Three gay men were severely beaten after they were attacked outside the Number 9 bar in D.C. at around 10 p.m. on Halloween night.

The Number 9 is a gay bar.

According to police reports the assailant punched “Victim 1” in the head and slammed the victim against a glass window. Victim 1 was knocked unconscious and needed staples in his head to close the laceration.

Timothy Luke identified himself on Facebook as one of the victims. Luke said that his husband Andy Jackson and their friend Jeremy Austin were also the victims of the attack.

To our dear family and friends,

As many of you know, Andy and I are not individuals that like to post a lot on social media, especially when it comes to our personal lives. However, I am compelled to share this story of hate in hopes of opening the eyes of many into this sick world that for which we live.

On Thursday evening, my husband Andy, our dear friend Jeremy, and myself were victims of an assault. Many homosexual and derogatory slurs were stated during this attack, however, I am unable to firmly state whether this was a hate crime or just a heinous attack. After spending many hours in the ER until early Friday morning, Jeremy and I are lucky to have walked away with minor injuries. However, Andy was not as fortunate. A severe concussion and 7 staples on his scalp later, I was able to bring him home. Today is a much better day — and we have been able to speak to our families to let them know we are okay. Thus, I felt it was time to write this message.

Whether we see it or witness it personally, hate occurs every day in so many forms. For some reason, there are many individuals in this world that want to hate and cause division because of the differences between us. Rather, we should celebrate our diversity and open our eyes to how our differences can better our world.

The last 36 hours have been a series of emotions — fear of leaving the apartment, blessed that the injuries sustained were not as bad as what they could have been, anger for the hate that is promoted within our community, but most importantly — HOPE. We have decided to not allow this to define us. Yet, we are going to continue to use the fear and anger from this event and put that energy into continuing to make a positive difference.

What I ask of each of you is to help us do the same. Support one another. Allow others to express and be themselves. Accept each other’s differences. LOVE one another.

This event will not stop us — so, I urge each of you to stand with us as we turn this pain into courage and strength. We will not hide who we are; yet, we will continue to be resilient and to fight for the safety and rights for ALL human beings.

We love you all. Thank you for your love and support.

Always,

Luke and Andy

D.C. Police have asked that anyone who has any information about the attack call (202) 727-9099.