Violence against LGBT people, queer identifying and the same-sex attracted are actions which may occur either at the hands of individuals or groups, or as part of governmental enforcement of laws targeting people who are perceived to violate heteronormative rules and who contravene protocols of gender roles. People who are mistakenly perceived to be LGBT may also be targeted.
A hate crime is when individuals become victimized because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation (Conklin,1992)(CSVR). Hate crimes against homosexuals often occur because the perpetrator is "homophobic". The attacks can also be blamed on society itself. Many people view being homosexual as being weak, feminine, and morally wrong. Religion plays a huge role in perpetuating these views. Some religious followers believe that the bible says that homosexuality is wrong and believe that "GOD hates gays" (New York Times, 1990). Many other religious leaders and people have dismissed the claim as exaggeration and misinterpretation.
Violence targeted at people because of their perceived sexuality may include threats, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, rape, torture, attempted murder and murder. These actions may be caused by cultural, religious, or political mores and biases.
In the United States, the FBI reported that 15.6% of hate crimes reported to police in 2004 were founded on perceived sexual orientation. 61% of these attacks were against gay men, 14% against lesbians, 2% against heterosexuals and 1% against bisexuals, while attacks against GLBT people at large made up 20%.[1] Violence based on perceived gender identity was not recorded in the report.
In the United States, the FBI reported that for 2006, hate crimes against gays increased to 16%, from 14% in 2005, as percentages of total documented hate crimes across the US.[2] The 2006 annual report, released on November 19, 2007, also said that hate crimes based on sexual orientation are the third most common type, behind race and religion.[2]
It is true that the number of hate crimes against gays continue to rise, however many of the crimes that occur go unreported, and therefore, unrecorded. This may be due to the fact that many gays feel they can not trust the police and by reporting the crime they will be subjected to further victimization(CSVR). Many homosexuals simply perceive the police as being anti-gay, and these thoughts may be justified. Research findings in the USA show that 20% of all anti-gay hate crimes are committed by police officers
Friday, March 7, 2008
Gay Anthem Song "I am who I am" Listen up World!
Pro-Gay song! First of all thanks to all those ...
Pro-Gay song! First of all thanks to all those who gave me permission to use their pictures in the video.
Here are some of my thoughts here below: "You have to start with fact and then go from there. If any thing tries to refute the fact, the fact is always right."
"The fact is some people are born gay."
"If a Christian fundamentalist comes to me with a scripture claiming that same-sex attraction is wrong, they contradict the already-known fact that there are millions of gay people who do not in no way and never have been attracted to the opposite sex. This is fact and part of creation. But the fundamentalist is trying to deny that fact. So either the Bible is wrong or their interpretation is wrong. Which is it? If they are humble enough and have some wisdom into the matter they will see that their interpretation is in error."
"If anything drives a gay man to such confusion about himself that he dare think about suicide, the cause is other people's false views."
"God would surely not use "His word" to commit murder, and thus be a liar."
"But, religious folk use it to commit murder, always because of misinterpretation."
"Either your Interpretation is wrong or the Bible is wrong, because we have a great conflict here. No human should be so utterly confused they would contemplate suicide as a solution. It should be obvious that the person is right for just being his true and natural self. Something else is wrong and it is not the person. The religious indoctrination of falsehood is to blame or the Bible is wrong. Which is it? Or could it be both?
We must understand the bible has been tampered with and mistranslated, and words added and some taken away etc. There are errors in our modern day bible. For example the word "homosexual" was added in about 1950 and it was a huge error and a misinterpretation of Greek words. See my videos for detailed explanations on various misinterpretations of the bible by fundamentalist Christians who are anti-gay.
We can toss bible verse back and forth all day long but I say put down the bible for a moment and take a long hard look at the world around you, come out of that fundamentalist box and look at some of these faces in this video and tell some of these boys they have to walk down the isle in marriage to the opposite sex. Or tell some of the "Dykes on Bikes" they have to walk down the isle with a man? Can't you see it just is not going to happen? This is fact. They are not cut out of the same mold as a stereotypical heterosexual. God did create diversity and the Christian fundamentalist has not figured it out yet. So put down the Bible for a moment and think! Use your God-given common sense. Unlearn everything you have been brainwashed to believe on the subject of same-sex attraction.
