Attacks on Homosexual Persons May Be Increasing, But Many 'Bashings' Still Aren't Reported to Police

Abstract

TRAUMA SURGEON Sheldon B. Maltz, MD, says he had never even heard of antigay violence before the 12 hours it took to save Ron Cayot's life. Three young men had jumped out of a passing car, shouting slurs at Cayot and a friend who were walking down the street in a neighborhood known for its large gay and lesbian population. There was arguing, then there were gunshots. One bullet went into Cayot's neck, requiring reconstruction of the larynx with tissue from his clavicle. Another went into Cayot's back, through his colon, liver, and intestines, and out his abdomen, says Maltz, a critical care specialist at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago. Two states away, Paul Carson, MD, says he couldn't conceive of anybody doing what his patient claims to have done. The patient, a married heterosexual truck driver, insists that his only risk for acquiring his human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection