A 45-year-old man was punched and called anti-gay slurs at Union Square Park late this month, police said.
A man between 25 and 30 years old pummeled another man and shouted homophobic statements at him during a random attack at East 17 Street and Union Square West on the afternoon of January 21 . The incident resulted in bruising to the victim’s mouth, according to police.
Police are still searching for the alleged attacker. Police said the assailant was last seen wearing a purple hooded sweater, blue jeans, and black sneakers.
This attack is among the latest in a series of anti-LGBTQ attacks in New York City. In a Gay City News exclusive on January 29, a gay couple shared video footage showing the moment when a homophobe harassed them at their doorstep on January 24 and threatened them.
In December, meanwhile, authorities reported that a man hurled homophobic slurs and punched a teenager while exiting an MTA bus. The incident drew immediate attention from top officials. On December 22, Governor Andrew Cuomo denounced the attackers and homophobia in New York.
“This violent attack, which targeted a teenager as they were exiting the bus, is repugnant to everything we stand for in New York, and I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to immediately offer assistance investigating this cowardly act,” Cuomo said in a written statement.
Days later, the NYPD reported a similar incident in the Bronx. Three assailants threw food cans at a 19-year-old and repeatedly bashed him with anti-gay rhetoric.
“Hey faggot, take off your fucking wig,” the alleged assailants said, a police spokesperson told Gay City News. “You faggots don’t belong on this block.”
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