“This is very personal, this is who I am.”
A gay man in New York City who peacefully protests against hate was attacked by his own pro-LGBTQ sign.
Anthony Dolci is known for dancing and playing music on Manhattan’s West Side to combat homophobia, racism and Donald Trump. He has signs with phrases such as “Make Donald Trump Gay Again”, “I choose love not hate” and “Fight hate crime”.
Dolci was protesting earlier this week when a passer-by on 57th Street near 9th Avenue starting harassing him.
“He called me several bad language words towards my sexuality, being gay,” he told PIX 11. “He picked up one of my protest signs and he broke it almost in two, then threw it at me, and hit me with my protest sign.
”It makes me sad. This is very personal, this is who I am. I’m celebrating myself being gay, openly gay, and to be attacked by that, it’s very personal and it’s very hurtful.”
He caught a few seconds of the assault, which aired during his interview with the network. In the footage, you can see the homophobic assailant picking up Dolci’s sign, folding it and hurling it towards him.
Dolci said he protests on the streets to make the world safer for the LGBTQ community.
“I was in the closet for a long time and those days are done. I’m done with that,” he continued. “Now I’m openly gay and I’m not afraid of expressing myself and people should not feel threatened by my gayness.”
The attack is currently under investigation by The Hate Crimes Unit of The New York Police Department.
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