In the days of Galileo he scientifically proved the earth rotated around the sun. The church called him a heretic and pointed to scripture to disprove him and sent him to prison and there he stayed the rest of his life. It took the church 300 years to realize they were wrong and had misinterpreted the bible and that they need to pay more closely to fact and science. They later apologized but it was too late.
Other atrocities resulting from the Church backing up their view with scripture were the crusades, the inquisitions, slavery, the annihilation of the Indian and even the holocaust was fueled by the anti-Jew rhetoric dating back to 500 AD coming from Christians. And for centuries the persons attracted to the same sex have been persecuted, ridiculed, and even killed just for being who they naturally are? What crime is it to be who we are as created by God?
My plea with the world is the same one Jesus said: That we truly love one another and that we treat others the way we would want to be treated. That's it! If we can do that we will have peace among people. This is who I am. I am a peacemaker and a very compassionate man having a big heart for all those oppressed by others. I care.
I am a songwriter/guitarist/musician for over twenty-five years now and I want to use my talents to further this cause. I would love to get involved with some of the various functions and such. If I can be of help please send me a message. Also I have written over 300 pages on this subject at hand and if someone who like to help me get it published I sure could use the help.
Here are some great websites below to visit:
Soulforce.org
Wouldjesusdiscrimate.com www.homosexualeunuchsandthebible.com
www.christiangays.com
http://gaychristiansurvivors.com
Pflag.org
www.faithinamerica.info
http://www.glbtjews.org/
Pro-Gay song! First of all thanks to all those who gave me permission to use their pictures in the video.
Here are some of my thoughts here below: "You have to start with fact and then go from there. If any thing tries to refute the fact, the fact is always right."
"The fact is some people are born gay."
"If a Christian fundamentalist comes to me with a scripture claiming that same-sex attraction is wrong, they contradict the already-known fact that there are millions of gay people who do not in no way and never have been attracted to the opposite sex. This is fact and part of creation. But the fundamentalist is trying to deny that fact. So either the Bible is wrong or their interpretation is wrong. Which is it? If they are humble enough and have some wisdom into the matter they will see that their interpretation is in error."
"If anything drives a gay man to such confusion about himself that he dare think about suicide, the cause is other people's false views."
"God would surely not use "His word" to commit murder, and thus be a liar."
"But, religious folk use it to commit murder, always because of misinterpretation."
"Either your Interpretation is wrong or the Bible is wrong, because we have a great conflict here. No human should be so utterly confused they would contemplate suicide as a solution. It should be obvious that the person is right for just being his true and natural self. Something else is wrong and it is not the person. The religious indoctrination of falsehood is to blame or the Bible is wrong. Which is it? Or could it be both?
We must understand the bible has been tampered with and mistranslated, and words added and some taken away etc. There are errors in our modern day bible. For example the word "homosexual" was added in about 1950 and it was a huge error and a misinterpretation of Greek words. See my videos for detailed explanations on various misinterpretations of the bible by fundamentalist Christians who are anti-gay.
We can toss bible verse back and forth all day long but I say put down the bible for a moment and take a long hard look at the world around you, come out of that fundamentalist box and look at some of these faces in this video and tell some of these boys they have to walk down the isle in marriage to the opposite sex. Or tell some of the "Dykes on Bikes" they have to walk down the isle with a man? Can't you see it just is not going to happen? This is fact. They are not cut out of the same mold as a stereotypical heterosexual. God did create diversity and the Christian fundamentalist has not figured it out yet. So put down the Bible for a moment and think! Use your God-given common sense. Unlearn everything you have been brainwashed to believe on the subject of same-sex attraction.
In the days of Galileo he scientifically proved the earth rotated around the sun. The church called him a heretic and pointed to scripture to disprove him and sent him to prison and there he stayed the rest of his life. It took the church 300 years to realize they were wrong and had misinterpreted the bible and that they need to pay more closely to fact and science. They later apologized but it was too late.
