east village horror

6.13.2006
New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
Drag queen beaten
in E. Village horror
BY RICH SCHAPIRO AND ROBERT F. MOORE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Sunday, June 11th, 2006

An internationally known drag queen and recording artist was robbed and beaten by four trash-talking bullies who shouted anti-gay slurs at him in the East Village early yesterday.

"We're going to kill you, f----t!" at least one of them screamed as they followed 38-year-old Kevin Aviance down the street. "We're going to get you, f----t!"

Four suspects were arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime, cops said.

"I thought they were going to kill me," said Aviance, who suffered a broken jaw and bruises. "I was thinking 'Is this the way I'm going to die?'"

The brutal incident unfolded after Aviance, whose real name is Eric Sneed, left Phoenix, a gay club on E. 13th St. where he had met friends for drinks after posing for Homo Xtra magazine.

The 6-foot-3 diva, who often performs in elaborate gowns, was wearing what his publicist described as "boy clothes" - shorts, a black T-shirt with a hood, and a hat at the time.

In his bag, he was carrying pumps, women's clothing and makeup from his magazine shoot.

"I've been doing this for 15 years and I've never been harassed," Aviance said. "If anything people approach me with warmth."

As Aviance desperately tried to hail a cab a few blocks up First Ave. about 1:30 a.m., the attackers tossed debris at him, Aviance said. One thug punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground, he said.

The gang dragged him to the sidewalk and started kicking him, he said. "They were not human," he said.

"You can see the extent of the violence and hate," an investigator said. Aviance added that there were several witnesses to the beating who didn't help him. "They were just cold."

Someone did escort him to nearby Beth Israel Medical Center, where he had his jaw wired shut last evening. He was listed in stable condition.

The muggers snatched his cell phone and wallet.

Arrested last night were Gerard Johnson, 16, and Gregory Archie, 18, both of Manhattan; Akino George, 20, of the Bronx; and Jarrell Sears, 20, of Newark, N.J. A police source that a witness led cops to Johnson, who fingered at least one of the other suspects.

Aviance has been a mainstay of New York's underground club scene and has performed his dance hits all over the world. The bald gender-bender hit No. 1 on Billboard's dance music charts in 1997 with "Din Da Da" and topped the charts again in 2002 with "Alive." He has appeared on television's "America's Next Top Model" and in a music video for Madonna's "Secret."

He was supposed to host the closing party for Gay Pride Week, which begins June 18, but that won't happen this year because of his injuries, according to his publicist, Len Evans.

time to get uncomfortable

6.04.2006

I just signed this petition to stop the divisive "Federal Marriage Amendment."

It's an election year, and Republicans are in deep trouble. Instead of addressing the things Americans really care about, they're trying to change the subject and use wedge issues in hopes of distracting from their failures and dividing Americans to win elections.

This time, LGBT families are the pawns in their political game. And this time, the American Constitution is their political playing field. They want to amend the Constitution to deprive gay people of equal rights under the law.

With your help, we can a powerful message to Republicans that legislating discrimination defames good people. Please join me by signing this petition:

http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/lgbtdiscrmntn/fqsvxu

our next president 2006

6.03.2006

here's a thought of mine you might consider...

what if no one decided to run for the president?

honestly, who in their right mind would want to embrace this time?

and if somehow, it happens, no matter how good of a person they may be, in the end they will shoulder the blame for everything that's bad and gone wrong...

are cylons gay?

in this heat...of course you would!

10,858 and still counting

6.02.2006

if someone had asked me a year ago..."what's this blog thing your doing? or "do you think it will be received well?" my answers then would have had contained large amounts of uncertainty.

today, the answers are much clearer... i am pleased and also proud to say being ron b has become something really special to me and obviously to a great number of other folks as well; 10,858 page views to date from all over the world! Wow, just typing "all over the world" gives me the shivers! yes, it was a year ago today that i sat at my desk with this empty "virtual" pallet before me deciding then to, give the world a small glimpse into my thoughts, ideas and personal feelings on just about anything you could have imagined. i take great comfort in knowing now, after these past 12 months, people still read! but more importantly, that there are so many people from all over the world who still care about others. if all the compliments, suggestions and loyalty were represented by a single baseball for each, i could easily fill several stadiums with them! how do you even begin to consider thanking anyone for something so amazing? in one small way i've maintained my commitment, being ron b and staying with you via the blog.

i have had many wonderfull opportunities to make new friends as well as hear other thoughts and ideas from some of the most "creative" and "real" people i never knew existed. the sharing of links between blogs has also impacted me on positive levels i never imagined. the endless amounts of information and feelings i've gotten from other fellow bloggers has definitely enhanced the quality of my life. i'm part of a "family" again and all the experiences that come with it. it's certainly one of the best feelings i know and it's from you and because of you...

i tip my hat to all of you

summer of 2006 has arrived

6.01.2006

although it's cool and overcast right now, these past few days have been FAR TOO HOT! Christ, the humidity consumes you instantly. Warm is ok, hot & humid not.

Anyway, when i'm not working or writing or thinking, me and graham (aka king farook) have decided, chillin is best!

yikes!

saw these sweet treats










and yes, those are in fact camouflaged gumballs!

Dictator Vows To Bring Down U.S. Gover nment


Cindy & Chavez
Venezuela Dictator Vows To Bring Down U.S. Gover nment

Venezuela government is sole owner of Citgo gasoline company

Venezuela Dictator Hugo Chavez has vowed to bring down the U.S. government. Chavez, president of Venezuela, told a TV audience : "Enough of imperialist aggression; we must tell the world: down with the U.S. empire. We have to bury imperialism this century."

The guest on his television program, beamed across Venezuela, was Cindy Sheehan, the antiwar activist. Chavez recently had as his guest Harry Belafonte, who called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world."

Chavez is pushing a socialist revolution and has a close alliance with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Regardless of your feelings about the war in Iraq, the issue here is that we have a socialist dictator vowing to bring down the government of the U.S. And he is using our money to achieve his goal!

The Venezuela government, run by dictator Chavez, is the sole owner of Citgo gas company. Sales of products at Citgo stations send money back to Chavez to help him in his vow to bring down our government.

Take Action

Please decide that you will not be shopping at a Citgo station. Why should U.S. citizens who love freedom be financing a dictator who has vowed to take down our government?

Very important. Please forward this to your friends and family. Most of them don't know that Citgo is owned by the Venezuela government.


YOU CAN VERIFY THIS ON THE CITGO WEB PAGE.