Josie Smith-Malave, a former contestant on second season of Top Chef and an out lesbian, was attacked by a group of young adults yelling anti-gay slurs, according to the AP and other reports.
“They were together for an end-of-summer visit, minding their own business, when these people went after them,” said Kurland, “and we can’t stand for this.”
Kurland said the trouble started when the women went to Partners bar in Sea Cliff over the Labor Day weekend for a drink and began dancing together. Smith-Malave’s sister is straight.
Bar employees escorted the women out a side door after other patrons began making nasty remarks and the mood started getting ugly, Kurland said.
Kurland said as many as 10 “young adults” followed the women out, circled them, screamed anti-gay slurs, spit on them and then punched and kicked them. A camera belonging to one of them was stolen, she said. Nassau police said they were investigating, but had made no arrests.
Besides any sorts of bashing being stupid and lame, I’m in agreement of the reviewers of the bar on citysearch: if I were the owner and proprietor of said bar, I’d be doing anything possible to ensure the safety of my patrons, not “ushering them out a side door” to get attacked later. And the anonymous nature of mob mentality probably means that no one will be accountable.
Here’s to Josie getting better and a general “you suck” to the human race.
Update: More details about the attack are found here.
