Dave Chappelle's 'bisexual' attacker speaks out, says comedian's LGBTQ jokes were 'triggering' and Chappelle should be more 'sensitive'



The man accused of physically attacking comedian Dave Chappelle onstage during his Hollywood Bowl show earlier this month told the New York Post in an exclusive interview that Chappelle's jokes about the LGBTQ community and homelessness were "triggering" and that the funnyman should be more "sensitive."

“I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering,” 23-year-old Isaiah Lee told the paper at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. “I wanted him to know that next time he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.”

What's the background?

Video captured the moment Chappelle was tackled during his May 3 show as well as the aftermath:

Dave Chappelle Tackled, Slammed on Stage at Hollywood Bowl by Man with Gun | TMZ youtu.be

“They spat on me and twisted me as if on purpose,” Lee told the paper in regard to security guards who broke his arm and gave him two black eyes.

It was initially reported that Lee was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and booked into jail on $30,000 bail.

This is the general kind of weapon the suspect in Dave Chappelle attack had according to @LAPDHQ It's a replica gun w/ a folding knife blade attached. $13 dollars on line Details of night that could've been so much worse live from @HollywoodBowl @FOXLApic.twitter.com/Du3ZUxd1PZ
— Phil Shuman (@Phil Shuman) 1651702687

However, two days after the attack, the L.A. County district attorney's office declined to bring felony charges against Lee. Instead he was charged with four misdemeanors: battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer; Lee pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The County DA's report said "slow motion review of video footage of the incident revealed that the suspect did not have the weapon in his hand at the time he rushed and tackled victim Chappelle," KCBS-TV reported, adding that the DA's report said "felony assault charges do not appear to be warranted because of the nature of the unarmed assault, the lack of injuries, and because no weapon was actually used in the assault."

A judge denied a request that Lee be released on his own recognizance; if found guilty, Lee faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail, KCBS said.

What else did Lee have to say?

Lee told the Post he got angry when Chappelle joked about homelessness as well as his headline-grabbing controversies over material about the LGBTQ community in his special last fall, "The Closer."

“I’m also a single dad, and my son is five,” Lee — who once was homeless — added to the paper. “It’s a struggle, and I wanted Dave Chappelle to know it’s not a joke.”

Lee also told the Post another comedian in the show’s lineup make a crude joke about pedophilia, which brought back memories of being molested at age 17 while under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles.

Lee told the paper Chappelle asked him backstage at the Hollywood Bowl why he attacked him: “I told him my mother and grandmother, who fought for his civil rights to be able to speak, would be upset at the things he said."

Lee noted to the Post that Chappelle replied, “Now your story will die with you, son.”

“But he’s wrong,” Lee told the paper. “I’m sitting here talking to you about it.”

Anything else?

The Post said the physical attack against Chappelle led to more criminal charges against Lee, who's accused of stabbing his roommate last year. The victim identified Lee as his attacker after the Chappelle incident went viral, the Post said, citing prosecutors.

Lee added to the paper that legal issues "went from me probably only doing six months [in jail] and having to do community service and living in a transitional home" in connection to the Chappelle case "to possibly 15 or more years in jail" over the stabbing charges.

"My son will be big by the time I get out," Lee told the Post.

A representative for Chappelle didn't return the paper's request for comment.

Isaiah Lee, man who attacked Dave Chappelle onstage, admits why he charged comedianyoutu.be

Harry Styles being accused of 'queerbaiting' means gender ambiguity is no longer enough for the LGBT movement. People must pick sides and be 'loud and proud.'



In a strange departure from the left's typical support for gender ambiguity, flamboyant pop star Harry Styles is reportedly under fire from some progressive critics for refusing to say publicly whether or not he is bisexual.

The backlash apparently stems from a recent interview he conducted with Better Homes & Garden, published on Tuesday, in which the former boy band singer turned solo act offered a controversially dodgy answer on the subject.

Citing his desire for personal privacy, Styles rebutted the media's frequent attempts to find clarity regarding his sexual orientation, calling the concept "outdated," anyways.

"I've been really open with it with my friends, but that's my personal experience; it's mine," he told the magazine. "The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn't matter, and it's about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you're checking."

Some evidently found his reasons for not disclosing who he's slept with to be fair enough. But according to EuroNews, others were left dissatisfied.

The outlet reported that some critics on social media "critiqued his privilege as an ostensibly straight man to be able to remove himself from discussions while still embracing a queer aesthetic."

The concept is reportedly known as "queerbaiting," and it loosely describes a scenario in which someone adopts the aesthetics of queer culture without committing to identifying with LGBT culture at large.

