Tennessee mom pummels son's face for acting 'too feminine and too gay': police

A Tennessee mother has been charged with domestic assault after police said she repeatedly punched her son in the face because he was "too feminine and too gay."

WMC reported that Memphis police were called to a home at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, and found that Jacqueline Alexander's son had bruises on his face.

According to police, the son was lying in bed when Alexander began attacking him for “being too feminine and gay."

“No, that's not right. I mean that's her flesh and blood, her son," neighbor Tamika Heard lamented. "No, that's not right.”

Will Batts of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Center told WMC that it was not unusual for LGBT people to be attacked by their own family members.

“It's shocking every time it happens, but it's not new to us at the center," Batts explained. "We hear a lot of stories about people who are assaulted by family members. Young people who are kicked out of their houses when they come out to a parent.”

Authorities did not disclose the age or name of the son, but he reportedly lived with his mother.

Alexander was booked on charges of domestic assault, and bond was set at $1,000. A court date was set for Feb. 19.

Watch the video below from WMC, broadcast Feb. 19, 2015.

WMC Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee