Cops: Mom punched son in face for being gay, 'too feminine'

MEMPHIS, TN -- A Tennessee mother is accused of beating her son because she thought he was gay and ''too feminine,'' WREG-TV reports.

Jacqueline Alexander is accused of punching her son in the face.

"I don't see how you could do that to your own child, first of all. And second of all, because of how that person, that they are or because what that person is... that's terrible," said Memphis resident Michael Hennaghan.

Police say she attacked her son in their apartment on the 5900 block of Mt. Moriah Wednesday night. They say the boy had bruises on his face when they arrived.

It's a thought that sickens leaders in the memphis LGBT community. But they say it happens all too often.

"We certainly have lots of kids and adults that come into the center and talk about being abused or hurt in some way by the people that are supposed to be the ones that care most about them," said Will Batts, human rights advocate.

Batts said he wants to see a change in how people think, an acceptance of all, regardless of their sexual orientation, and to break the barriers of gender stereotypes.

"We live with these really strict rules about how people should act or dress or talk or behave, and life is so much more complicated than that," Batts said.