Crime
TikTok Maker Punched, Called Antigay Slur in Homophobic Attack

Police are investigating it as a hate crime.
October 02 2020 10:34 AM EST
October 02 2020 11:34 AM EST
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Police are investigating it as a hate crime.
A 24-year-old man was punched in the face and called an antigay slur while filming a TikTok video with a female friend in New York City, and police are investigating the attack as a hate crime.
The unidentified assailant came up behind the man and woman about 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the Financial District in lower Manhattan and made an unsolicited comment, which included the slur, according to New York TV station WABC and other local outlets. The New York Daily News published a truncated version of the slur, which appears to have been "fucking f****t."
The two men fought briefly, and the attacker hit the video-maker in the face and the back of the head as the woman tried to intervene. The victim was left with a bloody nose and a cut to his lip but declined medical treatment at the scene.
The attacker ran from the area. He was described as a white man with blond hair, 5 foot 9 to 5 foot 10, and weighing about 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers.
The assault was captured on TikTok, and the New York Police Department has released the video. Its bias crimes unit is investigating. The NYPD asks that anyone with information call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes have been on the rise in recent years. Information released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation late last year showed that of the 7,120 reported hate crimes in 2018, 16.7 percent were motivated by sexual orientation and 2.2 percent by gender identity. In 2017, crimes based on sexual orientation accounted for 15.9 percent of the total, and crimes based on gender identity for 1.7 percent.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.