Beyoncé took to her official website to pay tribute to O’Shae Sibley, the gay dancer and choreographer who was fatally stabbed while voguing to the singer’s song on Saturday. According to NBC News, the fatal incident occurred at a gas station in Brooklyn, and authorities announced they’re investigating his killing as a possible hate crime.
“REST IN POWER O’SHAE SIBLEY,” Beyoncé shared on her website. The singer is an outspoken LGBTQ advocate, and she worked with several queer artists on her Renaissance album. In 2019, the 41-year-old and her husband Jay-Z were honored at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The organization’s president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, described the singer and her husband as “global icons and passionate defenders of human rights and acceptance for all people.”
Witnesses said Sibley was voguing to Beyoncé’s music when a group of men came to him and told him to stop. They also said Sibley, 28, was fatally stabbed when he attempted to calm tempers. Sayeda Haider, who was also a witness, said an individual with the group was against the victim dancing, adding that after “a few fights and back and forth arguing, he pulled out a knife and stabbed him.”
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A video of the fatal encounter was shared on Facebook Live by Sibley’s friend, Otis Pena. “They murdered him because he’s gay, because he stood up for his friends,” said Pena in the video. “His name was O’Shae, and you all killed him. You all murdered him right in front of me.”
An investigation into the victim’s killing has since been launched by the New York City Police Department’s hate crimes task force. Authorities are also searching for a 17-year-old suspect in connection with the incident.
“Now, you have an incident like we saw over the weekend with this young man who was experiencing that hate crime, and we will find the person responsible,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference on Monday, per NBC News. “It shakes our confidence when you have someone that randomly assaults someone, who could have a real mental health issue, on the streets. It shakes your confidence.”
Openly gay New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Signal, in a tweet on Monday, also said he was “heartbroken and enraged to learn about O’Shae Sibley’s death.” “Despite homophobes’ best efforts, gay joy is not crime. Hate-fueled attacks are,” he added.
In a statement on Tuesday, GLAAD said Sibley is the fifth LGBTQ person murdered in recent weeks. “Sibley’s shocking murder follows a disturbing rise in violence and harassment against LGBTQ people across the U.S. This cannot continue. No one should have to fear for their safety just for being themselves,” the organization said.
“Politicians spewing lies and proposing policies filled with disinformation, and media repeating their false and dangerous rhetoric unchallenged, are creating an incredibly hostile environment that endangers all LGBTQ people and all queer people of color.”
