I came to New York about three years ago and it seemed like the place to go to be myself.
When I was four even, New York has always been this dream metropolis.
It's been like basically like the Emerald City that I've always wanted to go to, really.
I had very deep desire actually to become, you know, a New York based fashion designer.
And now, every time I sit down at the machine, I just lose focus.
We were one in seven high profile attacks in New York during the month of May, just
a month of May, and I know that there are more.
We just, we were the ones who reported it.
It didn't add up in my mind, like this daylight outside Madison Square Garden and it was us.
We were walking down the street enjoying, you know, the day holding hands and I guess
from behind us we hear someone calling us faggots and they said look at your pants, look at
your jeans, look at what you're wearing.
I did think that I could approach these guys and probably laugh about it.
I was still kind of just like shell shocked, I would say.
So they shoved me to the ground and I stand up and all I can really recall is having this
guy punched me in the face, sensed my glasses flying.
That was when I looked around and realized I was actually surrounded by people.
Always same age and they were all closing in and they were all wearing mixed jerseys.
The next thing I knew when I turned around I was on the ground myself.
They were kicking me, punching me, doing all kinds of like just, I mean they were, they
were hitting me.
I stood up, I tried to laugh it off, I reset my nose right there in the street.
I had a scarf on, I just put the scarf over my face and I just reset my nose.
Worst part is that this happened during broad daylight, middle of the day, tons of people
around.
I mean it wasn't just these guys.
There were people around.
Working on Project Runway and being a designer at the same time, it just makes you want to
go home and create.
I kind of want to get this one.
The first day I meet Kevin on the runway stage, we start talking and we just kind of
hit it off.
My parents didn't know I was in a relationship until the incident and so that was a little
tough to just be like, oh by the way I'm in this relationship with this guy who's amazing
and great.
I wanted to tell you guys but this is not at all how I wanted to tell you.
From what I understand, not very many people come forward when things like this happen
to them.
I had no idea what the protocol was.
I posted on Facebook.
I mean around the world there was a response but the strangest one was just another gay
guy from New York City telling me to grow some balls, telling me to grow up and be a
man and get over it and this stuff happens all the time.
So what?
The video that was released by the police, you can clearly see they're walking.
They're not sprinting, they're not running, it's a walk because they knew if they ran
they would stand out and then they would be identified.
Just a couple days later, in the same neighborhood, two more guys got hit.
It was just two blocks away.
Mark Carson gets shot in the face, just blocks away from Stonewall.
It's where the gay rights movement even started.
His killer was caught and I'm glad about that.
Meanwhile our investigation is still ongoing and truthfully I don't think our guys are
ever actually going to get caught.
It's just kind of incredible.
Having to worry about somebody beating us up or holding hands.
After this we were doing appointments and everywhere we went we'd see like a straight
couple holding each other, kissing each other in public and if we were to stand here and
make out like these guys are, I wonder how many people would be up in arms.
I wonder how many kids would be pulled off the train and brought to a different car because
they're not supposed to see that.
We have marriage now, yay, yay, fights over, no, fights never been over, it's never been
about that.
We still are not being treated equal.
It's all it comes down to, the fight is certainly not over.
