A 25-year-old gay man was attacked by a security guard as he was about to board a bus to go home. As a result of the homophobic attack, the victim required treatment for a head contusion, a dislocated shoulder, a mouth injury, and a proximal humerus fracture. The attacker fled the scene.

On Wednesday around 8:40 p.m., a young man identified as BFN, after finishing his workday, was about to board the bus in front of the Mall Plaza Egaña (Santiago): “When the bus I usually take came by, I crossed the black line that they (the people from CES-Spa) put at the bus stop. There, the aggressor told me twice, ‘Pay up, you faggot.’ When I asked him what was wrong, in front of everyone, he started hitting me with his hands and feet until I lost consciousness. When I regained consciousness, some people were helping me. I was covered in blood. The inspector ran away with other inspectors,” the victim stated in a press release issued by the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh).

[READ ALSO: Hate crimes against LGBTI people have doubled in Chile ]

BFN received treatment at the Mutual de Seguridad (a workers' compensation insurance company), and the report filed at the 46th Police Station in Macul stated that he was prescribed 24 days of rest due to the injuries. He also stated that the attacker, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, had previously treated him in a hostile manner, apparently in rejection of his gender expression.

“He busted my lip. I have 20 stitches. He hit me so hard on the head that I have bruises, a lot of pain, and 5 stitches behind my ear. He dislocated my arm and fractured my humerus. We called the police and waited for them to arrive, but they didn't. We went straight to the Mutual de Seguridad (Workers' Compensation Fund) afterward. They treated me well. My job gave me all the support I needed,” she said.

This is happening in Chile, the same country that is moving towards the approval of an Equal Marriage Law, a country where the Gender Identity Law came into effect at the end of December, but also a place where LGBT-phobic attacks doubled last year. During 2019, Movil reported 17 cases and complaints of violence against the LGBT+ community, compared to 9 reported during 2018.

[READ ALSO: Lesbophobia in Chile: a man attacked his neighbors and threatened to kill them ]

“I just want to be able to walk in peace and for them to stop discriminating against us, no matter the context. Nothing and no one deserves such an attack,” the victim shared in a statement released by Movilh. The organization's spokesperson, Oscar Rementería, said: “What happened was a gratuitous beating fueled by homophobia and cowardice, as the worker, like any common criminal, fled the scene. We demand that CES-SPA release the identity of this individual and take immediate measures to prevent further attacks. At the same time, we will advise the victim on how to initiate legal action against all those responsible.”

In Chile, there are no formal or informal statistics on hate crimes. The only partial compilation of the situation of violence in the LGBTI community is done annually by MOVILH and presented in a report published in March.

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