crimes, such as beatings? If roles had been reversed, sexual orientation wouldn’t be an issue. It would be labeled as a brutal beating, man would go to prison, case closed. He’d be permanently labeled as a “Woman Beater”. But if WOMEN brutally beat a man, suddenly there’s a question of sexual orientation and hate crimes, etc? The judicial system needs to rethink how things are done and now. If the women had beaten another woman, there’d be no question. If a man had beaten a man, it wouldn’t even had made headlines. Think about it.
http://www.facebook.com/justinfitzgerald1988 Justin Fitzgerald

Knuckle justice?!?!?!?! Lesbians or not they deserve to be charged with a hate crime since they decided to beat him 3 on 1!!! Especially since their lesbians and decided to call him homophobic slurs! The man deserves justice! & all 3 of them deserve to be sitting in jail!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dale-Winters/1058535718 Dale Winters

Because they are lesbians means nothing. They assalted another human being, for what, bumping into them? I mean really, that is just plain wrong. They should be prosecuted on the fact that they assalted someone else. Did someone just pour stupid in the water supply?
http://www.facebook.com/jack.vorhies Jack Vorhies

Internalized homophobia is still homophobia.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Raymond-Davis/1135164147 Raymond Davis

Also let’s not dismiss the possibility that these women may have attacked him for his sex and not necessarily his sexuality ,which would also be a hate crime.
Anonymous

Absolutely a hate crime. These three women are absolutely ridiculous and I HOPE they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Diego-Alexandro-Gomez/100000793362600 Diego Alexandro Gomez

Let’s not forget that just because someone is gay it doesn’t mean that they are not homophobic. Homophobia and homosexuality are two different things altogether.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000451850693 Ashley Valencia

If someone is attacked because of their race or sexual orientation or some other characteristic that makes them unique or different in some way then regardless of who the attackers are and whether they share the characteristic or not – it’s still a hate crime. One can be self-hating. One can also just be bat-shit crazy, it happens.
Anonymous

Lovely job ladies, what a wonderful example you set….
http://www.facebook.com/TurtleGoddess Cecelia Lee

I agree with Kai on this. It is hateful & wrong & these women should definitely be punished for their actions. But if the attack wasn’t “motivated” by his being gay, it is NOT a hate-crime. If 3 black women decided to beat up a black man & called him the N word while doing it, it would be assault still, but it WOULD NOT be considered a “hate crime”. This legislation is in place to protect all members of the rainbow family from violence due to others’ hatred, bigotry, etc. Misusing the laws because you don’t like the crime is bullshit.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1487415389 Evan Au Nez Français

Exactly.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1132429329 Amanda McDonald

It was violent, it was hateful and it should be punished like any other hate crime.
http://www.facebook.com/STBEAR Scott St Denny

The instant “insulting homophobic slurs” are used it became a hate crime despite who and/or what you are.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1487415389 Evan Au Nez Français

Then in that case he would have committed a hate crime twice as bad as they did, seeing as he apparently called them n*ggers and lesbians.
Anonymous

This seems simple to me. They weren’t shouting “jerk! Bully! a$$hole! Misogynist!” They weren’t in fear for their lives or thinking they were intentionally assaulted. The slur tells you the motive behind their action.

Matt Dill

Feels like saying they’re all gay themselves might be a cop-out. Just as some people may say “I can’t be a racist, I have black friends”, these girls may think they’ll have an out if they identify as lesbians.
http://profile.yahoo.com/LPYBF7OFRWYQEBGXIR757IP2KA Robin

Absolutely a hate crime. To me, it does not matter if they are lesbians or not. They are assaulting a person because he is a gay man. Frankly, I think that even if a lesbian assaulted another lesbian on the grounds that she is a lesbian is still a hate crime. Stranger things have happend. You watch, now that I have said it, one of us lesbos will beat another one while calling her a dyke!
http://profile.yahoo.com/5YZJPZQCWL2BZWSIK2U2MUBPZI Robert

