A lesbian couple in Halifax, Canada was assaulted by a group of men who were shouting homophobic slurs at them.
Emma MacLean and her girlfriend, Tori, were walking down the street celebrating one of their birthdays when a group of men made a rude comment at MacLean, CTV News reports.
“A group of men walking in the other direction and they made a comment to me,” said Emma MacLean. “My girlfriend, Tori, said, ‘Hey that’s my girlfriend.’”
This response led to the men making explicitly homophobic remarks at the two, taunting them both.
“They continued walking and then Tori followed them to basically verbally be like, ‘That is not okay,’” MacLean said.
That’s when the men started attacking Tori.
“I see Tori being pushed on the stairs right in front of the BMO Centre and they are cement stairs and she’s on her back, that’s when all the men started punching and kicking her,” she continued.
MacLean said that she yelled for them to stop before she got involved in the fight to protect her girlfriend.
“The fight or flight came in. Basically jumped on one of their backs and put them in a chokehold, trying to restrain them.”
A bystander alerted police shortly after the fight ended. They spoke with one of the men involved in the incident, and he told them that it was the two women who had initiated the fight. The rest of the men refused to cooperate and give IDs, however.
There are currently no charges as police are investigating the situation.
Both MacLean and Tori suffered injuries. Tori had bruises covering her body, while MacLean had a chipped tooth, a broken nose, and many bruises as well.
MacLean said, “I felt punches and kicks and then I felt it on my nose and there was blood. I just thought this needs to stop now. I went to emerge the night of and they basically said it was too swollen for surgery.”
“I’m terrified to go downtown again in Halifax. I just feel like it’s so out of your control on what could happen. It’s overwhelming. I didn’t expect something like this to happen, especially with it happening during Pride Month as well.”
I’ve been called stuff before just walk away. I mean sure it sucks but it’s not worth getting the shit kicked out of you. Espically women vs men what did they hope to accomplish?
People should always be able to stand up for themselves, and to speak up for others who can't.
The real problem here is that we let hate crime persist, so it continues.
Being silent and allowing hate to grow is exactly how it spirals out of control on a societal level. This shit needed to be shut down hard and fast, so these punks understand that their behaviour is universally rejected.
Worked out well for them didn’t it? Sorry two women against a group of men it could have been way worse. You have to choose your battles.
I don't think anyone expects to be beaten up over calling someone out.
But staying silent is exactly why it's been "ok" to beat people up over their sexual orientation, race, religion, mental health, gender, disability, or housing situation.
If more people spoke up and spoke out, then we'd all be safer.
I don't think people should have to just quietly take hate on the street. Standing up for themselves was the right thing to do, but the outcome is terrible this time.