Victory Fund's Annise Parker - Metro Weekly - July 16 2020

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the couple, with Nicolas saying it was “impossible to remember
exactly what happened, it was so fast.”
“We didn’t even have enough time to turn around before they
started punching,” Eric said. “I had had two beers, so I was sober
enough, but I was seeing red. Really.”
He continued: “I fell, I got back up again, I got a punch in, I
got punched some more, then I fell down again.”
Eric said he was left bloodied and with a sore jaw after being
punched in the face, and that the force of the punch meant he
“couldn’t chew for four days.” He also said that he knew one of
his alleged attackers, claiming he had worked with both the man
and his brother.
“We were not friends, just colleagues, he worked in the dining
room, me at the bar,” Eric said. “He knew I was gay, everyone
knows that. But there had never been any problem. Until that
night.”
He continued: “That someone close to me, even distant, does
not try to calm his friend, but rather enters the fight, it pisses
me off.”
The attack eventually stopped when some of the bar’s other
customers came outside to investigate the noise, which caused
the attackers to flee the scene. Eric and Nicolas said they went
to a nearby police station to report the attack, but that the first
officer they spoke to echoed the bar manager by telling them not
to kiss in public.
“One of the policemen who received us told us the same thing
as the bar manager,” Eric said. “That we didn’t have to do that.
To kiss in public.”
However, they were eventually heard by other officers, who
recommended that the men submit to a medical exam and file a
formal complaint. They later filed a complaint of willful violence
and homophobic slurs.
Corsican LGBTQ organization ARCU issued a statement on
social media decrying the attack and praising the courage of the
couple for going public about the attack.
ARCU said it was part of a pattern of homophobic attacks by
youth on the island, after a gay tourist was assaulted by a group
of teenagers in Ajaccio last year. Police allegedly closed the tourist’s
complaint “without further action.”
The organization urged elected officials to condemn the
attack, and to raise awareness of homophobia on the island.
ARCU said that without strong condemnation and raised
awareness about anti-gay attacks, “victims weakened by the
trauma of assault” would be discouraged form reporting incidents
to authorities.
“We have the right to love whoever we want in Corsica,
without having to fear for our lives, our health, our families, our
images, our reputations,” ARCU wrote. “Without being afraid of
judgment or having to justify ourselves.”
They added: “We have the right, just like everyone else, to
show a simple gesture of love without being assaulted.”
After ARCU’s post, Ajaccio Mayor Laurent Marcangeli issued
a statement saying he “strongly condemns this unbearable
aggression” and that he stands alongside victims of homophobic
violence. He added that Ajaccio “will continue to fight any form
of discrimination.”
JOSIE CLOUGH FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Sampaio
Breaking Barriers
Valentina Sampaio is Sports Illustrated’s first openly trans
swimsuit issue model. By Rhuaridh Marr
VALENTINA SAMPAIO HAS BECOME THE FIRST
openly transgender model to feature in Sports
Illustrated‘s annual swimsuit issue. The Brazilian
model makes history with her appearance in the July 21 issue,
which features Sampaio modeling two different swimsuits —
a one-piece by Haus of Pink Lemonaid and a bikini by Triangl
— CNN reports.
Sampaio, 23, has also penned an essay for Sports Illustrated,
saying she is “excited and honored” to be included in the issue.
She also discussed the historic nature of her selection, as well as
16 JULY 16, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM