Two CBS newsmen
gay-bashed on St. Martin

Two gay employees of CBS News were severely beaten during what is being described as a homophobic attack by a group of men on the Caribbean resort island of St. Martin. WFOR television in Miami reports that Richard Jefferson, a senior producer for CBS Evening News, and companion Ryan Smith, a producer-researcher for the newsmagazine 48 Hours, were attacked as they left a popular bar early Friday morning. Eyewitnesses say the attackers hurled homophobic insults at the two while beating them with a tire iron. The brutal attack was said to have come after an altercation with the men earlier in the night inside the club. Jefferson sustained severe cuts on the back of his head and his lower back. Smith suffered a fractured skull and possible neurological damage. A doctor said that Smith is unable to speak properly and may have difficulty walking. Both have been airlifted to Miami for treatment. Jefferson has told news outlets that employees of the club called police after the attack but there was no response. Jefferson said he called police himself from the hospital in St. Martin, but at no time did an officer come to the hospital to take a report. (Sirius OutQ News)