A GoFundMe page has been created for a gay man in Florida who was left with multiple injuries and mounting medical expenses after he was brutally attacked by two men yelling antigay slurs earlier this month.
Greg Breidenbach was walking home in Coconut Grove in Miami on the evening of July 8 when he was attacked. The popular flight attendant for American Airlines remembers being pummeled to the ground by two men yelling slurs before blacking out.
“I knew I was punched, kept getting punched in the face, kicked in the back and they just kept calling me f*gg*t,” Breidenbach told local ABC affiliate WPLG.
He was found unconscious in the street by police and taken to a local hospital.
“What I have heard from the cops, they found me barely clothed, like in the streets,” Breidenbach continued. “My cheekbone has completely shattered. My orbital bone is completely cracked in half. My nasal cavity is fractured. My nasal cavity is separated from the sinus cavity.”
Breidenbach underwent facial reconstructive surgery on July 12, which has left him with multiple metal plates in his face and will sideline him from work for a minimum of two months.
The flight attendant is an active member of the local LGBTQ+ community. Breidenbach serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Club of Coconut Grove where he’s the bingo chair. He also participates in the annual Mango Strut parade.
Friends describe Breidenbach as outgoing and vivacious, and always willing to help those in need. Now those friends are trying to return the favor with a GoFundMe page (@greg-breidenbachs-road-to-recovery) to help defray Breidenbach’s rising medical and living expenses while he is out of work.
The GoFundMe has raised more than $24,000 with an original goal of $20,000. Many of those donating to Breidenbach's recovery are also flight attendants with American Airlines.
Breidenbach said he is sharing his story in part to warn others of the dangers of hate but also let the world know he is not backing down.
“Was it my fault that something happened to me? Was I too flamboyant? Was I too happy?” he told local Fox affiliate WSVN. “And then you think, ‘No, that’s not it, that’s not it. It’s just that there’s bad people out there.’”
Anyone with information about the attack should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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