Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion was gay, which may have been one reason why he was beaten so severely during a hazing attack in Orlando last semester, the Champion family’s attorney said Tuesday. Attorney Christopher Chestnut, speaking at a news conference with Champion’s parents in Orlando, said the family came forward to discuss their son’s sexuality because rumors had been swirling that the 26-year-old student was hazed specifically because of his “alternative lifestyle.”

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