Men Viciously Attack Group of LGBTQ+ Women in Florida

Several lesbians and one transgender woman were in a group of friends, that was viciously assailed in Wynwood, Fla., following an event held on Nov. 26. Video obtained by police shows two men verbally accosting the women before they began throwing punches.

One woman in the video was punched three times before being knocked unconscious. Others pleaded with the men to stop, while warning that they had contacted law enforcement. Another man intervened at one point to stand up for the women and was then also targeted by the attackers.

"This group of guys, basically, they just started screaming stuff at us, anti-lesbian comments, like, 'you’re only lesbians because you haven’t received actual' and he used a profanity word ... out of nowhere," one of the women told local television station WTVJ.

One victim described being struck in the jaw, which left her with a hairline fracture that may require surgery, as well as recurring nightmares about "seeing my friend on the floor non-responsive with blood."

Many of them said that they were "targeted" for their sexuality.

“I definitely felt targeted for sure, I mean they were definitely trying to hate on the fact that we were gay. I don't know why, I don't understand to this day why," said one victim.

The victims said that they believe the men who attacked them are professional fighters, and that they gave police the identity of one of them. Miami Police told the outlet that they are investigating the attack as a potential hate crime.

"We are actively working on the case. ... We are working with our LGBTQ+ liaison and SAO hate crime task force. We have to make sure we have everything lined up before we initiate our arrest(s)," a spokesperson told the outlet.

Given the nature of the crime, the victims said it is "concerning" that no arrests had been made at the time. Local authorities told The Advocate that no arrests have been made, but they are still actively investigating the incident.