SDS Demands Justice for O'Shae Sibley!

On July 29, O’shae Sibley, a gay black man and choreographer, was voguing at a gas station with his friends before he was fatally stabbed by a 17 year old. As they were filling up their car, a group of men began to shout homophobic and racial slurs at them. Sibley, standing up for his friends, took a stand against the aggressors before being stabbed between the ribs. In the time since the tragedy happened, the 17 year old responsible for the murder has been charged with second degree murder as a hate crime, among other charges.

Sibley was a pillar of the Black ball scene in New York and the greater queer community surrounding it. This couldn’t be more evident in the city’s reaction to his death. Since his murder, hundreds of black and queer people have come together in solidarity with Sibley. During a period in time where the use of homophobic rhetoric is on the rise amongst the right once more, it’s more important that we stand united against our oppressors.

We, Students for a Democratic Society, strongly condemn the murder of O'shae Sibley. The tragedy that took place on the 29th represents a greater shift in the public’s perspective on the LGBTQIA+ community. In recent years, conservative figures in the US have fixed their sights on the trans community in their endless pursuit of a culture war, but this method of gaining votes has extremely dire consequences. In their bid to garner more votes through reactionary means, the queer community has come under fire once more. Bigoted outlooks such as racism and homophobia are taught and learned, and Sibley’s murderer being a 17 year old high school student exemplifies this phenomenon.

JUSTICE FOR O’SHAE SIBLEY!
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
QUEER LIVES MATTER