Slaves’ guitarist stabbed in homophobic attack

Alex Lyman, guitarist of post-hardcore band Slaves is recovering in hospital after being stabbed in an alleged homophobic attack.

The songwriter claims he sustained a gory 4-inch long, 2-inch deep gash from a criminal with previous charges, maintaining it was unprovoked – saying that he was targeted for being “a faggot in skinny jeans”. Classy.

He described the incident in detail on Instagram:

Last night I was stabbed in the side with a 4 inch cut that is 2 inches deep and a centimeter from my spleen. This was all from a felon with prior charges who is now in jail. There was no confrontation and nothing was done to provoke this. It was spilt because I’m a “faggot in skinny jeans” I have multiple slices on my throat and arms but only one serious one and I’ll still be at all slaves dates. Wish the world could stop hating what they don’t understand.

A photo posted by Alex Lyman (@alex_lyman) on Jun 22, 2015 at 4:52am PDT

However, Lyman wasn’t the only one from Slaves to sustain an injury from the alleged attack. Fellow guitarist Weston Richmond suffered a “broken hand and some minor cuts” for attempting to protect his mate, and was almost stabbed in the process. Richmond posted a picture of his ordeal on Instagram as well:

Well, so much for warped tour.. Alex Lyman and I got into an altercation with a homophobe brandishing a large knife. Our good friend Blake was stabbed, as well as Alex. He attempted to stab me too. I luckily avoided that and ended with a broken hand and minor cuts.. Glad we’re all OK. Some people are just ridiculous. This man literally did all this cause we wear skinny jeans… What a jerk. A photo posted by Wise Wes (@westonrichmond) on Jun 22, 2015 at 9:03am PDT

While fellow band member Jonny Craig was absent, he commented on the post in support: “Wow I hate the world we live in. Glad my dudes are ok and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to smash this dudes teeth in with my brass knuckles.”

The band will have to soldier on without a guitarist as they are set to join the Vans Warped Tour, according to their Facebook page.

The Sacremento Bee is reporting that the suspect Timothy Brownell was charged with assault and possession of a firearm, which was found at his home after the arrest. The incident will reportedly be treated as a hate crime, and admit alcohol was a factor in the incident.

Alex Lyman has since posted a follow-up instagram with the gory wound, and a reflective message on the incident:

I’m sorry if anyone didn’t want to see this, but I want to show the world that we are far from a free world. To think that if I would have bought different pants or decided to look differently would have prevented something so hateful and physically but more so mentally and emotionally traumatizing from happening. As hard as it is to believe me and my friends did nothing to cause confrontation, all it takes is one hateful person with too much power and an opinion of his own to put me and my friends in a situation that left our loved ones terrified that they may never see us again in their life. For one man to try and murder 3 people that he would never have to see again in his life because his one opinion of how we have decided to present ourselves. I’m so glad to be here another day and even more glad my friends Weston, Blake and brad our still here to show the world that being a man isn’t measured by the amount of pain you can cause to one another but by the willingness to be someone that you love and the acceptance to love others for who they are. I live in a world that I am more scared of now than the last 25 years of my life. But the support myself and the people involved have received gives us a genuine reminder that change may not be complete, but the will and the love for it is there. I love Weston, Blake and brad and jess and anyone who’s reached out from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn’t for all these people and the support of my mother and wonderful girlfriend I’m not sure I would have wanted to make it off the operating table to live in a world that seemed so dark at the time. Thank you everyone for reminding me of not a life that is, but a life that can be, from the bottom of my heart.

A photo posted by Alex Lyman (@alex_lyman) on Jun 23, 2015 at 2:52pm PDT

The act is a devastating reminder of recent events in Sydney’s Newtown, where transgender punk rocker Stephanie McCarthy was bashed after playing a gig at the Town Hall Hotel. When we interviewed McCarthy, she said, “To other trans/queer folks suffering abuse, discrimination and violence, I say to stay strong. Being out there and visible is how attitudes change. Many people in society would like to see people like me hidden from view, but I refuse to live my life like that. I made a promise to myself when I transitioned that I would continue to do the things I love, for example play and see shows, and I have kept that promise. It may put me at a higher risk of violence, but I will not be told what I can and can’t do by bigots.”