Take a good look at these pictures.
This is the result of a vicious attack on a young man in New York City – Simply because he is gay.
26 year old Damian Furtch was on his way home from work at a restaurant late Sat night (Sunday morning), when he stopped off at a McDonalds in NYC’s West Village ( a predominantly gay area) to get some food. It was approx. 4:30 am. While inside the restaurant Damian noticed 2 men staring at him – giving him “looks” – we have all been there, we know what this feels like. It was late, Damian was tired, he felt uncomfortable and he didn’t want any trouble so he left. He was across the street, walking away while on the phone to a friend when the 2 men from McDonalds approached him and asked him “if he had a problem” before he knew it he was punched in the face by one man, then instantly felt another punch by the second perp, and then he heard it – “You Fucking Faggot” , the words as hurtful as the punches.
Damian managed to get away – but not before suffering a severe beating to his face – and head to the nearest hospital where the police were called. He filed a police report and the cops appropriately asked him if they used any slurs. Damian said yes “they called me a faggot.” Now these 2 thugs are wanted in connection to a HATE crime. Damian got 4 stitches and they have to break and re-set his nose.
One of the perps has a huge tattoo of a gothic cross under his left eye..it was approximately 2 inches…Damian will be going to the precinct to go through mug shots and the police have subpoenaed the video surveillance tape from McDonalds.
Thank God, Damian is alive.
Take a stand for Damian against the epidemic of hate in this country. It doesn’t stop here….This is where it starts.
I commend Damian on his bravery for coming forward, for not being ashamed as to what happened. When I spoke to him on the phone he kept trying to blame himself, “I was dressed a certain way (the restaurant Damian works at requires the staff to wear a certain attire that could be perceived by some to be flamboyant) – not that it should matter, it’s NYC in 2011 right?? ….Yeah. Damian then continued… “It was late…” I told him it was NOT his fault for being who he is or where he was. I am working on getting the video from McDonalds and will post it here once it is released.
I am committed to seeking justice for Damian. Please stand with me on this issue and add Damain as a friend on facebook – let him know his is not alone in this fight….
Damian Furtch http://www.facebook.com/dfurtch….
#JUSTICE with Steph Watts 
This is discusting. I hope he can ID these two bastards and (well, actually I would like the same done to them,) but at the very least put them away for as long as possible.
Sherry
i cant wait for them to catch the ignorant jerks so they can get a taste of thier own medicine in prison not very christian of me but hey an eye for an eye. god bless damian for his bravery love from far away in portland or comming your way stay strong baby love momma sandy
Dear Damian:
There is no justification for what happened to you – it remains as JUST PLAIN WRONG!
You should know that some of us have endured what you are going through (and worse repeat abuse when we reported our attacks!) YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING to deserve this – the thugs that did this need to be held accountable and punished. In most cases these same guys are closet Queens with serious issues of their own.
Evolved and kind people simply don’t DO these types of things – nor do they CONDONE this type of violence.
My thoughts and prayers are with you for healing and consolation at a time when you deserve to be treated gently – but more imporantly find the strength to treat yourself with kindness and compassion.
Heal well on all levels. My congratulations to you for having the strength to tell your story and not stand as a silent victim. Hate is not a value we can ever condone by our actions and inactions.
Stay strong!! I am PROUD OF YOU!!!!
Gary G. Babe
IF you ever need to talk 678-773-5815. I have been there buddy!!
It sickens my heart . . . too many times, too many innocent victims . . .
It’s fear and ignorance, all mixed in with that horrible vision of superiority that cripples the soul.
When will it end?
so upsetting. what has this city become?
it’s enough to make me leave.
I left Amsterdam because i was sick of the intolerance towards the gay community and came to NYC….
Im afraid the flight tactic wont work,this is a global epidemic.
Theres one other tactic and that the fight tacti (not literally) ofcourse, we must stand up for our rights, not just for ourselves but for the generations to follow..i cannot live with the idea that there will be another generation that will be treated like this after the decades of work that we put into being accepted by society.
