I found out late last night that a good friend of mine and his boyfriend were physically assaulted at a gym in Philadelphia. The man who assaulted them was an openly proud Trump supporter.
Apparently, my friend and his boyfriend hugged quickly after a workout set. The man, wearing a Trump T-shirt walked over to them and said, “Get the fuck out of my gym you faggots! Your days of thinking you’re allowed to be this way are fucking done!” The guy then proceeded to shove my friend into a wall and his boyfriend into a piece of workout equipment. “I can do whatever the fuck I want now! Get out of my fucking country!”
There was a brief struggle after that and several gym goers restrained the Trump supporter while police were called. The man was arrested for assault and battery. Suffice it to say, my friend is deeply shaken up. Neither one of them were severely injured, but this has rattled them both. I spent an hour on the phone with him today going over what he can do, and to remain strong. I reassured him that he has a lot more support around this country than that asshat that attacked him and his boyfriend.
This is getting more and more serious by the day. The bigots and homophobes feel absolutely emboldened by Trump’s win, and many in the LGBT community are scared. Acts of terror against those in a minority group are ramping up.