Brothers Gay-Bashed on Train Home From Philly Pride

Two brothers say they were violently attacked while riding home on a subway train from Sunday's Philly Pride Day Parade.

The brothers, who are remaining anonymous, told Philadelphia TV station WPVIthat a group of almost 10 teens started trouble the moment they got on the train. "They were going from one car to another," one brother said. "At first, we thought they were just going back and forth, but then we learned they were actually looking at what we had."

It escalated from there.

"They called us gay. It was basically a gay bashing," the victim said. "They told us to give up our phones or we had to fight." They refused to hand over their phones, and a fight indeed broke out. "They were punching us, we were punching them, but there were more of them so they go the best of us," he said.

"They separated us and they had me on one side and him, my brother, on the other side and that's when you heard the Taser," he continued. "They Tased him on the arm, chest, and leg."

The victim said that the train car was full, yet no one came to their aid. The fight did not end until the teens got off the train. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Police are now investigating the incident; they met with the victims Tuesday evening but say it's too early to call it a hate crime.

The brothers, however, say it was definitely a gay bashing. "It makes me really sad due to the fact that in this day and age that as gays we can't be ourselves, we can't be as free as we once hope to be," said the man who spoke to WPVI.