The weekend before the midterms last November, Equality Florida held its Greater Orlando Gala at the Orlando Museum of Art. I have had the privilege of attending this annual event over the last several years and it is always a who’s who of the LGBTQ community throughout the state.
This event was extra special because of a certain celebrity who was attending, recording artist and star of the series “Empire,” Jussie Smollett. I have been a huge fan since I first saw him on the show and was excited and nervous when I got the opportunity to meet and chat with him.
Smollett was charming, charismatic and very approachable. He took photos with everyone, smiled as he passed out hugs and even danced a bit before the evening’s event ended. It was that smile I thought about when the news came out of Chicago that he had been attacked in what seemed to be a hate crime because Smollett is an openly gay black man.
The initial report came from TMZ and with each detail I found myself getting more and more angry.
“The 2 men—both white and wearing ski masks—viciously attacked Jussie as he fought back, but they beat him badly and fractured a rib. They put a rope around his neck, poured bleach on him and as they left they yelled, ‘This is MAGA [Make America Great Again] country,’” TMZ reported.
Friends, community leaders and celebrities expressed outrage for what happened and support for Smollett on social media. Local and federal law enforcement were investigating. How could something like this happen in a progressive city like Chicago and to a well-known celebrity?
As the investigation went on strange details started to emerge. The two attackers, who were first reported as MAGA-loving white men by TMZ, turned out to be two black men.
Then it was found that Smollett knew them. The investigation “shifted” and it started to look as if Smollett had a hand in planning his own attack. Theories on social media came out that he did it because he was being written off the show or he was trying to build support for an anti-lynching bill in the Senate.
Smollett denied orchestrating the attack and the Chicago PD have not come right out and said Smollett is to blame, but the facts of the case are starting to lean towards it. [Update to this story: Felony charges have been filed against Smollett. He was indicted for filing a false report after a grand jury heard evidence from Chicago police investigators in connection to the alleged hate-crime incident last month. Smollett was taken into custody Feb. 21.]
As the new details emerged two common narratives started to develop on social media: giddiness from the right and defensiveness from the left.
While the eventual outcome of the Smollett attack may prove his involvement into his own attack, that does not negate the fact that hate crimes against the LGBTQ community and people of color are very real problems. The joy and excitement coming from the right is disturbing, but what is also disturbing to me is the attacks from the left saying if you don’t believe Smollett then you don’t believe any victims.
Yes, it is important to believe victims. But it is equally important to not ignore facts. Ignoring the mountains of proof in front of your face just to keep from admitting you were wrong is exactly what the left has accused the right of doing under the Trump administration when it comes to climate change, immigration and more.
If the evidence shows Smollett planned his own attack, for whatever reason, and he is found guilty then he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and we on the left need to be outraged at what he did. What this situation does is make it harder for real victims to come forward with their stories and be believed. We need to get to a place where we see wrong as wrong no matter what ideological side you fall on.
We should continue to believe victims but as we wait for the full story to come out nothing about the Smollett situation should make anyone giddy or defensive. There is nothing defensible in what he did and the damage he has done to actual victims shouldn’t make anyone happy.
