Melania Geymonat (right) and girlfriend Chris after being attacked on a London night bus / Image via Facebook & Melania Geymonat
Another same-sex couple was attacked on a London bus, and this time its because they wouldn’t kiss in front of strangers.
The lesbian couple was traveling home from a date in Camden on May 30. They then caught the unwanted attention of four men, one who spoke Spanish and the others with British accents.
“We climbed upstairs and took the front seats,” said 28-year-old Melania Geymonat. “We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us. I don’t remember if they were already there or if they got on after us.”
The four men then demanded that the two women kiss in front of them. When they wouldn’t do it, the men harassed the women and threw coins at them.
“They described sexual positions … the word ‘scissors’ stuck in my mind,” Ms Geymonat added.
Geymonat, a Ryanair stewardess from Uruguay, says that the situation became violent and they were assaulted by the men. Geymonat also says that her phone and bag were stolen as well. The couple was later treated at a hospital for facial injuries.
Police are following up on the case by checking CCTV footage of the assault.
Speaking to BB Radio 4’s World at One, Geymonat says that she’s dealt with verbal attacks because of her sexuality before, but she’d never been physically harmed until this event.
News of the attack has spread online with several news sources and internet users condemning the attackers. London’s mayor Sadiq Khan judged the assault as disgusting and misogynistic, while Health Secretary Matt Hancock shared his shock at the news. He also expressed his belief that “everyone has the right to love.”