I almost beat up a lesbian myself this weekend..LOL! She really had it coming…i think it’s hard because this PARTICULAR lesbian thought I was a nelly gay guy who would take her crap…and HUNTY no I am not. You take that alpha male additude some where else!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tom-W-Odom/1746917184 Tom W Odom

Too me, them being of gay orientation themselves, should face charges of a hate crime. Especially since they brutally beat this gay guy and to add insult to injury, used gay derogatory verbiage while beating the poor guy. I think they should be burned at the stake. Gays beating Gays over something so stupid and small? Come on!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1487415389 Evan Au Nez Français

But they didn’t target them because he was gay: they bumped into him on some stairs. So, not a hate crime. Charge the shit out of them for using those homophobic slurs (but then again the gay guy did the same if not worse), but if we don’t set a firm precedent now as to what constitutes a hate crime, then it’s only going to get easier and easier for vindictive people and people working in criminal justice to take charge people for crimes they didn’t commit. Let’s firm this crap up and define exactly what intent is.
Anonymous

Do guys these days get into “knuckle justice” with women? Really? As a child I would have been beaten black and blue for raising a hand against a woman. As a result I’ve grown up never striking a woman. I’ve had women try to shove me or elbow me on the bus or subway but again, never resorted to violence to retaliate. Why is a civil rights attorney suddenly telling us all to solve our problems with violence now? Why is he even called a civil rights attorney for doing so? There’s nothing civil or right about that.
Aria Chatman

If the roles were the other way around, and it was gay guys beating up a lesbian they would be ready to hang them! It’s simply men vs women. People rarely question how something was if a women does it, but if men do it they were wrong for even thinking it.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=197000431 Shannon Anne Carter

I think all violent crimes, that are not in self-defense, are hate crimes and should be prosecuted as such.
http://profile.yahoo.com/3BM6YYX4BU6DFY54QUTF3GF2PA shawn k

rephrase the question, what do you think would happen if 3 white males gay or straight attacked one black female gay or straight? That is what happened here what many forget is they also yelled racial slurs at the man.
Anonymous

them being lesbians doesn’t matter one bit: it’s definitely still a hate crime. but also: what kind of person do you have to be to jump and viciously beat someone who bumped into you?!? not to play armchair (office chair) doc or anything, but there has to be some psychosis there… this level of disregard and flippancy for another human’s life should be a hate crime, so i’m hoping they get charged with it if for no other reason than it’ll keep them in jail longer.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Heather-DeFabis/100000396101693 Heather DeFabis

Lots a black woman are nuts and will beat up ANYONE, straight or gay, man or woman, who bumps into them. I have no idea why, but psycho black women in packs are fairly typical. They’ll say anything to be hurtful, even if it’s hypocritical to themselves. I don’t think it was a hate crime, they’re just psycho bitches.

Anonymous

you need to reevaluate all of your life choices, even if this comment is “in jest.”

http://www.facebook.com/people/Heather-DeFabis/100000396101693 Heather DeFabis

According to the article, it was because he bumped into him. If that’s true, it’s not a hate crime. Though, that just makes them hypocritical and stupid savages.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Emily-Phillips/848844856 Emily Phillips

The article is purposefully misleading because Unicorn Booty can’t report without using yellow journalism. The three women have another story altogether. If you watched the video,there’s a much more balanced newscast.

http://www.crotchzine.com/ Ben

It’s a hate crime if the reason for the crime was due to hate relating to the sexual orientation or gender or age or whatever…. This is violence, this is hateful, and what it makes it even more hateful is that all four of them are members of the same LGBT community…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=655997575 Daniel Campbell