Its time governments around the world stick their necks out for equal rights! If not, well have to do it ourselves..
the mcdonalds should have suvaillance footage of them I hope!
also,
i think the tag on this post should be “Damian”,not “Gamian”
what fuck is this world coming 2 thank god he is ok why cant we all love each other
How hard can it be to find a guy with a messed up tattoo of a cross under his eye??? Stupid tattoos like that should be illegal as well… But I guess he just wants everybody to see how “christian” he is when he goes around beating on people…
agree it won’t take long I have contacted my friends at the Govenor’s ofice..
Hey. Thanks for this story. Are you sure that he does not mind a surge in friend requests?
The world is going crazy, and all we live this. I think we aren’t better.. we are nobody to judge. Personally, i’m on the other side, i don’t like gay people but i’m against of violence.
Yanixx, I appreciate you being honest about your feelings but I don’t understand how you say ‘you don’t like gay people” That’s like me saying I don’t like Black people or jews..You can’t hate an entire race or entire group, that’s just ignorant. You can’t say you don’t like gay people and then condone the violence against them, saying you hate gay people is a violent act. I want to understand why you feel that, truly, because understand is the beginning of healing..
Yanixx, what people missed about commenting on your thread is not just your “ignorance”. They completely missed your “stupidity”. You are not making sense at all. When you say, “we are nobody to judge,” you are totally contradicting yourself when you say, “I don’t like gay people”.
If you don’t like gay people, that means you are judging the entire group without any basis, without knowing them. You are such a despicable person. You know what? I don’t like you. At least I have a reasonable basis for not liking you. And that is because of your ignorance and stupidity. You are probably just an uneducated or uniformed individual. Grow up man….there is always room for growth, so we start liking you,
Yannixx … don’t worry.
When you finally are brave enough to come out of the closet, the other gays will forgive you and accept you.
Hello, Yaniixx – whatever. You don’t like gays. Get the hell off this thread. Who do YOU think YOU are. Bitch!!!!
Yanixx, before I insult you for being ignorant, may I ask why you don’t like gay people??
Too late I already jumped on him for his ignorance 🙂
Ummm first off I would just like to thank Yannix for a thread that started off wonderful and ended in complete ignorance! ” I don’t like gay people” seriously???? That’s like generalizing a whole society of people, like saying I hate a all white people, which is just ignorance…. I know some really wonderful gay people and have lots of gay friends, and I tell you what I would hang out with them more than most. To be honest you probably should either keep your opinions to yourself or just pass up oppurtunities to post on threads such as these.
Furthermore not trying to make this about me and he may kill me for this but Damian is my brother so I take offense to the ignorance displayed by the 2 idiots that did this to him last night and the comments made by Yannixx! Fck H8 :o)
Somebody should investigate whether McDonald’s is immediately turning over the security camera footage. I know that when police subpoena phone records, the phone company has 90 days to comply. That doesn’t mean a company is not allowed to provide the subpoena-ed materials more rapidly. McDonald’s must turn this security camera footage over to police immediately. And, that footage should go viral on television and the internet, so the suspects can be apprehended and the incident fully investigated. I would call the regional manager for McDonald’s, tell him I am working on a story, specifically about whether McDonald’s has given the video to police. If they say they have, I would then call the police precinct, explain I was working on this story, and ask if they can confirm that the video has been provided.
These are great points Scott. i will be making calls tomorrow. Sometimes the media pressure can expedite these things…. We all have a responsibliity to get these thugs off the streets, the next person may not be as “lucky’ as Damian was..lucky in that he had his life spared..
Being gay is not a crime, nor is how we dress and if it was, it is not for the public to execute punishment. I hope homophobia does not extend to the police and every avenue is check in apprehending Damian attackers
This is unacceptable!
We are glad he will be ok.
