Florida man says he was brutally beaten in front of his own home for being gay

Attacks on LGBTQ+ people continue in Florida where one man says he was beaten up for being gay, reported Miami 7 News.

Last week, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL) signed the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which made it illegal for LGBTQ+ teachers to even mention anything even if they are talking about their spouse. Any teacher who mentions it, or anything else that a parent finds "offensive" can result in a lawsuit.

In Fort Lauderdale, James Garcia said he was walking his dog Delilah when he heard someone yelling.

“As I was leaving the building, I heard from a distance, towards the ocean someone screaming,” said Garcia.

That's when he said he was attacked by someone who Garcia said was motivated by hate.

“He came up to me and asked me, ‘Are you gay?’ and then punched me,” said Garcia. “I didn’t respond, it just happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to react except falling down.”

The injuries resulted in multiple stitches on his forehead and lip. He also fractured the cartilage on both sides of his nose.

He was able to pinpoint the attacker to the police, who indicated it was 36-year-old Maurice Antwan Charles, who has an extensive criminal history. Charles has been arrested.

“This is a crime of hate. Whether he was targeting me, someone else he suspected as part of the LGBTQ community,” said Garcia. “Yes, definitely a crime of hate.”

Garcia says he thinks about it daily, every time he closes his eyes.

Man says he was beat up in Fort Lauderdale because he's gay www.youtube.com