Police in Manhattan are looking for six people who allegedly
attacked two gay men in the Chelsea neighbor as they walked home from
a movie theater early Wednesday morning.
Peter Notman and Michael Felenchak said they were holding hands as
they walked home when they heard anti-gay slurs
“These guys just started yelling at us, like, 'What are you
looking at, faggot?” Felenchak
told NY1.
“They just came up and they hit Peter like this and they just
hit me like this. They hit me so hard that I fell on the ground, and
they were kicking and punching me. And those were the first two
guys, and then four guys came out of nowhere.”
The two men spent nearly the entire night in the emergency room.
Felenchak's wounds required seven stitches.
City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn spoke
out against the attack during a press conference on Wednesday.
“I am appalled by reports that two men were senselessly beaten
in Chelsea simply because they were perceived to be gay,” Quinn
said. “The cowardly individuals who committed this crime do not
represent New Yorkers and our community will not be cowed by such
violence. New York City's greatest strength is our diversity, and we
will not stand for attacks against anyone, for any reason.”
New York City is facing a rash of anti-gay attacks, including the
murder of Mark Carson in May.
(Related: In
New York, thousands march to protest killing of Mark Carson, a gay
man.)