DETROIT GAY BASHING VICTIM WINS LARGE SETTLEMENT
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From information supplied by THE TRIANGLE FOUNDATION, Michigan's gay/lesbian
anti-violence agency.
Sean McBride, 28, was attacked in January 1994 in the lobby of his apartment
building. Three men harassed him because he is gay. After a half-hour of
insults, six shots were fired. McBride is now permanently paralyzed.
During his ordeal, a Pinkerton Security guard was on the scene. But instead of
getting the men away from McBride, she merely watched, and even laughed
at some of the remarks.
McBride obtained a judgment against the security agency on NOV-21 for
$10 million.
Mr. McBride's attorney, Carol McNeilage said that "Society has finally
realized that homosexuals are entitled to full respect and dignity."
Jeffrey Montgomery, President of the Triangle Foundation, the Detroit-based
gay/lesbian anti-violence project, commented: "Once again, a Wayne County
jury has done the right thing when confronted with facts that demonstrate that
people are victims simply because they are gay or lesbian. In this case which
has left Sean McBride paralyzed for the rest of his life, they have sent a
strong message that gay victims cannot be ignored. The Pinkerton guard showed
an irresponsible disregard for Mr. McBride's safety, although she was supposedly
hired to protect him and the building he lived in, by finding amusement at his
plight and failing to assist him.
Beyond providing a level of relief for the victim, this award tells other
gays and lesbians that they can get attention when they've been brutalized.
It also speaks volumes about the importance of pursuing cases through all
available channels when one has been a victim.
This case shows that there is not only a risk of doing time if you prey on
gay people, there is also a financial liability for those who participate to
any degree in the attack."
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