Bittersweet Video Of Gay Man Beaten For 'Wearing White Pants' Goes Viral
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A gay man says he was bruised and beaten after being targeted during Super Bowl weekend 'for wearing white pants.'
Jeffery Lafayette of San Francisco described the attack to KPIX 5's Mike Sugerman. One of his eyes is still swollen and there are bruises and cuts on his face and hands.
"I looked around. A group of guys started calling me girly. They called me faggot. They started approaching me," Lafayette said.
He got off the phone, talking to his mom back home, sensing trouble was coming.
"They started spitting on me, and punching me, and I couldn't even take it. I couldn't take it, all the hits they were giving me. So I fell, and I craddled my face, in the fetal position," Lafayette said.
He doesn't know how long the attack lasted, saying it seemed like forever until he was rescued by a friend.
"My coworker came out to look for me, and through legs, I saw my coworker, and he started running, and swinging, and he broke all of them up. He's six three and pretty nimble," Lafayette said.
Another friend Tamara Vinay came out of the bar after the beating.
Jeffrey said he was so upset he just wanted to go home, and didn't file a police report or check with a doctor. Advocates say it's important he does, to get it on the record.
"Many people believe or would like to believe that San Francisco is a place where we have conquered homophobia," Rebecca Rolfe, Executive Director of the LGBT Center said.
Jeffrey doesn't know if his attackers were locals, or visitors in town for the Super Bowl. He can only describe them as white men, maybe 20 of them.
He does know what he would say to them if he could.
"I'm sorry for whatever drives you for your hatred. And if you can forgive yourself, for that hatred, you can move on, to be a better person."
Jeffery posted the video on February 7 with a note, "The strength of love is more powerful than any fist!" It has gotten more than 11 million views.