Anti-Gay Hate Crime Suspect Says He’s Gay, Not Charged With Hate Crime

A suspect in the brutal early Sunday morning anti-gay hate crime beating last week of Damian Furtch, a young, gay NYC man, has been identified as a 21-year old homeless man who claims he too is gay and denies any bias in the event.

The suspect, Anthony Bray, 21, claimed Furtch “disrespected” him. Police, stating, “It may come down to just two guys having a fistfight,” only charged Bray with third degree misdemeanor assault and not with a hate crime. Bray, who was discovered via an anonymous tipster, reportedly has a criminal record that includes busts for marijuana, graffiti and robbery. Police have not ruled out the possibility of charging Bray with a hate crime.

Furtch, who was walking home from work Sunday, March 27, when two men beat him so hard he was forced into oncoming Sixth Avenue traffic, has released a statement saying the suspect’s orientation is irrelevant and does not negate the anti-gay epithets nor violent beating perpetrated upon him outside a West Village, New York City McDonald’s. The beating was caught on tape and police released the video Friday.

Watch: “Shocking Video Of NYC West Village Anti-Gay Hate Crime Beating“

“The fact that the attacker in custody alleges he is gay does not change that fact that he shouted anti-gay slurs while attacking me,” Furtch, who claims Bray called him a “fucking faggot,” said in a statement, adding, “I look forward to the criminal trial where all of the accurate details will come out.”

Calling Furtch’s attack “upsetting” and “deeply disappointing,” because it happened “in a neighborhood where the LGBT civil rights movement was really born,” NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spoke to local NYC radio station 1010 WINS and said, “Some people still think that hate crimes are kind of a joke in New York City, that it’s just some type of adult bullying that doesn’t have any consequences and we want people to know that is simply not true.” Quinn added, “We are not going to allow you to attack people because of who they are or who they think you are.”

Furtch suffered a broken nose, two black eyes, and required stitches and surgery that lasted more than nine hours. Reports claim Bray and another as yet unidentified suspect were teasing Furtch because he was wearing a pink work shirt, pink belt and pink shoes.

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