Other atrocities resulting from the Church backing up their view with scripture were the crusades, the inquisitions, slavery, the annihilation of the Indian and even the holocaust was fueled by the anti-Jew rhetoric dating back to 500 AD coming from Christians. And for centuries the persons attracted to the same sex have been persecuted, ridiculed, and even killed just for being who they naturally are? What crime is it to be who we are as created by God?
My plea with the world is the same one Jesus said: That we truly love one another and that we treat others the way we would want to be treated. That's it! If we can do that we will have peace among people. This is who I am. I am a peacemaker and a very compassionate man having a big heart for all those oppressed by others. I care.
I am a songwriter/guitarist/musician for over twenty-five years now and I want to use my talents to further this cause. I would love to get involved with some of the various functions and such. If I can be of help please send me a message. Also I have written over 300 pages on this subject at hand and if someone who like to help me get it published I sure could use the help.
Here are some great websites below to visit:
Soulforce.org
Wouldjesusdiscrimate.com www.homosexualeunuchsandthebible.com
www.christiangays.com
http://gaychristiansurvivors.com
Pflag.org
www.faithinamerica.info
http://www.glbtjews.org/
AFA Warns Against Day of Silence
March 07, 2008
AFA Warns Against Day of Silence
The American Family Association is urging parents to keep their children home from school on April 25, the National Day of Silence. The Day of Silence, first organized in 1996, encourages students to remain voiceless for a day to represent the silence faced by LGBT people and their allies. Today, hundreds of schools across the country participate in the event.
"DOS leads the students to believe that every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual, or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and hate," the AFA said in its mass e-mail. "Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change. Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots."
The AFA is asking parents to inform their school that they will not allow their children to attend that day. They also want parents to explain to their children that "homosexual behavior is not an innate identity; it's a sinful, unnatural, and destructive behavior."
The Day of Silence is coordinated by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. (The Advocate)
AFA Warns Against Day of Silence
The American Family Association is urging parents to keep their children home from school on April 25, the National Day of Silence. The Day of Silence, first organized in 1996, encourages students to remain voiceless for a day to represent the silence faced by LGBT people and their allies. Today, hundreds of schools across the country participate in the event.
"DOS leads the students to believe that every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual, or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and hate," the AFA said in its mass e-mail. "Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change. Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots."
The AFA is asking parents to inform their school that they will not allow their children to attend that day. They also want parents to explain to their children that "homosexual behavior is not an innate identity; it's a sinful, unnatural, and destructive behavior."
The Day of Silence is coordinated by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. (The Advocate)
Is Homosexuality a Sin?
We love God, and don’t want our lives to be controlled by bad habits and self centered attitudes that can harm our relationship with Him and with others. The plain truth is that sin separates us from God (2 Corinthians 6:14; 1 John 1:5-7) and we don’t want to be separated from God! We want to grow closer to Him and become more like His Son with each passing day!
But what exactly is sin? If we took a poll of every church and denomination out there, we would find a different opinion from every one of them! Everybody seems to have their own idea as to what is right and what is wrong! So if we wanted to rid sin from our lives, where would we start and whose list should we follow?
Perhaps we should take a different approach and forget what everyone else thinks and go right to the source, the Bible itself. What then? Could we find God’s will by cataloging every sin mentioned in the Bible? If so, how do we handle edicts that seem to change over time? If you thumb through the Bible you will find that such things as marriage, personnel hygiene, dietary laws, and diplomatic relationships with neighboring nations all have changed over the years. So what is right for our culture and the day and age in which we live?
More importantly, what would we do with such a list once we had compiled it? Paul told us over and over again that trying to live our lives by a long list of do’s and don’ts was a lost cause. Why? Because no one is good enough to follow such a list day in and day out! Furthermore, Paul said such attempts would only bring heartache and failure for no one except Jesus Christ Himself is capable of living a perfect life (Romans 3:10-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5)! Worse yet, if we attempt to earn our righteousness through ‘good deeds,’ we are in fact rejecting the very work that Christ did for us on the cross (Galatians 2:19-3:21, 5:1-6)!
