Identities of a group of men are being sought following a violent anti-gay incident that took place outside Jacques Cabaret in Boston early Saturday morning, following a Friday, Nov. 2, night event. Anyone with information that might lead toward identifying the alleged attackers should call Boston Police Crime Stoppers at 800-494-TIPS.
Three men—Michael Flowers, organizer of the bimonthly Fascination fetish gear and kink event that takes place in the basement of Jacques, and two others—describe being provoked with anti-gay slurs and beaten while waiting for a ride outside the club.
“The [attackers] were attending the show upstairs and used anti-gay epithets, including the word f@gg0t during the assault,” according to a November 2 posting on the event’s Facebook page. “All three of the individuals assaulted are comfortable acknowledging this as a hate crime influenced by their identities and presentations as queer people. All three of individuals assaulted are currently safe and have support systems with which they are able to unpack the trauma associated with the event.”
The next day, Flowers recounted the incident in a posting in the same page, stating the group began with jeers and taunts before “the conflict escalated into a multi-person fight. I remember getting hit in the face several times. It is unclear to me how many times I was hit. At some point during the conflict, I noticed that [one of Flowers’ friends] was on the ground and saw that he was getting kicked and punched repeatedly. I attempted to pull several of his assailants off of him unsuccessfully. After what I perceived to be about a minute, the fight broke up and the assailants fled. It was only then that I noticed [Flowers’ other friend] and saw that the left side of his face was completely covered in blood.”
According to a report today in LGBTQNation:
Drag performer Chris Fijal told Boston 25 News that the bar attracts a lot of straight people. “We have a lot of birthday parties, bachelorette parties. It’s gay, straight,” he said.
“The gentlemen that were involved were at the show, and were very friendly,” Fijal said. “They were not remotely homophobic.”
Fijal said that he didn’t witness the build up to the attack or the attack itself, just the aftermath.
The victims, though, say that they want this prosecuted as a homophobic hate crime.
No arrests have been made and police are looking for more information about the attack. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Boston Police Crime Stoppers at (800) 494-TIPS.
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