"To critics, queerbaiting allows people a free ride on the aesthetic without the personal difficulties associated with openly identifying as queer in a heteronormative world," EuroNews reported.

In Styles' case, queer critics charge that he is benefitting from LGBTQ+ support without publicly coming out as bisexual.

One might think that Styles' increasingly outward embrace of the LGBTQ+ movement would be celebrated by those in the camp.

But it seems the pop star's Pride flag-waving and extravagant dress-wearing are not enough in the new transgender-crazed world. He needs to reject the heteronormative lifestyle in full or go back to being a normal masculine male.

"Translation: I’m a straight man that wants to keep my queerbait marketing strategy," one critic charged.

They added: "If he is actually queer it would be more important for him to voice that than keep it ambiguous. People in our community (especially black people) are constantly at risk for showing who they are and doing it flamboyantly, and that’s the reason we’re at the place we are now."

Translation: I\u2019m a straight man that wants to keep my queerbait marketing strategyhttps://twitter.com/popcrave/status/1519002262395314180\u00a0\u2026
— \ud83e\udd8bda vinky\ud83e\udd8b (@\ud83e\udd8bda vinky\ud83e\udd8b) 1651102101

"Ding ding ding!!!" one person replied in approval of the message.

Another critic wrote: "That would be nice if that was the case, but queerness is under attack constantly. Especially in some states where u can't even say gay. We can't all live in 2050 where ambiguous sexuality is the norm. We are living in 2022 and we need allies who will be loud and stand with us."

That would be nice if that was the case, but queerness is under attack constantly. Especially in some states where u can't even say gay. We can't all live in 2050 where ambiguous sexuality is the norm. We are living in 2022 and we need allies who will be loud and stand with us.https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1519002262395314180\u00a0\u2026
— jeromanoff \ud83d\udd2a\u29d7 (@jeromanoff \ud83d\udd2a\u29d7) 1651079886

"No hate but it seems more like a marketing strategy than anything else, he is benefiting from the sexual ambiguity around him, if he comes out as gay or bi....he'll be less relevant cuz there is nothing new about a queer person wearing a dress or painting his nails," added another.

no hate but it seems more like a marketing strategy than anything else, he is benefiting from the sexual ambiguity around him, if he comes out as gay or bi....he'll be less relevant cuz there is nothing new about a queer person wearing a dress or painting his nails
— Narimene ISSAAD (@Narimene ISSAAD) 1651016920

Still another commenter voiced a similar rebuke, saying, "I respect that he wants to preserve his own experiences, but then, he shouldn't sell it like it doesn't matter, especially when people die in the middle of these speeches, I believe we need and must talk it out loud and proud, today more than ever."

i respect that he wants to preserve his own experiences, but then, he shouldnt sell it like it doesnt matter, especially when people die in the middle of these speeches, i believe we need and must talk it out loud and proud, today more than ever
— DANTAS (@DANTAS) 1651001734

And the list went on. It's a strange new world.

Gallup polling finds that 7.1% of US adults identify as LGBT



According to data collected across 13 Gallup polls conducted in 2021, 7.1% of U.S. adults identify as LGBT or as something besides heterosexual.

While not all members of Generation Z have arrived at adulthood yet, Gallup reported that among those in Gen Z who were born between 1997 and 2003, a whopping 20.8% identify as LGBT. This contrasts with the 10.5% of Millennials, 4.2% of Generation X, 2.6% of Baby Boomers, and 0.8% of Traditionalists who identify this way.

The numbers clearly show that younger generations identify as LGBT in a significantly higher proportion than older generations.

"Given the large disparities in LGBT identification between younger and older generations of Americans, the proportion of all Americans who identify as LGBT can be expected to grow in the future as younger generations will constitute a larger share of the total U.S. adult population," Gallup noted.

A majority (56.8%) of the U.S. adults who identify as LGBT say they are bisexual, a figure that equates to 4% of U.S. adults, according to Gallup.

While 20.7% of LGBT U.S. adults say that they are gay, 13.9% identify as lesbian, 10% as transgender, and 4.3% as something else — Gallup noted that the sum of these percentages exceeds 100% because respondents could select more than one category.

Various LGBT-related issues have been the focal point of ongoing culture wars in the U.S., such as whether bakers and florists who object to homosexual marriage have the right to decline to service same-sex weddings, and whether biological males who identify as women should be allowed to compete in women's sports.

Making Superman Gay Doesn’t Make Him Bold Or Brave

Inclusiveness is good, but tinkering with the sexuality or political outlook of fictional heroes does not necessarily improve their character.

EDITORIAL: Dean Cain Gets It Right: Bi Superman Isn’t Brave Or Bold – Having The Guts To Say So Is

'He said the move amounted to little more than bandwagoning.'