Man viciously attacked for kissing boyfriend in Burger King speaks out
By Ben Kelly
Last weekend, we covered the story of a gay couple who were viciously attacked at a fast food restaurant in Miami for kissing. Now, the pair have spoken out about their shock at being the victims of such vicious homophobia.
Visiting Miami from Los Angeles, Jordan Schaeffer was attacked by a man inside the Burger King Whopper Bar at 1101 Washington Avenue on March 14, seemingly because he had been kissing his boyfriend, Eric Danko.
Surveillance video shows the attacker pulling Schaeffer to the ground and assaulting him; putting him in a choke hold and repeatedly hitting his face.
Now, Schaeffer has spoken out about the incident, claiming the attacker said: “Why don’t you show if you’re tough or not you little f*ggot.”
He told NBC Miami: “We’re in 2016 and especially in a city like Miami Beach, where I thought being homosexual would be pretty accepted. It’s just not right that anyone should suffer.”
The 25-year-old added that the most long-lasting effect of the attack is is likely to be psychological.
“It was just a simple kiss with my boyfriend,” he said. “The biggest injury has been all the emotional trauma. We were going to Miami for a relaxing weekend and it was traumatising, to be honest.”
His attorney Douglas Ede has said he believes this was a classic case of hate crime, based on sexual orientation.
Miami Beach Police are still looking for two male suspects, one of whom they believe may have had martial arts training.
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