Taking public transit can result in lots of awkward social situations, but it should always be safe.
Unfortunately for a young couple in London, it ended up traumatic.
Montevideo Portal
Stewardess And Girlfriend Attacked For Refusing To Kiss When Men Told Them To
Many of us use public transportation as our means to get from place to place.
Unsplash | Dustin Tramel
Especially in larger cities, using buses, subways, or commuter trains is common, and passengers should be able to feel safe and taken care of, just as if they were to drive their own vehicle.
Melania Geymonat is a 28-year-old from Uruguay, who moved to London in February.
Unsplash | Jacob Shutler
She's taking a year off from medical school, working as a stewardess and enjoying time with her American girlfriend, Chris. They were enjoying a night out in West Hampstead and sat on the upper deck of the bus.
They weren't alone up there. A group of young men also shared the bus.
Unsplash | Tim Marshall
Melania told Montevideo Portal that she's not sure what tipped the men off that she and Chris were a couple.
"At some point I do not know if we kissed or hugged or grabbed each other's hands and they came to us."
The men began to make sexual motions with their hands and demanded that the women kiss for them.
Unsplash | Michael Mroczek
Melania tried to defuse the situation, first pretending that her English wasn't very good and then telling the men that Chris wasn't feeling well.
She also wrote in a Facebook post, "In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes."
Unsplash | Josh Edgoose
"I thought this might make them go away," she continued.
Angry, the men began throwing coins at the women before escalating to violence.
Mirror Online | Sam Webb
"The next thing I remember was Chris in the middle of them and they were beating her. I didn’t think about it and went in. I was pulling her back and trying to defend her so they started beating me up."
The men also stole the women's belongings.
Unsplash | STIL
It's not clear when the bus stopped or the cops were called, but police are currently looking for witnesses or people who can help identify the men on the bus security footage.
Melania says that there were at least four of them. One spoke Spanish and the rest had British accents.
Melania wants the story shared.
Unsplash | Nadine Shaabana
She wants people to see what violence against women and queer people looks like, and that it's not just about the beating.
"We were seen as entertainment, that’s what makes me so angry.”
Her Facebook post has been shared over 12,000 times and continues to grow.
Unsplash | Burst
Many people have commented in utter shock, but have also flooded the post with sympathetic and empathetic messages.
It's difficult to believe that situations like this are very much a reality and are still taking place.
Unsplash | Tristan Billet
And it's a terrible coincidence for it to happen during pride month, a month to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and work to tear down discrimination and prejudice.
Transport for London's Director of Compliance, Policing and On-Street Services, Siwan Hayward condemned the attack.
Unsplash | Aron Van de Pol
They told Mirror Online:
"This sickening attack is utterly unacceptable.
"Homophobic behavior and abuse is a hate crime and won’t be tolerated on our network.
"All of our customers have the right to travel without fear of verbal or physical assault and we are working with the police to stamp out this behavior on our transport network."
Unsplash | Ant Rozetsky
"We will do all we can to support the police investigation of this incident."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also spoke out against the attack.
In a tweet, he reiterated that hate crimes won't be tolerated and shared the Metropolitan Police's call for witnesses.
Meanwhile, Melania is waiting to hear from her doctor about whether her nose is broken.
Mirror Online | Sam Webb
She has an appointment June 7 about whether further treatment is needed. Chris was left with a small fracture in her jaw, but it's the kind that will heal on its own. She's stuck eating soft food until it does.
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