Another gay couple was attacked on a London bus, and this time its because they wouldn’t kiss in front of strangers.
A lesbian couple was traveling home from a date in Camden on May 30. They then caught the unwanted attention of four men, one who spoke Spanish and the others with British accents.
“We climbed upstairs and took the front seats,” said 28-year-old Melania Geymonat. “We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us. I don’t remember if they were already there or if they got on after us.”
The four men then demanded that the women kiss in front of them. When they wouldn’t do it, the group harassed the couple and threw coins at them.
“They described sexual positions … the word ‘scissors’ stuck in my mind,” Ms Geymonat added.
Geymonat, a Ryanair flight attendant from Uruguay, says that the situation then became violent. The couple were later treated at a hospital for facial injuries. Geymonat adds that her phone and bag were also stolen.
Police are “following up” on the case by checking CCTV footage of the assault.
Just a selection of comments from Facebook underneath the article about the attack on a lesbian couple on a London bus.
The attack alone is not the only problem we face, and comments like these are made on a daily basis on most social media platforms.
Our fight is never over. pic.twitter.com/E200HBava6— Gaytie 🌞🏳️🌈 (@KatieAnnDuffy) June 7, 2019
Speaking to BB Radio 4’s World at One, Geymonat says that she’s dealt with verbal attacks because of her sexuality before, but she’d never been physically harmed until this event.
“They surrounded us and started saying really aggressive stuff, things about sexual positions, lesbians and claiming we could kiss so they could watch us.
“To ease the situation I tried to make some jokes, like Chris [her girlfriend] wasn’t understanding because she didn’t speak English.”
“She even acted as if she was sick… but they started throwing coins. The next thing I know Chris is in the middle of the bus and they are punching her.”
“So I immediately went there by impulse and tried to pull her out of there and they started punching me. I was really bleeding.”
“The police are extremely good; we are in close touch and they are investigating.”
News of the attack has spread online with several news sources and internet users condemning the attackers. London’s mayor Sadiq Khan judged the attack as disgusting and misogynistic while Health Secretary Matt Hancock expressed his shock at the news. He expressed his belief that “everyone has the right to love.”
This was a disgusting, misogynistic attack. Hate crimes against the LGBT+ community will not be tolerated in London.
The @metpoliceuk are investigating and appealing for witnesses. If you have any information – call 101. https://t.co/4zSqxyE6IP
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 7, 2019
This is appalling. Everyone has the right to love and I was proud to support equal marriage. Any Government I lead will support people’s right to love, life and happinesshttps://t.co/TeAxLuh4CA
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) June 7, 2019
Good that you call the a lesbian couple given some site somewhere else refuses to acknowledge what is a lesbian. Not only a mysoginistic attack, Khan; it’s primarily a homophobic attack.