![Barieshortell_0](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/barieshortell-0.jpg?id=32716803&width=1200&height=876)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Barie Shortell required 10 hours of surgery to repair his jaw and three metal plates in his head following an antigay attack last month in Willamsburg, Brooklyn, one of New York City's most popular neighborhoods for gay residents and nightlife.
According to The Brooklyn Paper, six teenagers wearing hooded sweatshirts pinned Shortell to a wall on the night of February 22, fracturing his jaw, nose, and eye sockets. He had crossed from N. 4th Street to Wythe Avenue to avoid a menacing taunt from the group.
"I feel pretty confident they perceived me as a gay man and attacked me, but I can't understand why they did what they did," Shortell told TheBrooklyn Paper. "I looked horrible. Blood was everywhere."
One of the surgeons who operated on Shortell compared the impact to a car accident. The 29-year-old faces $100,000 in medical debts with no health insurance, prompting his friends to hold a benefit for him this Wednesday.
No suspects have been arrested in the case, which police classify as a hate crime.
News of the vicious attack arrives as the area mourns Anthony Collao, a Long Island teenager who was beaten to death with a pipe in an antigay attack at a party in Queens over the weekend.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Latest Stories
Watch: Kamala Harris highlights her LGBTQ+ allyship in powerful first campaign ad
July 25 2024 12:31 PM
Walmart and MISTR to offer free at-home HIV testing kits
July 25 2024 10:02 AM