Karaoke Forums

Here in my hometown, a karaoke singer was beaten outside of a karaoke bar - targeted because he was gay.

Let me put this in perspective: I've known this guy since he was probably 13 years old. Back then, his parents used to bring him to karaoke night at a local restaurant so he could sing. Back then and even now, he's one of those singers that the entire bar just stops what their doing and their attention turns to the stage when he sings a song's first couple of notes.

He and a small contingency of his friends stop out every so often. These guys try to keep a low profile (they're not overly flamboyant and they usually only socialize amongst each other). Despite their efforts (intentional or not), they kind of stick out. Their always the best dressed in a bar full of "working men & women" It seems that anyone that is associated with the group can sing.

And this is what happened (thankfully, not at my show):

http://fox17online.com/2013/02/04/man-s ... z2JxUGanS0

_________________
I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

some people just suck at being people.

That is so terrible.

I know you likely didn't mean it this way, but the way you said his friends don't act flamboyant comes across as possibly implying that acting that way would somehow be wrong or be the cause of a problem.

I know quite a few straight guys who would be beaten up if all it took to provoke an attack was to dress well, dance, and have an outgoing personality.

Again, I am sure you did not mean it this way, and I hope your friend will be okay.

There are some idiotic homophobic jerks out there who would use someone's "flamboyance" as a reason to target them for a beating. I think what the original poster was trying to say was that his friend doesn't seem to fit the usual homosexual stereotype but he was given a beating anyway. Hey! It could have been some insecure singer who didn't like the facT that his girfriend said that she liked the way that guy sang, and the drunk and his friends thought that was reason enough to give the guy a beat down? WHO KNOWS?

According to the article, certain words were used that would suggest it was, in fact, a hate crime. In other words, there's a high likelihood that it wasn't because some guy got jealous. Mix the epithets which were suggested to have been thrown, and a four-on-one beating (this kind of thing happens far less frequently in "typical" bar fights), and it likely is just what it sounds like.

_________________
Co-host of The Greatest Song Ever Sung (Poorly), a karaoke-themed podcast

I used that term because I wanted to make sure that people understood that there was no reason for what happened. For those who were painting a mental picture of some over-the-top kind of gay guy - he's not it. He's quiet and very well-mannered.

Also, keep in mind that there are bars where there is little to no tolerance of people who don't fit the bar's average customer profile (usually white and straight). I don't agree with it, but it's a fact. And my town in Michigan - the whole county - is the most racist town I know of. It's not just white against black - it's also black against white.

I had to leave this state to learn that what goes on here is not necessarily typical of what goes on in the rest of the country.

_________________
I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

Understood, and again, I am so sorry about your friend.

This is heartbreaking; the amount of fun that karaoke can be is often overridden by the amount of terrible that people sometimes are.

But I've seen it go down. In fact, I lost one of my closest regulars that way once; a terrible singer, but he was exceptionally nice to me, often insisted on tipping me even after I tried to refuse a number of times... and then one night, an openly gay singer sang "Sweet Transvestite," and he got surly. "You should tell him," he said. "You should tell him that we're not about all that here." It would be one thing if he was taking issue with the content of the song for some reason, but that couldn't have been the case - he sang "Big Balls" almost weekly, and many straight men and women had given "Sweet Transvestite" a try before and nobody said boo. I nonchalantly said that I thought he sang the song well, and he walked away unhappy, never to return again. (When the bartender ran into him at the mall, he said that I "was letting the blacks take over." Which is not only astoundingly offensive, but downright incorrect - it was not a particularly diverse show, and I've prided myself on never catering to anybody on the basis of anything.)

Point being that karaoke, at its very core, is about acceptance; people who love to do karaoke don't judge you based on the quality of your voice or if you do goofy moves on-stage. For the duration of the show, you're a community, and you clap for tuneless singers and great ones alike. (If it were any other way, you'd have to qualify to participate in karaoke, thus defeating the purpose entirely.) I'm offended by people who suggest that they should sing more because they're better singers, because they clearly don't understand the culture of acceptance that is inherent to singing karaoke; and I'm offended even more by people who will behave poorly towards a singer (good or otherwise) due to race or sexuality. Anybody who'd participate in a 4-on-1 beating is probably a terrible person in any circumstance, but to do it because a person dared to be gay (or black, or whatever) in your presence just makes you the lowest of the low. My heart breaks for this man, and I wish him a speedy recovery and swift justice for his attackers.

Deeply saddened by this news of your friend. Those of us that would stand up against any hate crime are far and few in between. I would of certainly been the first guy out there helping your friend.

Allow me to share something with you and it shows just how much ignorance there is in life. I have a 6yr. old boy that everyone of you would fall in love with in 2 seconds flat. So smart, energetic, creative, and loving. We have noticed that he displays many tendencies such as dressing up as a girl and telling us that he does not know why, but he wants to be a woman and having many other things he does that makes me question if he might grow up to be gay. Many people refuse to believe that people are born this way and that really frustrates me. I see the harm that is done to people who are not understood and I continually teach my children to respect people that are different from them. I even encourage my boys to go out of their way and be friends with the ones that others shun. To be lucky they do not have to go through the pain that some of these kids do who are lost.

