"There are a lot of people's rights at risk": Lesbian couple speaks out after bus attack in London
A fifth suspect is in custody in connection with a homophobic attack on a lesbian couple in London. Melania Geymonat, 28, and her partner, 29-year-old Chris, were travelling on a city bus where they were assaulted by a group of teens last month after they allegedly refused to kiss each other on demand.
In an interview with BBC News, Chris said won't be afraid to show affection in public moving forward. "I am not scared about being visibly queer. If anything, you should do it more. There are a lot of people's rights at risk and people's basic safety is at risk," she said.
"I want people to take away that they should stand up for themselves," she said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said the May 30 assault was "sickening," and London Mayor Sadiq Khan called it a "disgusting, misogynistic attack."
Geymonat told BBC News she had previously experienced "a lot of verbal violence" but had never been physically attacked over her sexuality. "The violence is not only because we are women which are dating each other, it's also because we are women," she said.
Police in London have arrested five suspects, aged 15 to 18, on suspicion of robbery and an aggravated hate crime. Police said they were reviewing security footage of the attack.