Attackers caught the assault on video
A teen was stripped of his clothes, possessions and was then beaten for being gay.
The 17-year-old was lured to the area in Muskegon Heights, Michigan where he was accosted by another young man.
Suspect 18-year-old Trevon Godbolt was arrested yesterday and will be arraigned today (8 November).
Teen filmed as he was stripped, beaten and robbed
The assault was captured in a horrific and graphic video, which we will not be publishing to protect the victim, and spread on social media.
In the video, the assailant can be seen grabbing and beating the victim who yells, ‘please stop!’
Repeatedly calling the victim ‘gay n****r’, the victim is forcibly stripped.
‘Take the shirt off too,’ the suspect said.
‘I’m not playing with you…take everything off before you leave – even your drawers.’
The suspect then tells the victim to run off. He is chased by two women, one of whom is filming the assault.
She laughs and yells ‘catch him’.
The victim was released from Musekegon hospital after receiving treatment for cuts and bruises – many which were on his face.
Michigan does not include sexual orientation as a basis for hate crime
‘This young man was targeted based on his sexual orientation,’ said D.J. Hilson, the Muskegon County Prosecutor.
However, LGBTI people are not considered a protected group in Michigan hate crime law.
While the Senate introduced a bill earlier this year that would incorporate sexual orientation into the state’s hate crime law, but it didn’t happen.
Serena Johnson, the director of victim services at Equality
Michigan, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by these actions, and we send our thoughts and prayers to the survivor and his family.
‘At a time when we are seeing the highest number reports of anti-gay youth violence, homicides of transgender and gender non-conforming people, this violence is totally unacceptable.
‘We need to protect these lives at all stages, but especially in youth where they experience bullying, family rejection and violence that affects them throughout their lives.’
