Students: attacks orientation-based

Several UCF students were attacked at a house party on Sept. 12 for what they believe was based on their sexual orientation.

This attack was previously reported by the Central Florida Future in brief on Sept. 23.

Chris Metz, 21, a theater major, throws a birthday party for himself every year at his house near Colonial Drive and Lake Pickett Road.

Geoffrey Gross, 20, a film major and one of the guests at the party, said he was sitting on the front door steps when a group of men arrived in a pickup truck. He described them as heavily tattooed with shaved heads and said that none of them were wearing shirts.

Gross said he grew suspicious because the party was invitation-only and he did not recognize the men. But still, the unfamiliar guests entered the party.     

"They didn't look like theater kids or friends of theater kids," Gross said.      

He and another guest went inside and asked the men to leave. The men became belligerent and retaliated by verbally and physically harassing the partygoers, Gross said.     

Eric Britt, 19, a music major, said one man shouted homophobic comments at him and then head-butted and punched him.     

"I saw [Britt] with his face red," Gross said. "The kid who did it was yelling."      

Gross said guests panicked and ran outside to avoid the men. He saw that one guest was bleeding from his ear down to his shirt after being assaulted by the men.      

The men made their way outside but began throwing their drinks at the house, according to Metz.     

A friend of Metz was hit three times after trying to talk to the men outside. Metz said when his friend came back inside, he was bleeding from his mouth.     

"One of my friends told me I needed to call the cops because they were attacking anyone who tried to make them leave," Metz said.      

Metz said the men stayed outside for more than 20 minutes and continued to shout racist and homophobic sentiments. They left right before the police arrived and a total of five guests were assaulted, according to Metz. One was hit in the head with a bat and spent the night in the emergency room.     

Cpl. James Roop, the community relations supervisor for the UCF Police Department, said that for an assault to be considered a hate crime, the perpetrator must have said something derogatory during the attack.      

"They have to have said something for you to know that that was why they were attacking, or if we arrest them, then we'll question them to figure out why," Roop said.      

Metz said he felt the incident at the party had been a hate crime based on who had been assaulted and the derogatory comments that the men made.

Two of the victims were gay and one was black.      

Metz said it had been a costume party and he thought the men assumed it was a gay party because some people were wearing costumes that were flamboyant.      

"There were people who were hit who were not homosexual or black, but they were standing up in defense of those who are," Metz said.     

Michael Freeman, a staff member for the Office of Diversity Initiatives and a coordinator for Knight Allies, said that the incident did not surprise him.     

"As the faculty advisor for GLBSU I hear these stories a lot, about people being targeted or verbally attacked or having things thrown at them," Freeman said. "This one is different because it was reported. Most aren't because it requires students to out themselves."     

Freeman said people should be more concerned about violence occurring in the UCF community.     

"The fact is that there are students who are attacked and that needs to be dealt with," Freeman said. "Our commitment at the university is to address these issues. When they are unreported, no one knows they exist except for the victims."      

Freeman added that he hoped the incident would elevate the conversation about homophobia.     

"We have to address the issue of homophobia," Freeman said. "It is a discussion that needs to happen on this campus."     

Metz said he was disheartened and will not likely have a birthday party next year.     
"I'm not frightened," he said. "The chance of lightning striking twice is very slim, but I wouldn't want to put my friends in that position where they feel threatened in my house."     

Freeman said there are options available on campus for students who feel they have been victimized.      

"One place is the police department," Freeman said. "They can put students in touch with Victim Services. The second is the Counseling Center. They don't need to schedule an appointment, and we can get them connected with what they need."      

Britt was again assaulted in a second incident a week after the party. He said that on Sept. 19 his friend dropped him off in front of Tower III at 4 a.m. As Britt walked toward the entrance of the building, two intoxicated men came out from behind bushes.

They started asking him questions and then suddenly one punched him as the other grabbed him around the neck. Britt said he escaped and got their license plate number before they got back into their car and drove away.

The incident was reported to the UCF Police Department and the investigation is still open.