According to police reports, Washington, D.C. police were accused of hate crimes after two men were beaten by an assailant who hurled homosexual slurs while referring to monkeypox. Investigating suspicion.
The incident occurred Sunday afternoon in northwestern D.C., according to a public incident report from the London Metropolitan Police.
The two men were reportedly walking along his 7th Avenue in the Northwest when the suspect approached them and called them "monkeypox f-----s." According to reports, the suspect "hit him several times" before fleeing. According to police, one of the victim's sunglasses was damaged in the attack.
The assault was first reported by his LGBTQ publication in DCMetro Weekly. According to Metro Weekly, the victims, a gay couple, were taken to hospital by police after the attack.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said he was "extremely upset by the reported hate crimes."
"We must stand up for our friends and neighbors, especially at a time when so much anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is sweeping our country," she said. said in a statement Tuesday. “Awakening those within our circles, especially when they are promoting hateful or ignorant ideologies at a time when people are using public health to stigmatize and discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The mayor said the LGBT liaison officer at the police station was involved in the investigation.
Last week, the Biden administration declared the current monkeypox outbreak apublic health emergency in the United States.
So far, Most cases in the United States have sex with men, a group that includes people who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender, and nonbinary. But health officials have repeatedly stressed that anyone can get the virus.
The stigma surrounding the disease has raised concerns amongLGBTQ activists.
