Chicago Men Beaten and Kicked in Anti-Gay Assault on CTA Train

A gay Chicago man says he was punched in the face by thugs after trying to stop them from kicking another gay man. The incident happened last Sunday on a northbound Red Line train that was packed with people who had just left the Northalsted Market Days festival, reports Windy City Times.

Paul W. Thompson said he was traveling home alone from Sidetrack at 3am when he overheard two men muttering anti-gay slurs. "I realized he was saying 'fucking faggots," Thompson told Windy City Times. "He was angry that there were all these 'fucking faggots' on the train." According to Thompson, he confronted the man and told him stop. "I stood up. I never took a step. I never leaned in." Thompson said that the harassment continued for 15 minutes. When Thompson gave directions to a gay couple from out of town to exit at Bryn Mawr, the same man told one person in the couple that gangs in the neighborhood would "beat his faggot ass" and then kicked him as he exited the train. When train doors opened at Thorndale, the man punched Thompson in the face and fled the El.

Thompson suffered minor head injuries and required seven stitches to his mouth. No word on the status of the man was kicked. CPD is investigating the incident as a possible anti-gay hate crime, reports WCT.

The North Halsted Market Days is an annual two-day festival in Chicago's Boystown. The Midwest's largest street festival attracts a largely LGBT crowd and more than 300,000 people over two days. Jennifer Holliday headlined this year's event.

Comments

[SouLKid]

Lord! SMH!

[Taylor Siluwé]

This is getting so tiresome. Let's hope they nail these guys. Fortunately, most things are caught on camera these days.

It makes me wonder if guys like this are even afraid of being locked up. Maybe they're used to it. I don't know. But something has to be done. The message has to be sent that assaulting strangers has the gravest of consequences.

Maybe they should bring back public humiliation. Put people like this in a medieval stockade right in the heart of a city's gayborhood and under a sign that says gay basher.

And if they survive that, then they go to prison. Because jail is like a second home to some of these young thugs; time to get creative.

[Honut Sinti]

I wonder how these thugs would act if the tables started to turn and more and more of them got what they try to dish out?

[BLACK]

You know this really pisses me off and I will never understand why people who commit these hate crimes feel they have the right to beat, harm and kill folks who they disagree with as opposed to the lifestyles of others. I was always told if you don't like something or someone you keep it to yourself and mind your business. I really feel that cowards who commit these crimes are not happy with themselves and they can't deal with their own issues many of whom are probably gay themselves and that is the irony of it all. I hope they catch them and one day they will attempt to bash the wrong gay person and get their ass whipped!!

[Rob]

It really is time for faggots to start carrying guns.