Sun Jun 11, 6:27 AM ET

NEW YORK - A singer whose songs have topped the Billboard dance chart was attacked by a group yelling anti-gay slurs, and four people were arrested on hate-crime charges, police and his publicist said.

Kevin Aviance, 38, underwent surgery for a broken jaw after the attack Saturday, said his publicist, Len Evans. Police said the singer, whose song "Alive" hit the top of the chart in 2002, was in stable condition.

A group of six or seven men attacked Aviance early Saturday, and passers-by did not stop to help as they threw objects at him, Evans said.

Four people were arrested on charges of first-degree assault as a hate crime, police said. They were identified as Jarell Sears and Akino George, both 20; Gregory Archie, 18; and Gerard Johnson, 16.

Aviance performs in drag but was "dressed like a boy" when he was attacked, Evans said. He had planned to take part in next week's Gay Pride parade and festivities, but will now be unable to perform, the publicist said.

Other popular songs by the singer have included "Give It Up," released in 2004, and "Din Da Da," which topped the Billboard dance chart in 1997.

i hope aviance gets a HUGE tribute at the nyc pride parade next weekend. i've never been a fan of his, but i know he's a HUGE name in the nyc gay club culture and a lot of people are crazy about him.

Absolutely fucking pathetic.

It's time like these that I want to get all conservative Republican and toss people in jail for life. Grrr.

It happened on 14th street and 1st ave.

The fact that this happend in NYC is very scary, Im from NYC and things like this usually happen in areas of Brooklyn and Queens which are very "racist" areas, But NYC, the Village, stuff like that never occurs, sad, but looking at their ages, its the 16-21 generation that is filled with "hate and racism".

sextonseven said:

that's really messed up. that's not exactly a dark, isolated corner, especially late on the weekend.

lastdecember said:

I wouldn't pin this on just the 16-21 y/os. Stuff like this is actually getting more and more rare nowadays. Kids these days are out in middle school and have myspace pages. More youngsters are exposed to gays and are more aware of LGBT folks than in generations past.

Homophobia and hate cross generational lines sad to say. It's just a damn ugly truth everywhere.

They're punks dealing with self hate...struggling with their own sexual identities. These are the ones that protest the loudest. If they get time for this, they will have an entirely different struggle ahead. Irony will be that they'll learn, soon enough, about their sexuality.

It happened on 14th street and 1st ave.

sextonseven said:

right in front of Stuyvesant Town http://www.pcvst.com/home.asp. I'm not sure what time of the day that was or if the young men lived there, but there are alotta of obnixous school kids around there and there's one bad corner like on 2nd and like 19th. I mean still, suprising, Too bad they didn't try that on west 13st in front of the LGBT center, those punks woulda caught a beat down if they did. I hate stories like this, especially if they were young Black men responsible for this.
[Edited 6/11/06 18:23pm]

They're punks dealing with self hate...struggling with their own sexual identities. These are the ones that protest the loudest. If they get time for this, they will have an entirely different struggle ahead. Irony will be that they'll learn, soon enough, about their sexuality.

anon said:

...Hey boy, hey boy! Ya look mighty cute in them jeans.


You know the rest.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Mike calls E. Village attack 'disgrace'

BY JESS WISLOSKI and DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday blasted the gay-bash attack on an internationally known drag queen in the East Village, as friends of Kevin Aviance hoped the recording artist could return for this month's Gay Pride Parade.

"Anybody that thinks they can get away with a hate crime is sadly mistaken," the mayor said. "It was a disgrace."

Trying to muster a smile through a wired jaw, Aviance, 38, said he was feeling a bit better after surgery to repair damage from the brutal beating he suffered Saturday.

"I'm feeling good [and] I appreciate everything you guys have done," Aviance said from his bed at Beth Israel Medical Center. "If nothing else, I hope it brings more awareness."

The chart-topping gay party icon was set upon by four young males spewing anti-gay epithets as he walked about 1:30 a.m. on First Ave., clad in men's clothes.

The 6-foot-3 Aviance was beaten to the ground, stomped and dragged down the sidewalk before he managed to escape.

A good Samaritan helped him to nearby Beth Israel, where doctors had to crack his jaw and realign it.

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. None of the suspects spoke as they were escorted by cops out of the 13th Precinct stationhouse early this morning to await arraignment.

Gay activists said the fact that the attack took place in the normally tolerant East Village shows that gay-bashers are getting more brazen.

Aviance, who scored club hits with "Din Da Da" and "Alive," hopes to go home from the hospital today.

Even though Aviance has a lot of recovering to do, he is hoping to be feeling well enough to take part in the Gay Pride Parade on June 25. "This is his community and he wants to be there more than anything," said Len Evans, a spokesman for Aviance.

Originally published on June 12, 2006

http://www.nydailynews.co...9223c.html

The chart-topping gay party icon was set upon by four young males spewing anti-gay epithets as he walked about 1:30 a.m. on First Ave., clad in men's clothes.