By Lucas Gutiérrez. On Thursday the 11th, David Palomino was using the restroom at the McDonald's located on the corner of Avenida 9 de Julio and Corrientes in Buenos Aires when a company security guard began to assault him. "Dirty faggot," he yelled, before hitting him and dragging him to the exit. Palomino has already filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI). "I was using the restroom, I felt someone grab my arm, I turned around and it was the security guard who started insulting me. He told me he already knew what I was doing, what I was going to do, what I was looking for. He pushed me against the wall, grabbed me by the neck, and started punching me in the stomach," David Palomino explained to Presentes about what he experienced on Thursday around 2:30 p.m. He said that people were going in and out of the restroom but no one intervened. "He dragged me by the arm all over the restaurant, yelling insults at me. People were watching without understanding what was happening, but they didn't intervene either," continued Palomino, 27. After experiencing this, he posted about it on his social media. In the post, he explained: “I just went to pee.” Still in shock and trembling, David went to the LGBT Ombudsman's Office in the City of Buenos Aires to file a complaint.

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“This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a situation at that McDonald’s location,” Maribe Scariglia, an LGBT Federation activist and employee, told Presentes. LGBT Advocacy who received David. “First, we advised him regarding the discrimination law of the City of Buenos Aires, which, unlike the national law, does include sexual diversity. We opened a case with the Ombudsman's Office, which will proceed by contacting the company to see what measures they will take to prevent future incidents. This is an administrative process that is underway,” he explained. Scariglia explained that a complaint was also filed with the National Institute Against Discrimination and Xenophobia (INADI) and the Public Prosecutor's Office, and it is expected that it will be handled by Prosecutor's Office 22, which specializes in discrimination cases. “The Ombudsman's Office and INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism), unlike the Prosecutor's Office, cannot impose any sanctions. But they have other tools to contact private entities and institutions that an individual might not have,” explained Scariglia, in addition to all the advice and support they provide. He also said that a letter has already been sent to McDonald's to agree on the steps to be taken regarding this incident and to prevent future ones. David Palomino, an English teacher and sewing student, sought legal advice from lawyer Ezequiel Rabines after the attack. “I see that when hate speech is validated in institutions, in the government, there begins to be a direct consequence for dissident groups, and that violence begins to be directed at our identities in society. It's an escalation of hate speech, which leads us to experience this violence in public spaces,” said Rabines, who introduced himself as a queer activist, candidate for the Buenos Aires City Legislature, and lawyer. Agencia Presentes attempted to contact McDonald's Argentina (Arcos Dorados SA) but received no response.