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Performer's killing shocks drag community (Miss Gay Ohio)
PlanetOut.com via Yahoo ^
| May 20, 2002
| Jen Christensen
Posted on 05/29/2002 1:29:38 PM PDT by Incorrigible
Performer's killing shocks drag community
Mon May 20, 8:54 PM ET
Jen Christensen, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network
SUMMARY: The drag community in Columbus, Ohio, is shocked after losing a popular one of their own in a dramatic killing over the weekend.
The drag community in Columbus, Ohio, is shocked after losing a popular one of their own in a dramatic killing over the weekend.
"It's been really hard," said Chris Hughes with the Columbus AIDS (news - web sites) Task Force. "Between this and some other high profile deaths here, right now the gay community is just not in a very good place emotionally."
Gary McMurtry, 36, better known as "Brazon" was found stabbed to death early on Saturday morning. Columbus police took a suspect, a stripper who sometimes shared the stage with Brazon, into custody.
With the help of tracker dogs the police found Michael Jennings, 30, several blocks away. Police said he was dressed all in black, still carrying a samurai sword -- the weapon suspected of being used to kill McMurtry. Witnesses said Jennings used to carry the sword around with him at the Columbus Eagle bar where the two performed.
McMurtry's roommate, Brain Bass, told police that Jennings broke through the back door of their house and went after McMurtry. Bass, a hairdresser who often did Brazon's hair and make-up for performances, was also injured. He is listed in good condition at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus.
At a well-attended benefit performance on Sunday, friends and co-workers remembered the man they knew as Brazon as a real drag icon in the community.
As Brazon, McMurtry performed regularly at the Columbus Eagle bar. He was ranked twice nationally in the Miss Gay America competition and was named Miss Gay Ohio in 1994.
McMurtry was best known for his elaborate costumes and his quick wit.
In 1997, he created the Gay Community People's Choice Awards. The Awards became an annual benefit for the Columbus AIDS Task Force.
Sue Crumpton, executive director of the Columbus AIDS Task Force, said the event raised at least a $1,000 each year. The awards would go to people's favorite bartenders, clubs and bookstores.
"What was really nice about the fundraiser was it was something that was completely put together by Brazon," said the Task Force's Chris Hughes. "It's really nice when the community comes forward like this to support us like Brazon did."
If you'd like to know more, you can find stories related to Performer's killing shocks drag community.
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: gay; murder
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All murder is a hate crime as far as I'm concerned but it would be interesting if the DOJ broke down homosexual murder in terms of "domestic abuse" versus gay bashing males.
To: Incorrigible
DECADENT TRANSVESTITE FOUND MURDERED:
Gay community 'in shock'
To: Incorrigible
Believe it or not, in NYC, we have posters up down here in the Village that offer counseling to homosexuals that suffer from domestic abuse. It has been a big problem in the lesbian community for the last few years in the city. The whole "Woman Scorned" thing from what I hear.
3
posted on
05/29/2002 1:38:49 PM PDT
by
toupsie
Comment #4 Removed by Moderator
To: Incorrigible
Oh, yes the eternal triangle of the old days repeating itself in another form in our modern world. The eternal triangle = man, woman and another man.(In this case man times 3 but we must be accepting remember.) Stir-in some jealousy and you get murder!
To: Incorrigible
The apocalypse is surely upon us.
When men enter a contest and vie for a title that begins with 'Miss'...Lord help us...
6
posted on
05/29/2002 1:59:46 PM PDT
by
jra
To: Incorrigible
Police said he was dressed all in black,Fitting that he should adopt the Hillary look.
To: toupsie
Gays are more likely to be victims of domestic abuse than heteros.
8
posted on
05/29/2002 2:01:48 PM PDT
by
AppyPappy
To: Incorrigible
Witnesses said Jennings used to carry the sword around with him at the Columbus Eagle bar where the two performed. A rather odd detail, if you ask me, but it puts the following in a somewhat better context:
"Between this and some other high profile deaths here, right now the gay community is just not in a very good place emotionally."
The "emotional place" of a crowd that probably considered sword-carrying to be a turn-on was probably not very good to begin with.
9
posted on
05/29/2002 2:05:52 PM PDT
by
r9etb
To: Incorrigible
To: Incorrigible
"Brazon" is the one on the left.
S/he bears a remarkable resemblance to Paula Jones:
11
posted on
05/29/2002 2:13:33 PM PDT
by
r9etb
To: r9etb
Sorry, but all 6 look like magpies to me!
To: AppyPappy
..more likely to be victims of domestic..I have seen this too in real life but I don't know what the actual statistics are. It would be interesting to know the real data but I'm sure the news media would never print it.
I have seen many high schools starting "clubs" for young gays to "educate" I'm sure this won't be part of the education that is handed out.
To: r9etb
You pull that from the TBN website?
To: Registered
Er, no.
BTW: The behemoth one is Miss Gay America, 2001.
Just remember not to eat for several hours before following the link....
15
posted on
05/29/2002 2:21:56 PM PDT
by
r9etb
To: r9etb
Delta Burke would fit in any one of those shots nicely.
To: Registered
I think it's from the CMT website. Looks like some kind of country music award show. I recognize Dolly Parton, Pam Tillis and Wynonna but I can't figure out who the others are. Probably some of the Dixie Chicks.
To: SamAdams76
LOL
To: r9etb
Which one is Paula Jones?
19
posted on
05/29/2002 2:26:16 PM PDT
by
philetus
To: toupsie
>Believe it or not, in NYC, we have posters up down here in the Village that offer counseling to homosexuals that suffer from domestic abuse. It has been a big problem in the lesbian community for the last few years in the city. Saw this posted in another thread:
"Woman-To-Woman Sexual Violence : Does She Call It Rape? (The Northeastern Series on Gender, Crime, and the Law) by Lori B. Girshick
|
Editorial Reviews From Booklist Perhaps the most isolated crime victims are lesbian and bisexual survivors of woman-to-woman sexual violence. Multifaceted sexual-identity issues combine with shame and institutionalized heterosexism to make society unable to acknowledge such assaults. The legal system, women's support services, and the lesbian community are just beginning to name such behaviors, let alone confronting and dealing with them. Women's studies professor Girshick breaks new ground as she plumbs the experiences and thoughts of 70 women, gleaned from a nationwide U.S. survey and in-depth interviews. She documents the women's responses to the violence, whether they received or were denied aid, and whether silence was imposed on them. Her insightful and provocative work well may stir controversy even as it sheds light on a previously shadowed subject. Dedicated to "those who are still silenced," the book also powerfully explores the need for community and such preconceived notions and myths as lesbian utopia. A worthy addition to the sociology of violence in women's lives. Whitney Scott Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description A woman raping another woman is unthinkable. This is not how women behave, society tells us. Our legal system is not equipped to handle woman-to-woman sexual assault, our women's services do not have the resources or even the words to reach out to its victims, and our lesbian and gay communities face hurdles in acknowledging its existence. Already dealing with complex issues related to their sexual identities, and frequently overwhelmed by shame, lesbian and bisexual survivors of such... --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
|
The poster originally wondered if the press would someday get around to "discovering" a problem with abuse by nuns of young girls in the Catholic world...
-- KotS
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