Metro Weekly

Gay man claims he was attacked for being a Republican

Image from Kyle Wood's Twitter accountUPDATE (Mon., 8:43pm): Madison Police say Kyle Woodrecanted his earlier statements in regards to this crime.” In addition, the crime will be cleared as “Unfounded.” In other words, it appears that Kyle Wood either fabricated the story about an attack or is unwilling to continue with his story at this time.

Last week, Wood used his Twitter feed to thank several well-known gay conservatives for their support. He has not made an update yet to explain the police report. Read the latest here.

ORIGINAL POST:

A website called Watchdog.org reports that a 29-year-old gay man named Kyle Wood was attacked last week in Madison, Wisconsin. Based on several pieces of evidence, Wood seems to think the incident occurred because he supports the campaign of a Republican candidate. 

Wood said he only briefly saw the alleged attacker, a 6’2″ white man, who reportedly slammed Wood’s head against the door frame of his home, put a “ligature” around his neck, shoved his face into a mirror, then punched and kicked him. The alleged attack lasted around a minute, and Wood cannot recall how the incident ended. A photo posted shows Wood in a neck brace. He has abrasions on his forehead and two thin, parallel lines on his neck (about an inch apart).Kyle Wood from Watchdog.org

A week earlier, the report claims, epithets were “scrawled” on Wood’s car that read: “‘Housetrained Republican faggot’ and ‘You’re like a Jew for Hitler.'”

In the interview Wood criticizes Wisconsin’s gay Democrats Tammy Baldwin and Mark Pocan for not making statements about his case. Wood is working on the campaign of Pocan’s rival, Chad Lee. Both men are looking to claim Baldwin’s U.S. House seat. She is currently running for the U.S. Senate.

Police are investigating the matter, and the Watchdog.org report ends with Wood saying: 

“I’m not going to be bullied into voting for someone just because I fall into the same imagined group as he does…. I’m going to vote for a representative that votes my values.”

Get Last Word in your inbox. Join our mailing list.

Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism

These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!