Campus Pride was shocked this fall to learn of a brutal anti-gay hate crime against one of our own, Tai Sunnanon. Tai is a doctoral student at Harvard who served as a volunteer faculty member at this past summer's Campus Pride LGBT Leadership Camp; he shares below the story of his attack, as well as his inspiring response.

We at Campus Pride are all too aware of the effects of anti-gay bigotry in our society. But when something like this hits so close to home--to a member of Campus Pride's family--it serves as an especially powerful reminder of the work that remains to be done. Campus Pride stands with Tai, we applaud him for his courage, and through our Stop The Hate (www.Stophate.org) we recommit -- and continue to fight against bias and hate in all its forms.

More than just a hate crime

by Tai Sunnanon

Crashing to the cold concrete pavement provided some comfort. It meant that my two attackers could no longer beat me senseless. It meant no more bat swings to my lower left back. No more whacking of a metal pipe across the right side of my face. It did, however, mean a continued onslaught of anti-gay profanity. Confusion, rage, and fear overwhelmed me. This had to end.

My evening was ending on a high note. I was out with friends for Karaoke night in Dupont Circle, the gay district in Washington, D.C. It was 12:30am, Monday, October 18. I decided to walk back to my hotel, just four blocks away, and rest before my 8am flight back home to Boston. As I started walking I decided to call a friend in San Francisco. Little did I know that I was being followed by two guys. Little did I know that being on my cell would keep me distracted and not recognize that a hate crime was about to take place.

As they ran from behind and got to within inches from my back I heard the words that I will never forget, “Hey fucking faggot, take this.” The first blow was with the pipe across my face. The second was the bat to my back. The third and fourth was kicking to my chest. I never had a chance. By the time I hit the pavement, they had taken my wallet and continued their anti-gay message. Then they ran off.

They made one crucial mistake. They fucked with the wrong person. I stand on the shoulders of giants, of every LGBTQ person who’s been in my shoes. I have to “fight” back for others who cannot. So I ran after the assholes. If it wasn’t for the blood spewing out of my mouth and the blood dripping from my back, I would have continued the chase.

After the 911 call, the police, ambulance, and detective arrivals, they found the attackers several blocks away. After identifying them, I wanted to be home. I spent the past weeks trying to make sense of the attack; trying to heal emotionally and physically; wanting nothing more than the broken bones in my right jaw and lower left ribs to heal. I yearn to eat solid foods again, but I won’t be able to fully open my jaw for several more weeks.

On November 18, exactly one month since the hate crime, the D.C. Attorney General’s Office flew me to the Capital to have my day in court. I would face the attackers and tell my story. Only this time, I would be the one facing them. My stare will tell the story. It’ll read, “You may have beaten me, but I am stronger because of this. My spirit is intact. I represent every LGBTQ person whose come before me, whose gotten the shit kicked out of them for being who they are. For them, I will be sure you get served.”

The verdict will be decided in two weeks as other witnesses (police, ambulance, doctors, and chief detective) will take the stand. In the meantime I am moving forward with my life. It's taken too much energy for me to be angry or frustrated or hurt. I’ve already forgiven the attackers because I can’t let the emotions that I have experienced this past month rule my life. I feel vulnerable and weak just admitting that I had nightmares about the incident; that sometimes I look behind me when I’m walking on my own street; and that not even solitude provides comfort.

But I’m alive and healing and that’s what counts. The guys were caught and will no doubt serve their time. Wouldn’t it be great if they changed their ways and became allies? Perhaps that’s an overshoot, but as I’ve come to experience, anything can happen.