What In The Actual Fuck Is Going On In New York City?

We usually keep it pretty light here on Manhunt Daily. Cocks, asses, clowning on terrible YouTube videos starring barely lucid pop culture figures are the order of the day. But seeing a blurb on Towleroad informing us that there was ANOTHER incident of anti-gay violence in NYC this month has me flabbergasted and angry. This is the sixth incident of gay-bashing in the Big Apple. There are several people injured, and one openly gay man is DEAD. It’s fucking NYC. It’s supposed to be one of the greatest cities in the free world. And along with that, you would figure it would also be one of the most progressive. Instead, our community has been dealt the following:

• May 5 – Gay couple Nick Porto and Kevin Atkins were physically attacked by a group of men while walking home arm-in-arm from brunch near Madison Square Garden. Their assailants called them “faggots”. Atkins suffered a broken wrist. Police have arrested some of the suspects but are asking the public to check out this security video and see if they can identify the others.
• May 7 – A man walking in Union Square was attacked by another man shouting anti-gay slurs. A suspect is in custody according to the Anti-Violence Project.
• May 8 – A man leaving Pieces Bar on Christopher Street in the West Village was attacked by two men shouting gay slurs.
• May 9 – Lucas Entertainment and Jocks Studio performer Edin Sol and a male companion were attacked by a group of men shouting anti-gay slurs near the 33rd St. PATH station. Both sustained facial injuries and Sol had to have surgery on his eye.
• Last night – Gay club promoter Dan Contarino was attacked last night at Avenue D & 4th Street.   Contarino posted a pic of his facial injuries on his Facebook page and noted that he has already had one small surgery. Again, the assailant shouted homophobic slurs.

And most terribly, openly gay man Mark Carson (picture above) was shot at point-blank range and killed Sunday night while walking with a friend in Greenwich Village. The suspect, who is in custody and reportedly giggled as he confessed to Carson’s murder, is said to have asked Mark and his friend if they were a couple before shooting him in the head.

Is this just coincidence that all of this evil is going down in one month? Or is it some sort of sick backlash from the progress the LGBT community has made in 2013? A currently playing pro athlete finally came out, and same-sex marriage is finally being legalized in many nations and in several of our states here in the US. Are fucking idiots getting nervous about us finally achieving some of the equality we’ve been denied for so very long?

And before someone slaps me in the comments, I know there’s anti-gay violence all over the world. Some of it much worse. Personally, it’s just terrifying to me that it’s happening in a place where one would think you could be yourself. But it happens everywhere, doesn’t it? And it won’t stop until homosexuality is normalized to everyone. So, how do we do that?

NYC’s Anti-Violence Project had held recent rallies this week (one was last night) in protest of the recent spate of homophobic violence. They will also be holding Friday Community Safety Nights through the remainder of May and June. Check out their site for more information. 

Let’s open this up. What do you think we can do to stem this tide of ugly? Comment below. I know there’s smarter people than me who read our blog. Let’s get into it and hear your ideas, thoughts, and observations.