5 Charged with Assault on Gay Rock Hill Teen

From the  Charlotte Observer
as reported by: By Steve Lyttle, slyttle@charlotteobserver.com

Joshua Esskew was beaten on April 9 outside the Spot Convenience store in Rock Hill, NC. Authorities told the Charlotte Observer the FBI has been investigating the assault as a possible hate crime.

Joshua (courtesy Advocate.com)

Apparently the gay teen was taunted by another who shouted anti-gay hate language at him outside the store before the 5 African American men joined in and severely beat the teen. Convenience store tapes recorded the incident.

I always like to read the comments following these articles to see how the "general population" responds to gay bashing issues and it's incredible the amount of hate that exists in this country that exists against gays. Just the thought of, or the idea that, someone might think that you are "gay" seems to bring out so much testosterone on men that they will do and say things to throw that term off themselves so far and so fast that it's scary. That fact becomes so evident in the comments over and over as well as the replies to those comments as they go back and forth. At some point they become so pointless and far off the original topic that they are a study in human psychology and sexuality of the human male.

However, the end result remains the same; these hate crimes against gay teens and adults will continue until parents, educators, people in office, everyone indeed takes a good look at themselves and their own faults and insecurities before chasing down someone else and taking out their inner insecurities on someone who thinks or behaves differently.