2 Brutal Attacks On Gay Men Spark Fears Of Anti-LGBT Crime Wave In Austin

Three gay men were attacked in two separate incidents outside nightclubs in Austin last week, in what one of the victims believes may be a pattern of anti-LGBT violence.

Robert Foster and a friend, both drag performers, suffered serious injuries early Wednesday when they were jumped after leaving a show during “Tuesgayz” — a popular gay-themed night at the downtown club Barbarella.

Foster said their attacker snatched his purse and punched him in the face, knocking out a tooth and nearly tearing his septum. The assailant then jumped in a vehicle whose driver proceeded to run over Foster’s friend, breaking his leg.

“What comes to mind is that this is like a pattern. This needs to be stopped,” Foster told KTBC-TV. “If it is a pattern we need better security around the bars and the clubs people need to know just because it hasn’t happened to you yet, it can.”

Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2017/01/gay-austin/