MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man, who doesn’t want his identity revealed, said he was the victim of a battery early Saturday morning in downtown Milwaukee. He believes he was targeted because he’s gay.
The man said he and his boyfriend were holding hands, leaving SportClub off North Jefferson Street to catch their Uber home, when two men inside what he believes was a black Chevy Malibu yelled at them. It was just before 1 a.m.
“His car came to us almost screeching on the breaks,” he said.
“The guy goes “Hey! Can’t you walk?! What are you? And he used the F-word, the gay F-word,” he continued.
The man told TODAY’s TMJ4 he didn’t know them and thought they were yelling at someone else.
“I said that’s probably not me, and that’s when he got upset and got out of the car.”
He said one of the men had an alcoholic drink in his hand and started attacking them both. He believes he had brass knuckles or some other weapon.
“The drink fell down on the ground, which got him even more upset and then he punched my boyfriend again.”
His boyfriend didn’t have any injuries, but the man was hit in the face as he was getting into the Uber.
“I didn’t even see him and he punched me from the top of the door.”
The man said he has 11 stitches and a broken eye socket and might need reconstructive surgery.
Several area businesses, including the SportClub have surveillance systems. TODAY’S TMJ4 asked managers to see if the crime was caught on camera, but we haven’t heard back.
Milwaukee Police said no arrests have been made in the battery case. The man believes Milwaukee is a friendly city and he hasn’t felt discriminated against living here. He’s not letting the incident change how he lives his life.
“I’m just going to continue to rock on as normal and hopefully the scar heals clean and move on.”