So is trying to do ‘the right thing’ a lost cause? Have we come full circle? Yes and no. First and foremost, we must settle in our hearts and minds that our salvation only comes through Jesus Christ and none other. We cannot earn our way to heaven. However that doesn’t change the fact that we still want to please God and find His will for our lives. So how do we do that?
This question used to perplex me until a friends question and the prompting of the Holy Spirit had me researching everything I could concerning God's love. During that search, I ran across a Scripture that changed my life forever. For in it we find the very heart and soul of God's will. If you study the issue further, you will find that this same “royal” commandment (James 2:8) lies at the heart of both the Old Covenant (old covenant = Matthew 22:37-40) and the New Covenant (new covenant = John 13:34). God has never changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; 1 John 4:8, 16), only His instructions on how we should carry out His will have.
Why is this so? Because we have changed over time and the cultures we live in are different from one another. We don’t face the same problems the early Patriarchs faced. Nor were the Apostles encumbered with some of the things we have to deal with today. Each generation and each culture is different. What may be a loving act in one culture may be cause for war in another! In spite of our differences, we are all given the same basic principle to carry out in our lives. That being that we are to...
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
"Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:40 (Amplified)
“These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Simply put, we are to love God first, and then we are to love others, as we love ourselves. If we embrace and follow this belief, we are following God’s will for our lives and we are not living in sin. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
Galatians 5:14 (Amplified)
“For the whole law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in one precept. You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.”
Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Therefore sin is simply this: if I do not love God and put Him first in my life, this is a sin. If I mistreat others or myself spiritually, emotionally or physically, it is a sin. Love is the basis for all of God’s laws, old and new. Sin is the absence or distortion of this love.
So is homosexuality a sin? “It depends” is my answer. The question is no longer ‘gay’ or ‘straight’ but an issue of love in the relationship. First and foremost, is this relationship encouraging both partners’ spiritual growth and relationship with God?” And second, is this a relationship loving and healthy for both parties? God is not concerned with the superficial things that worry us. He does not care what our sexual orientation, gender, skin color, or church affiliation is. These things have no meaning to God. He goes straight to the heart of the matter and simply asks the question, “Is this relationship based on, and operating in, My love or not?”
But what exactly is sin? If we took a poll of every church and denomination out there, we would find a different opinion from every one of them! Everybody seems to have their own idea as to what is right and what is wrong! So if we wanted to rid sin from our lives, where would we start and whose list should we follow?
Perhaps we should take a different approach and forget what everyone else thinks and go right to the source, the Bible itself. What then? Could we find God’s will by cataloging every sin mentioned in the Bible? If so, how do we handle edicts that seem to change over time? If you thumb through the Bible you will find that such things as marriage, personnel hygiene, dietary laws, and diplomatic relationships with neighboring nations all have changed over the years. So what is right for our culture and the day and age in which we live?
More importantly, what would we do with such a list once we had compiled it? Paul told us over and over again that trying to live our lives by a long list of do’s and don’ts was a lost cause. Why? Because no one is good enough to follow such a list day in and day out! Furthermore, Paul said such attempts would only bring heartache and failure for no one except Jesus Christ Himself is capable of living a perfect life (Romans 3:10-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5)! Worse yet, if we attempt to earn our righteousness through ‘good deeds,’ we are in fact rejecting the very work that Christ did for us on the cross (Galatians 2:19-3:21, 5:1-6)!
So is trying to do ‘the right thing’ a lost cause? Have we come full circle? Yes and no. First and foremost, we must settle in our hearts and minds that our salvation only comes through Jesus Christ and none other. We cannot earn our way to heaven. However that doesn’t change the fact that we still want to please God and find His will for our lives. So how do we do that?
This question used to perplex me until a friends question and the prompting of the Holy Spirit had me researching everything I could concerning God's love. During that search, I ran across a Scripture that changed my life forever. For in it we find the very heart and soul of God's will. If you study the issue further, you will find that this same “royal” commandment (James 2:8) lies at the heart of both the Old Covenant (old covenant = Matthew 22:37-40) and the New Covenant (new covenant = John 13:34). God has never changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; 1 John 4:8, 16), only His instructions on how we should carry out His will have.
