In a disturbing continuation of a distressing trend, a gay man walking from a nightclub to the subway early Saturday morning was attacked by a group of men. One man, Manuel Riquelme, 19, was arrested for assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime.
The victim has been identified as Eugene Lovendusky, a LGBT activist. His friend, Alan Bounville, wrote on Facebook, "...a group of 9-10 men attacked one of my dearest friends, Eugene Lovendusky. They yelled ‘faggot’ at Eugene as he was punched in the jaw."
The attack occurred at 3:22 a.m. outside of 350 West 42nd Street. According to NY1, "Lovendusky and his boyfriend and another friend were leaving the XL nightclub and walking towards a nearby subway stop. Police say a group of nine teenagers, including Riquelme, passed the three men and started calling them anti-gay slurs. Riquelme allegedly hit Lovendusky in the face and knocked off the victim's glasses, according to police. After the alleged incident, Lovendusky called police and officers found the teens in a pizzeria at West 40th Street and Ninth Avenue."
Lovendusky had spoken during the rally against hate crimes (and in memory of Mark Carson, who was killed in the West Village on May 17). There have been a number of gay bashings in recent weeks, prompting the NYPD to increase patrols.
