Gay Artist Victim of Brutal Alleged Hate Crime in Queer Neighborhood
A gay man in Australia was beaten and left unconscious after a suspected hate crime attack earlier this year. The brutal assault occurred in Sydney’s famed Oxford Street gay district, and the public is being asked to help with the investigation and the young man’s medical expenses.The 33-year-old street artist from Sydney, identified only as Aaron, said he was the victim of a vicious and violent assault while walking Oxford Street in June of this year.
Frightened and traumatized by the event, Aaron said he only recently found the courage to reveal the details of the attack in a post to social media.He described how he was “assaulted by five men on Oxford Street” in the early morning hours of June 26 who “kicked, punched, head stomped” him before leaving him unconscious on the pavement.“I woke up not knowing where I was, with a broken nose, blood all over me, and my eyes swollen shut!” Aaron wrote of the incident in a post on Instagram while calling the attack a hate crime.
In a statement posted to Facebook last week, Surrey Hills Police wrote that “five males attempted to instigate a fight” with Aaron, who turned and walked away.
One of the suspects then “approached the victim and punched him several times in the face, causing facial injuries.”Police asked for the public’s help in identifying individuals who they say “may be able to assist” with the investigation.
