BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — Six lesbians were reportedly beaten outside a Cape Town gas station after leaving a gay-friendly club, according to IOL news in South Africa. 
None of them wants to be identified for fear of further violence, the Oct 26 report says. One of the women says the friends were making their usual snack run at the station when a man allegedly charged toward them and began punching one of them. “He punched her until she was down on the ground. He kicked her in the face until blood trickled down her forehead. He slapped, shoved and punched anyone who tried to intervene . . . he was so strong; we felt powerless,” the woman says. She further alleges he shouted, “These fucking lesbians, we must beat them up until they stop.”
The 22-year-old says a group of guys watched the alleged assault but did not intervene. “I don’t know where all that hate was coming from. I am scared to go out now. As a lesbian I feel like a walking target.”
The six friends have reported the incident to a police station in Gugulethu, near Cape Town. Pumeza Runeyi, described as a witness and member of Free Gender, a black lesbian organization based in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, says she felt helpless as the attack unfolded. “It’s obvious we are not safe anywhere,” she says.
Landing image: uknetguide.co.uk
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