In an op-ed published Friday, gay
glossy Advocate labeled gay bashing suspect Kathryn Knott the
“most hated woman in America.”
The
column, written by Neal Broverman, was titled Op-ed: Finding
Sympathy for the Most Hated Woman in America and
the site linked to the article from its front page by asking “Is
this the most hated woman in gay America?”
Knott is the
24-year-old suburban Philadelphia woman who is among those charged
with the beating of a gay male couple in downtown Philadelphia. The
victims told police that they were rushed by a mob of 10 to 12 men
and women after one asked them if they were together. As a result of
the beating, one of the victims, 28, was hospitalized for more than
three days and had to have his jaw wired shut.
Knott and two other
suspects surrendered to police on Wednesday.
“Knott wasn’t
alone in the beating; there were two men arrested, like her, for
their participation, and they were part of a larger mob of as many as
15 people,” Broverman wrote. “But you almost wouldn’t know
that from the media, especially the gay blogosphere, which is
focusing its gaze on this modern-day Anita Bryant.”
“Unfairly or
not,” he added, “she's being held to a higher standard” because
“women are supposed to know what it's like to be oppressed.”
A lawyer
representing Knott, the daughter of Chalfont Township Police Chief
Karl Knott, has denied her participation in the incident, saying she
“couldn't bust a grape.”
But an
affidavit of probable cause describing the incident made public
on Friday contradicts his assertions.
According to the
affidavit, Knott allegedly screamed “faggots” at the men and hit
one of them in the face.
Broverman concludes
his commentary by saying that he hopes Knott “can grow from this
and understand why the world is so livid with her.”
“Don't get me
wrong, I'm still fuming at her actions and entitlement. But she's a
victim too; of bad parenting, segregation, misinformation, and
misogyny. After this pubic lashing, maybe that will finally sink
in,” he added.