Hang in there Damian. We feel for you and are happy to lend our support any way you need.
xo
NativeNYker
http://rantsthoughtsmerde.com/2011/03/28/damian-furtch-…nyc-hate-crime/
Thank you for this story and keeping us updated. This is very sad and like so many others for no reason other than being gay. ugh Wish one day when we can be seen and judged for who we are not who we love.
Steph, If you want i can post that story on our blog, just authorize me and maybe send me images by email. I’d like our members on adam4adam to be aware of such things…
Thanks
Dave
Please do We need to mobilize as a community, sadly the epidemic of hate has moved on-line.
I can only say I am sick of hearing gays are being beaten for being gay enough already. Damian is a great guy and no one deserves this treatment.
Very bad experience Damian with these fucking guys, recover yourself, and don’t get upset..
Peace, Love, keep these words in your heart because it’s the key of happiness, your agressors haven’t felt these words yet
Take care, and smile the life
Definitely NOT justifying the violent act because violence never solves anything, but I would bet money this kid did something to provoke these guys. I see this in the west village all the time. Young, fem kids getting loud and offensive and “mocking” heteros in the neighborhood. My guess is it was 4:30am, this kid had been out partying his butt off, goes to McDonalds, starts cruising these guys (who had probably also been out getting drunk), they’re not into him so he starts making snide remarks to them. They get pissed and beat him down. That’s what I’ll bet really happened. Homophobia is grievous, for sure, but I’m getting a little tired of arrogant gays thinking it’s ok for them to be offensive and confrontational, then cry “victim”. I’m not saying for sure that’s what happened here but I think it’s a real possibility.
Obviously these men were looking for trouble. They followed that young man across the street!
Heterosexuals are so moral.
And classy. Don’t forget classy.
Bunch of animals.
these two bastards afraid their own sexualprofile to compesation beaten gays… dont look me, look him…
I feel so bad for this young man. I can’t believe that this happened in New York City, of all places. Just when you think things have gotten better, that the violence has stopped, that we have really won out against hate, then something like this happens. My mother is gay. She and her wife raised me after my parents divorced when I was ten years old. I adore my mother and wouldn’t change her for the world. Damian should not feel guilty because he didn’t cause this attack. Those two men were never taught to respect people. I hope the cops catch them and put them where they cannot hurt anyone else.
My heart goes out to the young man, here in Jamaica we experience that kinda crap every now and again but to see this from right in the belt of supposed freedom is shocking.
Tell him if u can to Get well soon and keep us updated as to his progress.
Speedy recovery
Peace
It a dam shame what happen but dont worry because the persons who did this wicked act will get pay back god doesnt sleep,
Damian, I am so sorry you were hurt. I hope this never happens to you again. Or anyone else for that matter.
What compels two men who have never met another man in their life to violently lay their fists into his soul? Repressed homosexual desires? A lack of awareness or respect for other ways of being? A deep unseated self hatred played out against those individuals whose countenance is too close to home? Negative stereo types in the community? A re inforced and vilified code of behavior that endorses such prejudices by the church, the community or other social leaders, or by even the media or our culture at large? Or how about a deep unseated despair and self aggrandizement of self that can not help but explode on others when in actuality the disdain is wholly directed at oneself?
http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/03/damian-furtch-is-beaten-because-hes-gay-whats-up-with-that/
I can’t believe you’re all acting like this is so shocking. African American thugs are always attacking gays (and others) around NYC. Nothing new.
Disgusting, men like that must not be hugged enough by their mothers or something.
I know I’d never teach my kids to beat up on someone for being different.
Make them pay! People like that makes straights look bad.
I’m also sorry you had to experience that Damian.
