Arrests made in
St. Martin gay bashings

Two people were arrested on Saturday and were scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for the April 6 attack on two gay men vacationing in St. Martin, reports TheMiamiHerald. A man and a woman, both French St. Martin residents, were arrested, and more arrests are expected, said chief prosecutor Taco Stein.

Gay CBS staffer Ryan Smith, 25, and a friend of his, producer Dick Jefferson, were attacked outside a bar on the Caribbean island by a small group who chased them down, yelled antigay slurs, and smashed their heads with a tire iron. Jefferson had to undergo surgery on his head but was released from the hospital a short time later. Smith, whose injuries were more severe, has been in and out of the hospital ever since.

Smith and his boyfriend are living in Miami Beach, Fla., while he undergoes weeks of treatment for his brain injuries. He has trouble speaking and writing, but his thought process and memory seem fine.

The attack has caused some activists to question whether gay and lesbian travelers should visit the Caribbean, the Herald reports. "It is time for Americans to reassess their relationship with islands such as Jamaica, St. Martin, and the Bahamas. Either they welcome all of us or none of us. But these 'paradises' can no longer be playgrounds for heterosexuals and hunting grounds for homosexuals,'' national gay activist and Fort Lauderdale native Wayne Besen recently wrote on his blog. (The Advocate)