The night of June 1, Cape Coral native Michael White was brutally assaulted at University Village not far from FGCU in south Lee County.
While waiting outside for an Uber, White said that a group of people in a vehicle began shouting homophobic slurs at him. He ignored it, but the driver exited the car, and began the assault.
White's injuries were significant — a broken nose, a brain bleed, and multiple facial fractures. The assailant has not yet been identified.
White described what it felt like to wake up in the hospital on his birthday.
“I started bawling my eyes out crying,” he said. “My entire left side of my body was numb. It was my birthday so, it definitely is a feeling I don’t want to ever have to feel ever again, waking up like that.”
White has been seeing doctors, and had his first surgery last week. But his road to physical recovery is different from the road to emotional recovery.
“I recently have just come out and like, feeling comfortable in my own skin, and feeling like I can express myself how I want to express myself,” he said. “It has definitely set me back 10 feet. Out in public, I don’t feel welcomed, or anything of the sort.”
"Out in public, I don’t feel welcomed, or anything of the sort.”Michael White, seriously physically assaulted
White’s sister Shawna Roberts launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical bills, as he doesn’t have medical coverage. No legal action has been taken. These issues often impact victims of hate crimes, especially those like White who are temporarily left unable to work due to injuries.
Hate is something that queer Southwest Floridians are no strangers to, especially in the wake of recent anti-LGBTQ state legislation. Callhan Soldavini, a member of Naples Pride’s board of directors, gave some context.
“I think it’s mostly love and acceptance, but the minority here is very, very loud,” she said. “Even allyship here sees a lot of backlash. It was very shocking to still have so much hate surrounding the LGBTQ community here.”
Following a hate crime, advocates find it important to ask what can be done to prevent such attacks. Soldavini said that allies to the queer community need to overcome fear of backlash and stand up for LGBTQ+ southwest Floridians in the interest of safety.
White’s attack, which lasted for a full minute without intervention, demonstrates the bystander effect, in which the presence of others convinces someone to not intervene in a dangerous situation. Roberts and White believe this is why the attack was so severe.
“I saw a couple videos of people just laughing while I’m literally unconscious, and they think it’s funny that they could just video it and not say anything,” White said.
“Because at any point, anybody could have intervened,” Roberts said.
Through the challenges and the stigma, White and his family are recovering.
Support and promotion have come from local organizations and from people as far away as Oregon and the affiliated GoFundMe is approaching $20,000 in donation. White is very thankful.
“Everyone reaching out to me, and everyone showing the love, like, it means a lot to me. Because, if I didn’t have that, I don’t know where I would be at this very moment today. I’m very grateful for everything,” White said.
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