The world-famous drag queen beaten by a gang of homophobic thugs left a Manhattan hospital yesterday as community leaders renewed their calls for justice.

"You don't know how it feels until this happens to you. It feels like someone pulled your soul out," victim Kevin Aviance, 38, said through his lawyer.

The nightclub legend, whose songs have topped the Billboard dance charts, suffered a broken jaw and knee after four young males, yelling anti-gay slurs, beat him to the ground about 1:30 a.m. Saturday in the East Village.

Gerard Johnson, 16, and Gregory Archie, 18, both of Manhattan; Akino George, 20, of the Bronx, and Jarrell Sears, 20, of Newark, were arrested in the attack.

They face eight to 25 years in prison if convicted of first-degree assault as a hate crime. Johnson, who has a pending robbery case, and Sears, whose record includes a drug arrest, were .arraigned last night and held on $50,000 bond.

"What happened to Kevin over the weekend is just outrageous," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan). "I hope the district attorney prosecutes those responsible to the fullest extent of the law, and that this crime is prosecuted fully as the hate crime that it was."

Quinn, who is gay, had equally strong words for the witnesses who allegedly did nothing as Aviance was dragged down the sidewalk.

"When New Yorkers see a victim of a crime, they have a responsibility to pick up the phone and call 911," Quinn said.

"We can't ever go back to the days of people just closing their windows when they hear someone in trouble."

Aviance, who clutched a bouquet of yellow roses and a framed photo of himself in full makeup as he was wheeled out of Beth Israel Medical Center, is expected to appear in court Thursday to identify his attackers.

Publicist Len Evans said Aviance's jaw will be wired shut for about 21/2 weeks, possibly through his appearance at this month's Gay Pride Parade.

"This is his month to shine and make money. He performs all through the month of June, and realistically the doctors don't think he can do it," Evans said.

"I don't think he realizes that when the wiring is taken off his jaw, he won't be able to move his mouth like he used to."

(Source: New York Daily News)

I don't understand what on Earth could make people do something like that! Really! The poor guy!

This is very sad - especially since there were witnesses that didn't even offer their assistance.

This is just disgusting!

And, nobody helped the poor guy, fucking idiots.

sag10 said:

I really think that the most homophobic guys(the ones who gaybash) are the ones with their own conflicted feelings about being attracted to guys.

kidelrich said:

I agree with you!

Why beat up on another human bein?! Just infuriates me.

DarlinLaurie said:

Fucking unbelievable... Hope those attackers rot!

Already posted, see http://www.prince.org/msg/8/191930