UPDATE: Clayton Garzon Will Go to Trial in For All Charges + Hate Crime Enhancement

UPDATE: "Every charge, including the hate crime enhancement, was upheld today after the 3rd day of our case's preliminary hearing," according to Mikey's Justice Fund. "This means we are going to trial."

ORIGINAL STORY: The preliminary hearing for accused hate-attacker Clayton Garzon continued Monday, with a linguistics expert arguing that that gay slurs used by Garzon “do not necessarily demonstrate bias against homosexuals,” according to the Davis Enterprise.

Garzon is facing trial in the beating of 32-year-old Mikey Partida, who is gay. Partida was found unconscious outside a party on I Street in Davis on March 10.

Garzon used the word "faggot" repeatedly during the incident, but defense attorney Linda Parisi is arguing that the attack was not fueled by anti-gay hatred.

She brought in Brigham Young University linguistics professor William Eggington, who equated Garzon’s words with challenges toward a person’s masculinity, rather than attacks on sexuality.

“There’s a wide range of usage attached to the words ‘fag’ and ‘faggot,’” said Eggington, according to the Enterprise.

Partida’s sister, Vivian, posted the following on the Mikey’s Justice Fund Facebook page Tuesday:

“I look forward to the day when the word ‘faggot’ will be synonymous with the ‘f’ word; indicative of the gross measure of hate and violence associated with its expression."

Lauren Keene of the Davis Enterprise is covering the trial closely and tweeting details regularly. You can also find more information in the Sacramento Bee.

The case continues Tuesday, and the judge is expected to decide if there’s enough evidence for Garzon to stand trial.

What do you think of Parisi's argument about nuanced language in this case?