Am I News?

I can see the headlines now: Gay Canadian Student Pummeled by Bottle Challenges Nevada Hate Crime Legislation. Upon checking my sources (wikipedia!!! yay!!) i actually found out that sexual orientation is protected in Nevada hate crime laws, so maybe I can take this somewhere. (Funny enough that their state constitution bans gay marriage. Vegas could totally cash in on that with the recession.)

Anyway, after a minor altercation with a few drunk friends in Vegas, a man handing out stripper cards told me to go die of aids. I should have ignored him but he came back to spit in my ear. Hee followed us down the street to a nearby pirate show, and half an hour later snuck from behind and hit me in the head with a beer bottle. Pussy. Now I have a scar from homophobia. On the positive side, I have a scar for standing up for what I believe in.

Outside of the shock factor, drama, worrying friends and family, and other emotional and subjective aspects that come into play here, I began to realize that a lot of important things became suddenly relevant, like the justice system and hate crime punishment, health care treatment. Grownup stuff. I was told to pay a 5000 dollar deposit and could only afford to pay 100, which they told me was fine. I'm not sure if I am obligated to pay the rest or not, or if i will receive a bill and how much I can reclaim under my Canadian coverage. I'd like to take this time to whore out Michael Moore's Sicko, a film you should take a look at even if you hate the crap out of him. It really breaks down the health care issue more than I can.

I'd just like to ask American hospitals and their staff, what kind of person carries around 5 grand in preparation for a skull laceration and 6 staples? And if i didn't pay that money, will you send a cross-border agent to rip out the staples? The most disturbing part for me is that he posted bail and got out two nights later. My friends safely hid me from him as we snuck to another casino.

If anyone in tune with Nevada state law is reading this, i'd love to take an in-depth analysis into the situation. I want this to go to the supreme court as a health care issue for the united states. I want Obama to sign federal legislation protecting both gay and straight people from idiots like that guy. I don't want anyone else to get hit with a single bottle. Thank goodness the bottle never broke and cut into my face, eyes or neck. He hit me two or three times, the latter few being covered by my now swollen fingers. My handwriting looks kiddish and my friends call me staples (although if it weren't for them, I could have had a concussion or possibly died. I appreciate them, their love and support more than anyone can imagine.)

I was unfortunately not covered by traveler's insurance because i was out of money by the time i left. I didn't anticipate anything like this, that's for sure. I'll repost a picture of the wound later when I get my camera running. It's gross but so freakin cool! I'm totally keeping the staples.

On a final note, a few questions: is news only news when it happens to you, or when it reaches an audience? Does hate crime legislation create a second class of citizen by classifying a minority as a separate group? How soon is this asshole's court date? I'd love it if irony threw a bit of bum action at him while he's in jail. Oh well.