In Wake of Gay Assault, Out Utah Senator Calls For Hate Crime Bill To Pass

After Salt Lake City gay resident Sal Trejo was attacked early this am downtown, Utah state senator Derek Kitchen, the only out gay member of Utah’s legislature, called for fellow Utah lawmakers to pass hate crimes legislation that failed in the past.

It’s time for the UT Legislature to act on hate crimes legislation #utpol #utsenate https://t.co/trV0am0cz9

— Derek Kitchen (@derekkitchen) February 18, 2019

Kitchen called the act “absolutely unacceptable” on his Facebook page.

“Our community must be safe from targeted violence,” Kitchen wrote on his page. “To be attacked simply for being gay violates our deepest shared values of decency and reiterates the urgency of including the LGBTQ+ community in our hate crimes law. We deserve the same protections as other minority groups that face violence based on identity.”

Trejo was waiting for an Uber in Salt Lake City when a man came up to him and asked if he was gay.  When Trejo said he was, the suspect responds, “Oh then you’re gay?” and then began hitting him. The man also “pulled out a knife and pointed it toward the group and called them f*****. The man then got into a car,” which Trejo identified as a 2007 BMW X5, and drove away.

Salt Lake City police are now investigating, asking the public to come forward with any information regarding the incident by calling (801) 799-3000 and referencing case number 19-28822.

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