Singer Kevin Aviance Attacked

Kevin Aviance, a singer of several dance hits, was attacked Saturday in what is being treated as an anti-gay hate crime.

A singer whose songs have topped the Billboard dance chart was attacked by a group yelling anti-gay slurs, and four people were arrested on hate-crime charges, police and his publicist said. Kevin Aviance, 38, underwent surgery for a broken jaw after the attack Saturday, said his publicist, Len Evans. Police said the singer, whose song “Alive” hit the top of the chart in 2002, was in stable condition. A group of six or seven men attacked Aviance early Saturday, and passers-by did not stop to help as they threw objects at him, Evans said.

Four people were arrested on charges of first-degree assault as a hate crime, police said. They were identified as Jarell Sears and Akino George, both 20; Gregory Archie, 18; and Gerard Johnson, 16.

Aviance performs in drag but was “dressed like a boy” when he was attacked, Evans said. He had planned to take part in next week’s Gay Pride parade and festivities, but will now be unable to perform, the publicist said.

Other popular songs by the singer have included “Give It Up,” released in 2004, and “Din Da Da,” which topped the Billboard dance chart in 1997.

Given their ages and Aviance’s sporadic success, it’s quite likely they had no idea who he was. Still, the idea of a bunch of punks beating up random people who demonstrate homosexual tendencies is quite bizarre.

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Singer Kevin Aviance Attacked

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