William Southern, who recently moved to Washington, D.C., says he and a friend were the target of a violent hate crime this past Sunday.
In a post on his Instagram, Southern wrote that he and his friend, Robbie Barletta, were at the corner of 16th and U Street when the incident occurred.
According to Southern, they were attacked and beaten by mob of 4 men and a woman simply because they were gay.
Both men suffered several cuts and bruises, and Southern was sent to the emergency room for stitches to treat a split lip.
Southern posted photos of his injuries as well as their bloodied t-shirts.
But the social media post was not a ‘woe-is-me’ story. Southern makes it clear the incident only underscores his self-confidence in knowing who he is and living his life out loud.
“I will never stop being gay, I will never feel ashamed of who I am,” writes Southern. “Most importantly, I will never let anyone around me feel like less of a person simply because of who they are!”
He also thanked members of his Stonewall kickball league family for being there for him even though he’s a fairly new transplant to the DC area.
Southern closed his post with an upbeat message of community unity, writing, “May we stand strong and move forward.”