After all’s been said and done the bottom line is ignorance breeds ignorance. It’s the SRDH Syndrome (Shit Rolls Down Hill), Parents aren’t doing their jobs at home teaching tolerance and acceptance hence, breeding more ignorance & intolerance. These thugs are a waste of skin and sperm and while I do not condone violence I wish I knew who they were and met up with them in a dark alley. They’d have to explain to their homeboys back in da hood how they got beat down by a fag!
that is fukin bs i cant blev they treated him that way cause of the way he is that is not a sickness nore a crime to be gay or lesbian its simply normal just like men and woman being together we r all human!!!….god bless u damian and i hope uu hav the strength to muv on from wut appen to u cause no1 i mean no1 deserved wut u went through!!!!:(
We need to start taking the law into our own hands. We need to fight back. It’s not good enough to just talk about this. I don’t want to live in fear. I don’t want to hide. I don’t want to not hold my lovers hand. Fuck these people. Fuck them. It’s time to break some windows.
Maybe if he hadn’t been such a feminine fag he wouldn’t have been beaten up.
I’m gay but i see no point of being like a chick, if you wanna talk like a chick walk like a chick and act like a chick then have a goddamn sex change or something.
I’m not that much of a butch guy but some guys just need to tone it down.
I’m not saying he brought this on himself but the majority of the gay guys who get bashed are the feminine type because they look the most vulnerable.
Dear Damian, I am a mother and 51 years of age I have an adopted gay son and many gay friends. I hope they catch these guys that did this no one deserves to go thru a beating like this
we need more people like you in the world christine…
I pray that Damien heals quickly & that he receives justice.
To Chris- You make me almost as sick as the idiot assholes who did this.
“Maybe if he hadn’t been such a feminine fag he wouldn’t have been beaten up.”
Are you kidding me?? And you say you’re gay??? Wow, you have ZERO compassion. You have NO IDEA what the hell you’re even talking about. He was not doing anything wrong at all, most people wouldn’t be able to tell he’s even gay just based on appearance. And even if they could, BIG FUCKING DEAL. Why would it bother someone enough to punch them out?? Who hits people?! That’s insanity, are we 5?
And one more thing, to “GirdleBreath” or whatever your name is, you are 100 times worse than this guy I dislike above. You are so stupid and you think you’re so smart like you’re just solved this big mystery, “Oh I’ll be he instigated it and hit on them so they beat him down.” All I have to say is Fuck You, that is absolutely not what happened and how dare you be so sure of yourself and thoughtless. Believe it or not is is actually possible that Damian was attacked. Attacked and targeted for being gay. I know him VERY well and he is the least violent person I’ve ever known, he’s not a drama queen, he would never fuck with or hit on two thugs with tattoos on their faces after working a 17 hour shift and just wanting to go home. Trust me. So before you act so sure that you know what happened, why don’t you accept that the truth has been told and either accept it or keep your idiotic bullshit opinions to yourself. It’s bad enough this happened, no one needs your opinion pulled from your ass that has no validity to it at all whatsoever. I hope if anyone ever attacks you that no one believes your story. See how great you’ll feel. Moron.
Ali,
Thanks for saying’ exactly what I (wanted &) waited till today to say. These two mindless morons you’ve addressed here are part of the problem. Once again I will state what I said earlier it’s ignorance that breeds ignorance.
Give my regards & best wishes to your friend Damian.
Al Ramirez
I LOVE YOU AND YOUR COMMENT CUZ THESE TWO YOU RE TALKIN ABOUT ARE WRONG!!!!! Thats the same like tellin a 12 year old girl she got raped cuz she wasnt wearin enough clothes or tellin a fat kid ow well maybe u was gettin laughed at cuz u was eatin in front of their nose like WTF is wrong with y all!!!!!
It is disconcerting when a gay man bashes another for his femininity. Chris if you have not looked around yet; not only do gay men come in different shapes, sizes, and colors but so does everyone around us. We are not alike in any way. Gay, straight, bi, lesbian, questioning. It is all a hodgepodge of people.
Just because someone is effeminate does not mean that it is a choice; what would be the point of that?? Tell me really? Since you’re so knowledgable on the subject of mannerisms.
Those that are effeminate, and i include myself in that, are 100x more brave than you macho wanna be idiots. I have never been gay bashed for being me. I am gay. I am me. Whether that means walking down the street in hot shorts and tube top or in a suit I am myself. When i came out, I came out to be me…not to be someone’s idea of who i should be.
