Queer Men Assaulted in Alleged Hate Crime at Boston Bar

Three men, all identifying as queer, say they were the victims of a homophobic assault outside a Boston bar over the weekend.

The three "were physically assaulted by a group of straight men" outside Jacque's (a.k.a. Jacques) Cabaret early Saturday morning, according to one of them, Michael Flowers, who described the attack in a series of Facebook posts.

The men had been attending a kink and fetish party called Fascination at the club; one of them was waiting for a ride, accompanied by Flowers, one of the organizers of Fascination, when the presumably straight men began bothering them and a third queer man.

The attackers used antigay slurs, including "faggot," while kicking and punching the three, he wrote. "The conflict escalated into a multi-person fight," he said in one Facebook post. "I remember getting hit in the face several times." Another of the men was knocked to the ground and "was getting kicked and punched repeatedly," and after the assailants fled, Flowers noticed that a third victim's face was covered in blood, he said.

"All three of the individuals assaulted are comfortable acknowledging this as a hate crime influenced by their identities and presentations as queer people," Flowers wrote in a separate post.

The victims said they were traumatized, although they did not require hospitalization. "What we were always scared of happening to us has finally happened," they said in a joint statement to local media. They want to see the attackers charged with hate crimes.

The Boston Police Department's civil rights division is investigating the incident. One of the victims "stated that the suspect struck him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, where he was struck with a shod foot multiple times to the face," police Sgt. John Boyle told Boston Magazine. "During the attack, the suspect used words that have bias indicators." He referred to one suspect and two victims, as opposed to Flowers's account of three victims and multiple suspects. When asked about the discrepancy, Boyle said the investigation is at a very early stage.

Flowers said Fascination organizers will find a different venue for the event, as Jacque's has proved "to be an unsafe space for our queer patrons." The club hosts a variety of events, some primarily of interest to LGBTQ patrons, some more oriented to a straight audience, according to Boston media outlets.

An employee at the club said management is cooperating with the investigation. The police department asks that anyone with information call its tip line at (800) 494-TIPS or text the word "TIP" to CRIME (27463).