Beaten, but not defeated: Gay Saskatoon man posts photos of brutal bar attack

A Saskatoon man is recovering this week after an alleged assault at a bar left his face cut, swollen, and bruised.
 
Eugene Grosh posted photos of his injuries on Facebook following the alleged altercation at Stan’s Place, a bar on Ruth Street near Lorne Avenue. His head was bandaged, his right eye swollen shut. He believes he was attacked because he is gay.
 
“This is what hate does,” he wrote along with his first photo. “It doesn’t create solutions. It just hurts.”
 
Police confirmed they responded to a report of an assault at the bar. Spokesperson Alyson Edwards said Grosh told police he was approached by a male in the washroom sometime between 1:30 and 2 a.m. and was punched in the face. Edwards said no charges have been laid, but the file has been sent to the Targeted Enforcement Unit.
 
She didn’t confirm if the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
 
An advocate for the LGBTQ community said this incident is an example of the dangers gay people face every day.
 
“Our lives are always on the line,” said OUTSaskatoon’s Sean Ryan. “This kind of situation just puts it out there and makes a lot of people realise how unsafe it can be.”
 
Grosh said in a later post he wouldn’t let the incident deter him.
 
“This is why I fight for people’s rights,” he wrote. “So one day this won’t happen. This is a minor setback. It will not stop me. I am gay. I am proud.”

With files from Bryn Levy