While they should go to jail and are total pieces of work… I find it amazing how three lesbians can be charged with a hate crime for beating up a fellow LGBT person but straight bigots do it all around the nation and usually end up getting off with simple assault because “hate” cannot be proven no matter how apparent it was and in many cases witnessed. I wonder if they would be charged with a hate crime if they assaulted an African American person while screaming the N word… NOW WITH THAT RANT COMPLETE, I am totally for ensuring people that commit senseless, brutal crimes get as much of the law thrown at them that they can–so charge them with what you can.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Emily-Phillips/848844856 Emily Phillips

WTF is knuckle justice? That guy’s a civil rights attorney? Time to find a new career. Anyway, I sincerely doubt these girls just randomly jumped this guy because he bumped them. There’s probably some truth to what they’re saying. I’m willing to believe this is a racist jerk trying to use being gay to get out of having been a racist jerk. They shouldn’t have attacked him, but the prosecutor’s story doesn’t hold water.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Emily-Phillips/848844856 Emily Phillips

This is another case of Unicorn Booty’s yellow journalism. You should be ashamed of yourself, this is getting ridiculous. You DON’T fairly represent both sides of a story.

http://twitter.com/bloodybreesteak Bree

they used slurs, so i say it’s a hate crime no matter what they identify as.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=565659760 Ed Feraco

They should indeed be charged with hate crimes and any other applicable charge. Since when do people go around announcing that they are lesbians prior to employing like a classless hood-rat while engaged in thug-uncivilized criminal behaviors? They do not! Do not do the crime and you will not spend the time. Simple solution!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Skye-Boughman-Tikkanen/543890190 Skye Boughman Tikkanen

The way I understand it hate crimes laws are used to prevent people from being targeted due to race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. With the limited information provided here it sounds like this man was targeted due to bumping into the women and not due to his sexual orientation, therefore it’s not a hate crime.
http://twitter.com/colibri_moko Petit Colibri

It’s just like saying that it’s ok for a gay guy to fight a girl. lol
http://www.facebook.com/rebeka.burns Rebeka Burns

If you used hateful gay slurs then yes its a hate crime. Besides do they have hard core proof they are lesbians are are they just saying and playing lesbian…
http://www.facebook.com/rachel.c.mcleod Rachel Conlin McLeod

They said they were openly lesbian but that is irrelevant because they were not the victims of the attack. They admit to verbally assaulting the man with homophobic slurs and admitted to breaking his nose and assaulting him heinously. Did they need to lash out with the homophobic slurs to beat the guy to a pulp? No. But because they did so and admitted to doing so, sends a message that there was some aspect of his sexuality that motivated them to attack and use those slurs.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Weisbaker/804949373 Jeff Weisbaker

If they use homophobic epithets then it is still a hate crime, even if the attackers, are gay too.
http://profile.yahoo.com/MYIYK35DAPLNMKABHTCHHE7QUY ZoeyH

Perhaps, if they openly identify as Lesbians, perhaps we should be seeing this as a crime of 3 men who had beaten up a woman?

BTW: This lesbian loves gay men. Wouldn’t lay anything harder than a make-up brush on them. <3
http://www.facebook.com/leah.tedesco Leah Tedesco

The sexuality of the attackers themselves is irrelevant.
http://www.facebook.com/Kesha.Dimplez.Watson Kesha Watson

Its still hate, its STUPID! hate but they beat him for the reason that he is a gay man. and there are alott of lesbians that don’t like gay men (IM NOT ONE OF THEM!!!) but its stupid to be that hateful in our community.
http://twitter.com/jordanparee Jordan Paree

Isn’t this called “reverse bigotry?”
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=887180542 Michael Blank

have you ever stopped to think they might just be trying to get out of it being a hate crime by saying they are gay themselves?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Erica-Cook/100000628613592 Erica Cook

I think in this situation everyone involved are wrong.
Anonymous

I’m relieved that at least a few people grasp the concept of hate crime laws….
http://twitter.com/GaleSquid Gale ✩

I think this had a lot more to do with him being a man than being gay. Regardless I do view it as a hate crime.

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