Why is this so? Because we have changed over time and the cultures we live in are different from one another. We don’t face the same problems the early Patriarchs faced. Nor were the Apostles encumbered with some of the things we have to deal with today. Each generation and each culture is different. What may be a loving act in one culture may be cause for war in another! In spite of our differences, we are all given the same basic principle to carry out in our lives. That being that we are to...
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
"Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:40 (Amplified)
“These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Simply put, we are to love God first, and then we are to love others, as we love ourselves. If we embrace and follow this belief, we are following God’s will for our lives and we are not living in sin. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
Galatians 5:14 (Amplified)
“For the whole law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in one precept. You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.”
Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Therefore sin is simply this: if I do not love God and put Him first in my life, this is a sin. If I mistreat others or myself spiritually, emotionally or physically, it is a sin. Love is the basis for all of God’s laws, old and new. Sin is the absence or distortion of this love.
So is homosexuality a sin? “It depends” is my answer. The question is no longer ‘gay’ or ‘straight’ but an issue of love in the relationship. First and foremost, is this relationship encouraging both partners’ spiritual growth and relationship with God?” And second, is this a relationship loving and healthy for both parties? God is not concerned with the superficial things that worry us. He does not care what our sexual orientation, gender, skin color, or church affiliation is. These things have no meaning to God. He goes straight to the heart of the matter and simply asks the question, “Is this relationship based on, and operating in, My love or not?”
12th Annual National Day of Silence Honors the Memory of Lawrence King
Students nationwide take part in a Day of Silence
NEW YORK – On the heels of the Oxnard, CA murder of 8th grade student, Lawrence King, middle, high school and college campuses all over the country to be a little quieter. On Friday, April 25, 2008, students nationwide will be commemorating the 12th annual National Day of Silence. They will observe a daylong silence to protest the bullying, harassment and name-calling—in effect, the silencing—faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and their allies in schools.
While this silence is often times used metaphorically to symbolize students’ lives, experiences and histories being invisible, the murder of Lawrence King, which occurred at school, represents a literal and absolute definition of this silence. According to friends, Lawrence was killed because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.
The Day of Silence, a project of GLSEN, will be held during school hours. Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate on April 25, many of whom will wear stickers and pass out ‘speaking cards’ that read:
"Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?"
GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that more than 64% of LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.
About the Day of Silence
The Day of Silence, a project of GLSEN, is a nationwide, student-led event during which thousands of high schools and colleges protest the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. For more information and a complete collection of organizing materials, visit www.dayofsilence.org.
Friends mourn loss of jovial teen killed in shooting
By Nadine Parks (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
That Adolphus Simmons dressed like a woman was of no consequence to his neighbors at the Bradford Apartments in North Charleston. To them, his shooting death Monday night was a senseless loss of a beloved friend.
The effeminate 18-year-old charmed them with his always jovial and sometimes flamboyant personality, they said.
It was about 8 p.m. when Mary Ivory heard a commotion outside the apartment complex on Bream Road and saw flashing blue lights. A few doors down, Simmons lay on the ground with gunshot wounds, and a man neighbors said was his brother held him in his arms, weeping. A woman cried out for someone to call police, she said.
"It was so cold," said his friend Tiffany Wells. "It seemed like it took forever for EMS to come."
Simmons, a former student at Stall High School, was pronounced dead at Medical University Hospital at 9:08 p.m., Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Koelpin said.
Police were working on leads in the case late Tuesday. There was no indication that his slaying was a hate crime, said Spencer Pryor, police public information officer.
Simmons had moved into the complex about a year earlier and quickly made friends with other tenants. Most notable was his feminine manner of dress. He experimented with creative weave hairstyles and colors, and he became pretty good at it, Wells said.
Soon, he was doing everybody's hair and making money at it, she said.
Wells said Simmons made sure that you didn't just get a nice hairdo but a lift for your spirits as well.
"He was a jokester," she said. "He liked to tell jokes and make you laugh."