It seems that now, not only do we have to come out of the gay closet; but we have to remain in the mannerism closet because apparently being too effeminate is crime against our own people. FUCK OFF.
You are a disgrace to the GAY community. Do some research on our history. The ones to stand up to the cops at the stonewall riots weren’t you supposed masc guys…it was the drag queens. Where was the manliness back then?? Fucking loser. Educate yourself before you open that shit hole you call a mouth.
This message goes to Damien Furtch, I am sorry i wasnt there to defend you cause i can promise you this much they would have thought twice about what they would have done. I hope and pray you still go back there holding your head up high with righteousness as bold as the days of David and Goliath. Those people know not what they do and therefore they should not be punished but they should be mentally examined for this isnt hate but it’s a disease a type of sickness to want to cause any type of harm to any human being just for being who they are. I wish Damien that you do not let this experience in any way shape or form affet your outlook on the whole of the world but know that because they chose you means that you are beautiful and they could not accept the fact you did not chose them. My prayers and thoughts go with you. Keep smiling because when you do stop they win. Sincerely, Steven Leite
We will fight back against this kind of ignorance!
This is so terrible that this still goes on! I don’t care if he was wearing a dress at 4am! We should not have to live in fear – but sadly – this still goes on. I am going to share it on my site as well.
This is shocking ! Take care and all the best for Damian.
Some weeks ago my boyfriend was kicked his hamburger out of his hands when leaving the McDonalds at 6 Avenue at 3am. Luckily nothing more happened other than a shock and fear.
McDonalds should fully participate in the hunt for these inhuman idiots, they should have cameras so these guys must be identified.
entirely unacceptable….
“gothic cross under eye”… I’ve seen a guy numerous times hanging in union square with a Gothic cross tattooed under his eye. About 6’2” african american male slender. Any other description of the guys?
Damien,
I hope your okay and they catch the perps. Hate crimes are wrong, but this type of abuse is all over the United States. This type of hate can be physical or mental and can be with one’s own family. I am a divorced father who has been abused by x-spouse’s to the point of being eluded to keep my child from me or have had negative comments made to my daughter to prevent her from wanting any contact or having any love or respect for her father.
I divorced her mother due to her adultery and her family was involved as well, although I have never done anything to grant her a reason to divorce me. Its a very long story and to much to type here. But all I can do is pray god will give her the wisdom to make her own decision and come to her senses as she matures.
I fear she is being brainwashed and has been manipulated and I have lost my child because I am who I am. I love my children and would never do anything to harm anyone unless in fear of my own life.
My x-spouse now lives in Glendale, PA., although we lived in Georgia while married. We call this the United States, however no one state is united with the other(s) court system. I was awarded 40% custody, but since she moved to PA after 1 year her residency changes and is in the jurisdiction of that state/county. Although the divorce was ordered in GA and she is in contempt 14 times, GA court system cannot make PA court send her back to GA to answer for her contempt and abuse to my child.
Just to give you an Idea of how someone can use the courts in their favor and now that she eluded me for 10 yrs and I had no knowledge where she and my daughter was to send the child support, she can use the courts to cause me problems with back child support and have me arrested if desired. I finally came out of the closet and was in it because of such fears. Now I am being abused because I’m Gay and being who I am. It doesn’t have to be physical !. Society is damaging its own people with no regard to the results.
I am a Military Veteran and feel this behavior is wrong. Abuse can take many forms and hurts us all. Best of luck in the future, I hope they catch the abusers. Tim
Dear Damian,
Lemme first say..Thank God your alive! i really am srry that happend to you. People like that sicken me. I really hope those guys get brought to justice. i hope your doing ok, but i kno thatz not guna be the last. its sad the alot of people go thru situations like dat or even worse..i really wish this bein a lez, gay. tranny, or bi abuse came to an end but i kno it will not, but thats why we all have to be strong. Luckily God was with you n he kept u safe. But i hope it doesnt happen again..Takecare&much<3
Dear Damian,
I head chair a anti bully team at our hospital for awareness to everyone; patients, family staff etc. We are having some good success at educating them about the issue. I pray for your complete healing and recovery!
