A Queenstown man has been convicted of injuring by an unlawful act and fined $500 after admitting he punched an Australian man who mocked him and called him a faggot when he was dancing in a bar. Ricardo Edwards, 35, has accepted what he did was wrong and said it was the first time he had reacted physically to being taunted due to his sexual orientation, the Otago Daily Times reports. He said he and his flatmate were dancing at the Camp St Brewery on November 28 last year, when a man started mocking them. "[Then] he was leaning in and saying things like 'is this how you people dance'; really silly things like that." The taunts continued and Edward began arguing with the man, who then called him and his flatmate faggots. "I don't like that word and I swung," Edward has told the Otago Daily Times. He broke the Australia man’s jaw. The judge said there was "considerable provocation". Edwards says he encounters homophobia at least once every time he goes out and says people should be tolerant. "Who cares [if you're] gay, straight, black, blue, purple? It really doesn't matter. Worry about yourself and not what everyone else is doing." Edwards says he’s been overwhelmed by public support. Read more here
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 29th August 2014 - 8:18am