Joshua Esskew Beaten by Eight Men in Rock Hill SC, Winthrop Professor Comments "Act Straight to Avoid Beating" Taken Out of Context

Winthrop University lecturer Kelly James' comment that gay students "act straight to avoid beating" in aftermath of beating of gay man, Joshua Esskew by group of men, taken out of context by WBTV.

Joshua Esskew was beaten by eight men, near the campus of Winthrop University in South Carolina,  because he is gay. The residents of Rock Hill are understandably upset at the random attack because it goes against their mantra of "no room for racism." This is reprehensible and so acts should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. From the photographs I have seen, the perpetrators appear to be black. It is ironic that blacks in South Carolina, in a town that prides itself on its stance against racism, that a hate crime could be committed against another person. There was a time when we had no rights in this country. Dogs were let loose to rip our fore-parents from stem to stern if they dared to demonstrate for their basic rights, so why deny another person the same rights?

I am also appalled at the response of a university professor. According to the Daily Mail, Kelly James, a sociology and criminology lecturer at the university, told WBTV,'I’ve got to let my students know [about the attack], so when they’re out and about in Rock Hill they act straight.' So, what would he have told a black person? To stay off the streets? Better yet, alter the color of their skin to look white? Come on. This is ridiculous and an insult on so many levels. To anyone who witnessed this beating, please contact the Rock Hill police department. These thugs need to be taken off the streets.

UPDATE#1: I received an email from Rebecca Masters, Assistant to the President for Public Affairs at Winthrop University, seeking to clarify the reporting by the local station. It would appear that the professor's comments were taken out of context, much like Andrew Breitbart's smearing of former USDA director Shirley Sherrod. Character assassination isn't what we are about. Here's Ms. Masters' email to us in its entirety:


Hi, Janet – Your story came up in Google News this morning. A couple of corrections:


n Mr. Esskew is not (and never has been) a Winthrop student. The awful attack on him occurred miles from our campus. The assumption he is our student apparently came from the fact that a Charlotte TV station chose to interview a professor of criminology here at Winthrop. That, however, caused another set of issues.


n Dr. James’ words – meant to be an ironic observation about NOT wanting to tell students in 2011 to “act straight” -- were characterized inaccurately in an edited-for-TV interview, and were taken out of a much broader context of her work with and support for gay students. Winthrop University provides a safe and supportive environment for all its students, and encourages them to live authentically and respect others who do so as well. In the process of editing that interview, the station did a great disservice to the professor personally and professionally. She attempted to get a correction on this after seeing the interview at 11 pm the night it had also aired at


The editors yesterday posted a clarification on that point themselves at: : http://rockhill.wbtv.com/news/crime/gay-students-warned-act-straight-wake-teen-attacked-mob/61664 (Scroll down to bottom of story before comment begin.)


Thanks for considering posting your own clarification. I understand how it happened – just want your readers to as well.


Rebecca Masters
Assistant to the President for Public Affairs
114 Tillman Hall
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733

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