20-year-old Christin Howard, a gay man, has always been proud of who he is. While celebrating at this year’s gay pride event in Detroit on Sunday, Howard was attacked by eight men.

From WXYZ:

The video shows 2[Howard] fighting off attackers Sunday along Detroit’s Riverwalk as the gay pride festival happened in nearby Hart Plaza. Howard says five to eight men attacked him. At one point, all the young men joined in on the attack as Christin was on the ground, helpless.

Howard says the attack was unprovoked and that he was getting a picture taken with a friend when the young men started circling, commenting on his long hair, calling him homophobic slurs and threatening violence.

“Then somebody said they had a gun,” said Christin.

Christin, who is a stylist, can no longer cut hair until his hand heals. He says he is emotionally damaged and hasn’t slept since the Sunday attack.

Read more at WXYZ

Howard says that while he’s strong in his pride, he’s not sure if he’ll return to the festival. “Will I go back to pride? I’m kind of iffy about it right now, because I don’t want that incident to happen again, what if the same guys are there?” he told WXYZ.

Watch the ABC report of the attack here (Warning graphic violence ahead):

Wishing for a speedy recover for Christin.

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