A gay rights activist and director of a one-act play in Windsor about tolerance is recovering from a savage beating that he says exposes a hateful act of homophobia.
Chris Rabideau, 26, said he was robbed and then beaten by two men who told him the attack early Friday was justified because he's gay.
He said the incident began after one man approached him outside a convenience store at Ouellette Way and Giles Boulevard. When he reached the corner of Ouellette and Erie Street, another man joined the first suspect.
A police report said they took Rabideau's wallet and tried to force him to go to a bank machine to withdraw money. He instead ran to his apartment lobby, where they caught up to him.
Chris Rabideau said the suspects beat him in the lobby of his apartment building and used anti-gay slurs. He said they determined he was gay from his demeanor and became very angry when he told them they were on video. (CBC)
During the incident, the men denigrated Rabideau, referring to him with slurs commonly used in gay bashing.
"I think it was drug-related, I think they wanted money. It became a hate crime because they started calling me 'faggot', 'homo' and everything in between," Rabideau said. "They said now that you're gay, this gives us more reason to do what we're doing."
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