NEW
YORK — Kevin
Aviance,
a
well-known
singer
and
drag
queen,
is
recovering
at
an
undisclosed
location
after
surviving
a
hate-crime
attack
in
the
early
morning
hours
of
June
10
in
the
East
Village.
The
attack
left
him
with
a
broken
jaw,
a
fractured
knee,
a
fractured
neck
and
lots
of
bruises,
according
to
Aviance’s
publicist,
Len
Evans.
“Kevin
said
that
this
is
like
being
raped
or
mugged
or
having
your
soul
taken,”
said
Evans,
who
was
speaking
for
his
client
because
Aviance’s
jaw
is
wired
shut.
Aviance
has
also
been
advised
not
to
speak
to
the
media
for
legal
reasons.
According
to
reports,
Aviance
was
beaten
and
kicked
after
leaving
the
gay
bar
Phoenix,
located
at
13th
Street
and
Avenue
A.
Four
men
were
charged
with
first-degree
assault
as
a
hate
crime.
They
are
Gregory
Archie,
18,
of
Manhattan;
Akino
George,
20,
of
the
Bronx;
Jarell
Sears,
20,
of
Newark;
and
Gerard
Johnson,
16,
of
Manhattan.
Witnesses
failed
to
intervene
in
the
attack,
according
to
a
report
in
the
New
York
Post,
though
a
good
Samaritan
helped
Aviance
walk
to
Beth
Israel
Medical
Center,
where
he
was
released
on
June
12.
“Kevin
had
to
get
out
of
the
hospital
because
there
was
a
lot
of
chaos
there,”
Evans
said.
There
was
also
a
concern
for
his
safety.
The
attackers
are
members
of
violent
street
gangs
the
Bloods
and
the
Crips,
Evans
said.
Police
recommended
that
Aviance
not
return
to
his
apartment
because
other
gang
members
could
target
him
there,
Evans
said.
Aviance
is
staying
at
an
undisclosed
location,
where
his
father,
sisters
and
friends
are
caring
for
him.
“He’s
not
going
to
be
able
to
work
for
a
long
time,”
Evans
said.
Once
the
wire
comes
off
in
about
two
weeks,
Aviance
must
go
through
rehabilitation
to
learn
to
use
his
jaw
again.
The
attack
occurred
during
the
performer’s
busiest
month — Gay
Pride.
“This
is
his
month
to
shine,”
said
Evans,
who
has
represented
Aviance
for
seven
years.
“He
was
booked
in
Los
Angeles,
Boston,
the
Gay
Games
and
local
Pride
events.”
Dance
chart
success
Aviance,
38,
is
an
internationally
known
club
performer
with
No.
1
Billboard
dance
songs,
“Alive”
in
2004
and
“Din
Da
Da”
in
1997
in
addition
to
several
other
hit
singles.
His
new
track,
“Freedom,”
planned
for
release
this
summer,
is
pushed
back
indefinitely,
according
to
a
publicist.
A
native
of
Richmond,
Va.,
Aviance
began
as
a
lip-synching
drag
queen
in
Washington,
D.C.,
before
moving
to
Miami.
In
1992,
he
moved
to
New
York,
where
he
discovered
underground
club
Sound
Factory
and
D.J.
and
producer
Junior
Vasquez.
Aviance
became
a
fixture
in
the
club
scene,
performing
and
recording
his
own
music.
He
also
worked
as
a
choreographer
and
stylist
and
has
appeared
on
“America’s
Next
Top
Model”
and
“The
Tyra
Banks
Show.”
“Kevin
is
strong,
very
confident
and
comfortable
with
who
he
is,”
Evans
said.
“The
media
has
been
very
positive,
and
Kevin’s
been
getting
great
support
internationally.”
Aviance
also
is
drawing
support
from
New
York
City’s
political
leaders.
“We
have
absolutely
no
tolerance
for
hate
crimes
in
this
city,”
said
Mayor
Michael
Bloomberg.
“Anybody
that
thinks
they
can
get
away
with
a
hate
crime
is
sadly
mistaken.”
Most
local
media
in
New
York
have
covered
the
incident
daily.
“The
media
have
actually
done
a
surprisingly
decent
job,”
said
Clarence
Patton,
executive
director
of
the
New
York
City
Anti-Violence
Project.
“They
paid
it
a
lot
of
attention,”
he
said.
“Here
was
someone
with
notoriety,
so
that
was
a
hook
for
them
to
latch
onto.”
Patton
said
he
found
the
Daily
News
headline — “Drag
Queen
in
E.
Village
Horror” — “ridiculous,
but
they
do
that
regardless
of
who
they’re
talking
about,
so
I
didn’t
feel
it
was
offensive.”
Most
hate
crimes
don’t
receive
this
much
media
attention,
Patton
noted.
By
way
of
example,
he
pointed
out
that
most
media
have
failed
to
report
that
another
gay
bashing
took
place
that
night
in
New
York
City.
The
incident
involved
eight
attackers
and
three
victims
in
Astoria.
One
man
was
hospitalized
but
has
been
released.
