New York gay bar owner warns of ‘anti-gay resurgence’ after fourth attack
Attacks on gay bars across America continue, with a New York City venue being attacked for the fourth time in a month. A CCTV video posted on Twitter shows a man hurling a brick at VERS in Manhattan, whilst patrons are still inside on Saturday night.
The bar’s owner, David DeParolesa, told the New York Post that he had anticipated potential for anti-LGBTQ+ attacks when he opened it, installing shatterproof glass as protection.
This meant no one was harmed by the brick, although a window was cracked by the attacker. DeParolesa described the series of incidents as “unnerving”, and “yet another manifestation of hate against our community.” “One disturbing thing about what’s happening to VERS is this guy isn’t trying to break in, he’s doing this during business hours … There’s an ominous feeling that this won’t cease or that it could escalate,” he told the New York Times.
He attributed this to the political movement against LGBTQ+ people in America: an “emboldened anti-gay, anti-trans resurgence,” occurring in the United States’ political sphere.
