Four Florida gay men have been assaulted in two separate attacks.
On Sept. 21, a Gibson County couple said they were trying to attend church services in Fruitland when they allegedly were beaten by three of the Grace Fellowship Church's deacons. Jerry Pittman told media that his father is the church pastor and one of the deacons was his uncle. He said as he and his boyfriend tried to exit the car to go to church, the three men pushed them back in and beat them. Pittman also claimed after police arrived, the officers did nothing to stop one of the men from shouting gay slurs at the couple.
Pittman and his boyfriend filed assault charges against Deacons Billy Sims and Eugene McCoy, plus Pittman pressed additional charges against his father and Deacon Patrick Flatt.
Later that week in Immolakee, two other gay men were attacked by five males in a possible hate crime, according to a Collier County sheriff's incident report.
Manuel Galan and his friend Cirildo Soliz were walking down the street when the men punched and kicked them while yelling gay slurs. Police said the men may have been part of a gang. The victims were in the process of filing charges as of presstime.