Chaplain Ed
I cant believe this still happends….Im from europe and we all think that everything is possible in NYC well I guess not I been there so many times and I noticed that there is still a alot of things that is not tolerated….Like hellooooo We are ALL THE SAME no matter what race what sex what gay or straight ….. I hope they catch em and punish em cuz this is WRONG!!!!! Hang in there Damian We are all behind you!!!
The ignorance that some of these comments outwardly display is disgusting. It’s unfortunate that even when presented with heartbreaking pictures like this, people can be so small minded. Damian, and everyone else no matter their sexual orientation, should be able to act, dress, and speak however they want to without fear of being assaulted. What happened to him is wrong- anyway you look at it, and I hope the (if I may get ratchet for a second) motherfuckers that did this are caught.
Best of luck, and stay strong Damian! ❤
Stay strong Damian!! These idiots think they’re men…THEY’RE NOT!!! They’re not even boys. They’re not even human. They are a waste of sperm and egg!! I’s 2011 and it breaks my heart us gay men are still targeted for whatever reason. I had a similar incident at the end of February. I was standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus and these 2 guys came out of Walgreens. My bus didn’t come so I started walking. The fat one turned around and got in my face ” WHY THE #$%^& ARE U FOLLOWING ME” I replied that I wasn’t. So I crossed the street. He yelled at me again ” WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME” “I said “Dude you’re on that side, I’m on this side, why are you starting @#%^” He crossed he street and chased me into the parking lot. For a fat boy he was moving fast. He called me every name in the book to man kind ( no gay slurs thank god). It goes to show you that anyone can be attacked for whatever reason. His friend did nothing. Keep doing you and stay who you are. I’m here for you bro:)
OMG its Hurts :s
Any good journalist knows to not jump to conclusions.
Speaking of jumping to conclusions, will Nancy Grace or various gay activist groups in NYC even mention, briefly, that their N.C. heroine Crystal Mangum was arrested, yet again, for stabbing her boyfriend?
It’s disgusting
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitofun/5595965292/ Now Furtch is really trying to ham it up for publicity.
A really inspiring post – A huge thanks I wish you would’nt mind me writting about this post on my blog I’m going to link back Thank you
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It is never too late to mend.
I’m very sorry about this, and glad for your standing up for justice. There is nobody to blame for this but the perpetrators of this crime, whom I hope have been caught.
queer bastard got what he deserved
omg so sad wont to cry
I would like to say “wow” what a inspiring post. This is really great. Keep doing what you’re doing!!
Its such as you read my thoughts! You appear to understand a lot about this, such as you wrote the guide in it or something. I feel that you simply can do with some p.c. to force the message house a bit, but other than that, that is great blog. An excellent read. I will certainly be back.
TO: ME SAYS, why did he get what he deserves? what has he done to you ? you probably sodomize your kid or torture animals, and you consider yourself “Normal?” You un-educated low life.
You are threatened by your own sexuality and are afraid of people who are different. Do you kick the sh*t ouf of people in wheelchairs?? why not? they are different. Instead of learning how to shoot a gun or a needle, buy a book and get educated. You honestly think homosexuals would consider you ?? you butt fk ugly waste of life, you should be ashamed of yourself, too bad you had to raise yourself.
I had a close friend that was killed in 1994 due to homophobia. He was taken to a rock quarry outside of our hometown and was forced to kneel and was shot execution style. He still had all his money, credit cards and jewelery. It was eventually considered a hate crime because the 1 adult and 2 minors went “fag bashing”. I agree that most people who beat up gay people are having issues with their own sexuality. I believe that these people should be given a taste of their own medicine and get beat down just because they are straight. I had to fight once when I was younger because this guy hated gays. I hope that one day all people, whatever their sexual orientation, can be accepting of all others, no matter what the diferences.