Celebrity Gossip, News and Entertainment

Drag queen and recording artist, Kevin Aviance, was brutally attacked and mugged in New York City’s East Village and four people were arrested on hate-crime charges, police and the singer’s publicist said. Kevin Aviance, 38, underwent surgery for a broken jaw after the attack Saturday, said his publicist, Len Evans. Police said the singer, whose song “Alive” hit the top of the chart in 2002, was in stable condition.

The brutal incident unfolded after Aviance, whose real name is Eric Sneed, left Phoenix, a gay club on E. 13th St. where he had met friends for drinks after posing for Homo Xtra magazine. Aviance’s publicist, Len Evans, said the attackers yelled anti-gay slurs while they beat the singer. A group of six or seven men attacked Aviance early Saturday, and passers-by did not stop to help as they threw objects at him, Evans said.
Aviance performs in drag but was “dressed like a boy” when he was attacked, Evans said. He had planned to take part in next week’s Gay Pride parade and festivities, but will now be unable to perform, the publicist said.

In his bag, he was carrying pumps, women’s clothing and makeup from his magazine shoot. “I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I’ve never been harassed,” Aviance said. “If anything people approach me with warmth.”
As Aviance desperately tried to hail a cab a few blocks up First Ave. about 1:30 a.m., the attackers tossed debris at him, Aviance said. One thug punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground, he said.

According to the New York Daily News, Aviance has been a mainstay of New York’s underground club scene and has performed his dance hits all over the world. The bald gender-bender hit No. 1 on Billboard’s dance music charts in 1997 with “Din Da Da” and topped the charts again in 2002 with “Alive.” He has appeared on television’s “America’s Next Top Model” and in a music video for Madonna’s “Secret.”