An Ecuadorian man was buried by his family following his brutal attack by thugs who yelled anti-gay and racial slurs while beating him and his brother in a Brooklyn, NY neighborhood.

Romel Sucuzhanya, 31, who was removed from life support, was attacked on December 7 as he and his brother, Jose, walked arm-in-arm down a Brooklyn street. His body will be flown back to Ecuador where it will be met by that country’s president as a sign of respect to the victim’s family.

According to news reports, witnesses said four men jumped out of an SUV yelling out anti-gay and racial slurs as they pounded the victim with an aluminum baseball bat.

Mr. Sucuzhanya was not gay, but the fact that he was walking arm-in-arm with his brother apparently played into the brutal attack that resulted to his death.

NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the crime. In New York, assaults against individuals based on race and perceived sexual orientation are considered crimes.

In 2007, law enforcement agencies reported 1,460 hate crime offenses based on sexual-orientation bias.

Of these offenses:
59.2 percent were classified as anti-male homosexual bias.
24.8 percent were reported as anti-homosexual bias.
12.6 percent were prompted by an anti-female homosexual bias.
1.8 percent were the result of an anti-heterosexual bias.
1.6 percent were classified as anti-bisexual bias.

In 2007, law enforcement agencies reported that 4,724 single-bias hate crime offenses were racially motivated.

According to published news reports, the FBI reported 830 Hispanic victims of hate crimes last year in the United States, up from 819 in 2006; and 595 in 2003.

In Idaho, that is not the case. The Idaho Legislature does not consider crimes against individuals whose sexual orientation is at issue to be hate crimes.

Idaho Code § 18-7901 does not include crimes against LGBT citizens or those perceived to be queer as specific hate crimes.

In Idaho, hate crimes, specifically against people of a minority race; sexual orientation and gender identity, do not qualify under Idaho code.

Idaho has its own brand of haters who hide behind a mask of religious piety and will do everything possible to promote misinformation about LGBT people because it suits their agenda.

Even the murder of Matthew Shepard was marginalized by Idaho’s rightwing pitchman, Brian Fischer who sells himself to the media as a spokesman for the Christian community.

The merchants of intolerance who cloak themselves as “religious leaders,” while selling their special brand of anti-gay poison to the community, media and lawmakers are on the wrong side of justice in America.