Denver Police Investigating Stabbing of Two Gay Men as Hate Crime

Two gay men were stabbed on early Sunday morning outside of a Denver nightclub.

Chris Huizar, 19, and Gabriel Roman, 23, were holding hands while walking back from The Church nightclub when they were confronted by a man with a knife. The man was allegedly also calling them “fucking faggots” before attacking them near Lincoln Street and 10th Ave. The couple ran away from the man after receiving multiple stab wounds, collapsing in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven.

The police were promptly called at about 1am by bystanders who witnessed their collapse.

“This world is not all just smiles and happy,” Huizar told KUSA News. “There are bad people in the world.”

“We just know that we can get through anything now and that’s just going to make us that much stronger,” Roman added.

According to the Denver Post, the injuries the couple sustained were not life-threatening, and they have started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses, which has now raised almost $9,000 with a goal of $5,000. The police have one suspect, Dylan Payne, in custody tied to the aggravated attack and are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

The state of Colorado has specifically provided protections for people based on sexual orientation and gender identity since 2001. In fact, according to HRC, all but 15 states now legally include language that protects individuals based on their sexual orientation.

However, it’s also important to note that only 18 states plus Washington D.C. also include language to protect people on basis of gender identity. Given the amount of trans women who have been murdered this year, this lack of legal protection is just unacceptable. Louisiana, one of the states that doesn’t protect trans folks, has added crimes against police officers and firefighters to its hate crime laws.