Nine Teens Arrested in Springfield, Mass., Anti-Gay Attack

An openly gay man was assaulted by a gang of teenagers who shouted homophobic slurs in an early morning attack in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 28.

"That's what we do to faggots!" one of the assailants reportedly shouted, according to a June 28 account in local newspaper the Republican. The others also shouted homophobic invective, the article said.

Police arrested nine teenagers in connection with the beating. The youngest was 12; the oldest, Shay Edwards, was 19. Edwards was the only alleged assailant to be named, and his photo appeared in the article. The victim, who was unnamed, identified all nine when authorities brought them to the hospital.

Sgt. John M. Delaney told the press that the Springfield police were taking the incident "seriously," and described how the incident unfolded.

The victim was headed home at about 3:00 a.m. when he passed by a park where the teens were gathered. The teens, five boys and four girls, knew him because they also lived in the neighborhood. The teens taunted the openly gay man, who attempted to leave the area peaceably. The gang beset him, however, with the boys knocking him down, then kicking and punching him while the girls encouraged them. All of the teens shouted anti-gay invective, Delaney said.

The victim was robbed of his MP3 player. The device turned up a while later in the possession of one of the teenaged suspects, who were apprehended not far from the scene of the assault by two officers.

Delaney said that the assault is being investigated as a hate crime. The assailants face charges that include "violation of civil rights with injury," according to a WWLP-TV news report from June 28.

Openly gay Springfield City Councilor Amaad I. Rivera said that the beating left him "very sad and disturbed," and told the media, "This is indicative of a climate that starts with bullying and can potentially explode with these kinds of consequences."

Springfield resident James Grand voiced similar sentiments.

"It's shocking, you know, it's kind of bad to hear because you think this has been something that people have been aware of for some time and you think we'd be over it by now, but obviously it's still a problem," said Grand.

The victim was released from the hospital after treatment for his injuries.

Just last year, Springfield was listed as one of America's "gayest secondary cities" by The Advocate. "When you think of gay Massachusetts, you may think Northampton or Provincetown," the article said. "But now, thanks to a string of pro-gay municipal actions and progressive former mayor Michael Albano, Springfield has become an example of how a state's pro-gay legislation can transform a city."

"Springfield's growing LGBT scene led The Rainbow Times, the city's local gay newspaper, to declare Springfield 'suddenly and unexpectedly gay,'" a Wikipedia article on the city said. "The Advocate and The Rainbow Times cite a more accepting attitude from the younger generation, a bohemian arts scene, an active LGBT nightlife, and affordable Victorian architecture as reasons for the influx.

"Recently, The Rainbow Times noted that Springfield currently has as many LGBT exclusive nightlife establishments as the cities of Hartford and New Haven combined," the Wikipedia article added.