Omaha police are investigating an
incident which left one man with a gash in his forehead and two
chipped teeth as a hate crime.
According to the Omaha
World-Herald, Ryan Langenegger, a 22-year-old straight
Marine, was attacked on Saturday for standing up for his gay friends.
Langenegger and friends Joshua Foo, 29,
and 25-year-old Jacob Gellinger, who was dressed in drag following a
performance at a nearby drag show, decided to leave an eatery in
Omaha's Old Market neighbor to escape the leers of a man.
Langenegger said they were followed out
of the restaurant by three men who started verbally harassing them.
Gellinger said, “I know I am a boy in
a dress,” and the man who stared at him in the restaurant replied,
“Yeah, and you're [expletive] disgusting,” according to
Langenegger.
Langenegger told the men that he and
his friends didn't want any trouble. One of the men punched him in
the face, then, laughing, the three left.
Police said Thursday that they were
investigating the incident as a hate crime.
“Hopefully more people realize this
is a problem,” Langenegger told the paper. “People need to be
more accepting of everyone.”
A rally to increase awareness is
planned for Saturday. The Drag Out
Hate! rally will feature a peaceful walk through the Old
Market led by drag queens and kings.