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A 17-year-old lesbian was attacked on Thursday night in Calgary, Canada, and police are considering the assault a possible hate-crime, reports Calgary's CTV News.
The teenager, who is not being publicly identified for her own safety, was getting off the bus Thursday night near her home in New Brighton, when she says four teenage boys jumped her, punching and kicking her while yelling homophobic slurs. The teenager suffered a black eye, split lip, cuts on her cheek and forehead, and one of her eyes is swollen shut.
"I'm pretty shaken up," the out teenager told CTV. "It's hard not to be scared. This is my neighborhood and I've always felt safe in it, and now I don't."
The 17-year-old said that one of the attackers recorded the assault on his phone, and she hopes the video appears online to help bring her attackers to justice. Sadly, she also says this isn't the first time she's been subjected to antigay harassment.
"I've had people throw things at me and play 'pick on the lesbian on the bus,'" she said, "and put gum in my hair, but nobody has physically assaulted me until now."
Calgary police have spoken with the victim several times, and the department's Hate Crimes Unit is investigating the attack, according to CTV, although they have yet to confirm whether the assault was bias-motivated or just a random instance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at <em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>
<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at <em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>
