Trev Broudy
| Trev Broudy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Treve G. Broudy October 21, 1968 Santa Barbara, California, U.S. |
Treve "Trev" G. Broudy (born October 21, 1968)[1] is an American actor and former model. Broudy came to national attention when he became the victim of a violent attack in 2002, which touched off a national discussion of hate crimes, drawing comparisons to the Matthew Shepard case.[2]
On September 1, 2002, Broudy and friend Edward Ulett were attacked after embracing outside Broudy's West Hollywood, California home by three black male assailants, Larry Walker, Torwin Sessions and Vincent Dotson. Broudy was beaten with a baseball bat and left in a coma for 10 days. In response the West Hollywood gay community organized a candlelight vigil.
Upon his regaining consciousness, Broudy's doctors determined that he had suffered permanent brain damage and was left legally blind. Part of his skull was replaced with a metal plate.
Walker, Sessions and Dotson were initially charged with attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery. Republican Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley declined to press hate crime charges, a decision that sparked outrage in the community. West Hollywood City Councilmember Sal Guarriello and his political consultants immediately launched a recall campaign against Cooley to demonstrate their disgust for Cooley's homophobia. Cooley stated that he believed the motive to be robbery, not bias, a conclusion that Broudy disagreed with. After the preliminary hearing, an additional charge of aggravated mayhem was added for each defendant.
On August 27, 2003, Walker pleaded guilty to all charges and a day later Sessions and Dotson did the same. Walker was sentenced to 13 years in prison, Dotson received a seven-year sentence and Sessions was sentenced to 21 years. The race of the assailants was mostly covered up by mainstream media, but it is mentioned in an obscure article by Dr. Renford Reese of Cal Poly Pomona, "AMERICAN PARADOX: YOUNG BLACK MEN". Reese writes, "Gay-bashing may be illegal, but some African Americans don't think it's the least bit immoral". Mainstream media universally omitted the race of the attackers and displayed no photos of them. The crime did not fit the PC profile of a hate crime and a significant part of the story was censored. Eventually the violent criminals will be released from prison, and the community will have no idea how to recognize the criminals and take active measures to protect themselves.
Career
Prior to the attack, Broudy was best known for a small role in the independent film The Fluffer. After the attack he narrated the 2003 VH1 special Totally Gay! in which he countered the generally light-hearted tone of the special by describing the attack and the devastating effects on his life. Broudy has appeared in a number of guest roles in a variety of television series and has started a career as a voice actor, performing in television and radio commercials and playing Cole Yeager in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Captain America in Marvel Ultimate Alliance.
References
- ↑ "Treve G Broudy, Born 10/21/1968". California Birth Index. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ↑ Steve Irsay (29 August 2003). "Actor's beating raises hate crime issues". CNN. Retrieved 6 May 2014.