Thankfully we live in a society that has made much progress through the years. Yet needs to learn more. Some men think their egos do not allow for understanding and tolerance of those they think are wrong in their sexuality. I am 100% straight and even I find slight difficult with thinking that my boy might grow up to have a different sexual preference than what our church teaches is the norm. No matter what, he is loved no different, he is protected no different, seen no different. It is people like those that hurt your friend that make me sick. They are the ones that people deserve to show an intolerance to.

I also took note to the comment on the guy mentioning flamboyant and another person pointing it out as possibly insensitive or misleading. When the forum is about the pain caused and all against it. No matter the verbiage written, you could automatically see that the only negative aspect to what he said was simply having it taken out of context.
Everyone would agree that the way someone dresses, etc. could also insight violence.

Example; My brother and I when going to clubs. We were there to meet woman. yet we were always well dressed, etc. and had pretty boy looks. Now not a single person ever attempted to fight with me simply because I am what one might call the type of guy you would clearly think twice about. Yet my brother was always challenged as the so called tough guys would think he was gay and want to start a fight with him for no reason. Trust me, have seen it many times. Little did they know that he was the one to fear, not me.

Either way, my heart goes out to your friend. Those people that did that should be punished and part of their sentence should be a comprehensive class and interaction of gay people and should continue until they are broken of their unwarranted hatred.

Please note: If anyone chooses to take anything out of context and see's anything I say as negative. Then trust that you are misled in your perception. What I wrote here today is all positive. Extending my heartfelt thoughts to this unfortunate victim.

MADPROAUDIO ~ DISABLED VETERAN ~ FAMILY OWNED COMPANY

_________________
MADPROAUDIO ~ DISABLED VETERAN ~ FAMILY OWNED COMPANY

I also feel bad for your friend. The people who did that to him have no place on this earth and hopefully they'll get hit by a truck and die. By the way, what town in MI are we speaking about?

_________________
Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Or, could it be that the guy ran his mouth when he should have? Why would anyone beat on him because he's gay? It doesn't make sense. Now, if he was annoying....

_________________
Okay, who took my pants?

Apparently some on the staff of that bar are leaving negative comments on that articale! If it was me... that would be my last night KJing there

_________________
Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Now you know there's no "innocent until proven guilty" with many of the peeps on this site.....

I have known him just as long as Troy, and can attest that he is NOT the kind of guy to run his mouth. He is one of the friendliest guys you could know, and the whole town knows and loves him. This was believed to be a straight hate crime. The reason it has received so much local attention is because of his popularity in the community for his singing and his general good will.

Besides, that's not a reason for even one guy beating up on another guy........now if he grabbed the attacker's d!ck or something before hand.....that would be probable cause...

Remember I mentioned that people would mess with my brother just because he was a pretty boy. You mention why would anyone beat him up because he is gay. Most often, it typically starts with someone taunting you because they feel you are gay, then the gay guy says something smart back and then the fight happens. (just things I have seen). But there are the stories where people are just bent on beating people up because of a race/sexual orientation, etc.

Well my brother went to a gay bar to meet his wife's brother who was gay and worked there. After the bar closed. Of all the people to start trouble. There was this 6'4 300lb bouncer who was at a bar next door calling my brother a fagot, taunting him, etc. and was looking to unleash his so called power onto him for no reason other than he hated gays. Funny, my brother is not even gay. Just walking out of there did it. It just shows the pure ignorance.

End of story: Bouncer was crying when the police showed up because something bad happened to him.

_________________
MADPROAUDIO ~ DISABLED VETERAN ~ FAMILY OWNED COMPANY

I have never understood why men get so crazy upset for being called Gay if they aren't. It has to be a deep insecurity of some kind. If someone honestly called me Gay, I would probably burst out laughing. To me it would be no different than being called Chinese.

Wish to clarify: Your comment came right after ours. I assume your comment was for the entire conversation or was it in direct response to mine? Sorry had to ask. Because I honestly agree with you that it is something you ignore and people should ignore such ignorance. In fact, when I have to travel in some bad areas where you do not see white people, I have had to endure hearing people yell out "whatcha doin her honky" I think it is funny and sad. I have thick skin, so I never engage people over things like that. But I can assure people that any story I talk about. The people went out of their way to ignore the ignorance and found themselves having no choice but to engage in the fight. I know what you mean no matter what because I have thick headed nephews that if something was said to them, they find it hard to ignore. (lack of maturity)

_________________
MADPROAUDIO ~ DISABLED VETERAN ~ FAMILY OWNED COMPANY

In general. I always quote if responding directly to someone.

Thanks. Not savvy with the chat room movements.

_________________
MADPROAUDIO ~ DISABLED VETERAN ~ FAMILY OWNED COMPANY