Sun 5 Oct 2014 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
The accused trio: 26-year-old Kevin Harrigan, 24-year-old Kathryn Knott and 24-year-old Philip Williams. US: A gay couple viciously bashed in Philadelphia’s gay district has issued a stinging statement about the impact the attack has had. The daughter of a local police boss and two men have been charged over the violence in Center City on 11 September. They say they did not instigate the attack, which reportedly came after a group confronted the couple, made homophobic remarks and asked if they were together. When one of the victims said they were, witnesses say the gay men where punched and kicked in the face, while repeatedly being called faggots. One of the victims has multiple facial fractures. A rally attended by around 200 people called Love Over Hate has heard a statement from the victims, both in their 20s, who say while they are getting plenty of sympathy, they are sorry for their attackers - “People who believed it was OK, cool, maybe even funny, to use two innocent individuals as their punching bags and not even have the decency to apologise. Words are powerful. A simple, I’m sorry, would’ve went a long way with us.” It continues: “You butchered my boyfriend’s beautiful face. You violated our rights. You jeopardised our health and safety in a city that we love and during a time where so much progress around human rights has been made. ... We are also determined to do everything in our power to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else again.” The couple is calling for the passage of a hate crime bill in Pennsylvania. District Attorney Seth Williams has stated the vicious attack shocked the entire country, adding, “An assault on people because of their sexual orientation has no place in Philadelphia.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 5th October 2014 - 9:10am