About a month ago, Simmons quit his job at Captain D's on Rivers Avenue to focus on the hairstyling. His mother, Felicia Moultrie, had her hair done for free.
Moultrie spoke with her oldest son just three hours before he was shot. He was cooking crabs, and invited her over for dinner.
"He was cuttin' a fool, and laughing and joking," Moultrie said.
She was busy shopping and told him she would call him back later. It was a return call she never got around to making, and that causes her painful regret now, she said.
Witnesses told police Simmons had been eating crab before taking out the trash, according to the incident report. They heard gunfire but told police they didn't think much of it since neighbors often shoot guns. When they noticed that Simmons had not returned, they opened the door to find him unconscious on the steps.
"He was so young," Wells said.
Like his neighbors, Simmons' family looked past the clothes and hair he wore and saw only a loving human being, Moultrie said.
"He chose his lifestyle the way he wanted it," she said. "We all accepted him for who he was."
Simmons' death was the fourth homicide this year in North Charleston. Police are searching for suspects in the Jan. 12 deaths of John Burgess, 48, of Hollywood and Sheila Stannard, 48, of West Ashley. They were shot at Pepperhill Park. The city's other slaying was a murder-suicide Jan. 2 in which Ted Davis, 63, shot his wife 58-year-old Theresa Davis, then himself at their Northwood Estates home.
Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postandcourier.com. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com.
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
That Adolphus Simmons dressed like a woman was of no consequence to his neighbors at the Bradford Apartments in North Charleston. To them, his shooting death Monday night was a senseless loss of a beloved friend.
The effeminate 18-year-old charmed them with his always jovial and sometimes flamboyant personality, they said.
It was about 8 p.m. when Mary Ivory heard a commotion outside the apartment complex on Bream Road and saw flashing blue lights. A few doors down, Simmons lay on the ground with gunshot wounds, and a man neighbors said was his brother held him in his arms, weeping. A woman cried out for someone to call police, she said.
"It was so cold," said his friend Tiffany Wells. "It seemed like it took forever for EMS to come."
Simmons, a former student at Stall High School, was pronounced dead at Medical University Hospital at 9:08 p.m., Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Koelpin said.
Police were working on leads in the case late Tuesday. There was no indication that his slaying was a hate crime, said Spencer Pryor, police public information officer.
Simmons had moved into the complex about a year earlier and quickly made friends with other tenants. Most notable was his feminine manner of dress. He experimented with creative weave hairstyles and colors, and he became pretty good at it, Wells said.
Soon, he was doing everybody's hair and making money at it, she said.
Wells said Simmons made sure that you didn't just get a nice hairdo but a lift for your spirits as well.
"He was a jokester," she said. "He liked to tell jokes and make you laugh."
About a month ago, Simmons quit his job at Captain D's on Rivers Avenue to focus on the hairstyling. His mother, Felicia Moultrie, had her hair done for free.
Moultrie spoke with her oldest son just three hours before he was shot. He was cooking crabs, and invited her over for dinner.
"He was cuttin' a fool, and laughing and joking," Moultrie said.
She was busy shopping and told him she would call him back later. It was a return call she never got around to making, and that causes her painful regret now, she said.
Witnesses told police Simmons had been eating crab before taking out the trash, according to the incident report. They heard gunfire but told police they didn't think much of it since neighbors often shoot guns. When they noticed that Simmons had not returned, they opened the door to find him unconscious on the steps.
"He was so young," Wells said.
Like his neighbors, Simmons' family looked past the clothes and hair he wore and saw only a loving human being, Moultrie said.
"He chose his lifestyle the way he wanted it," she said. "We all accepted him for who he was."
Simmons' death was the fourth homicide this year in North Charleston. Police are searching for suspects in the Jan. 12 deaths of John Burgess, 48, of Hollywood and Sheila Stannard, 48, of West Ashley. They were shot at Pepperhill Park. The city's other slaying was a murder-suicide Jan. 2 in which Ted Davis, 63, shot his wife 58-year-old Theresa Davis, then himself at their Northwood Estates home.
Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postandcourier.com. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com.
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