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Police in California are investigating the assault of two men in Sacramento’s Lavender Heights district. One victim said four men beat him while shouting anti-LGBTQ+ and racist slurs.
Joseph Sais said the beating that left him bloodied on the street was especially painful because it happened in an LGBTQ-friendly area of town.
“How can this happen here?” Sais told news station KCRA. “How can this happen in a space where it’s for us? It’s for queer individuals to come feel supported.”
Sacramento police told news outlets they received reports of an assault around 1 a.m. Sunday near 20th and L streets, near gay bars including The Mercantile Saloon and Faces. The suspects fled before officers arrived, and no arrests have been made. Police said they are investigating the incident as a felony assault with a possible bias motive.
Related: Sacramento man still in coma six weeks after suspected anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime
This isn’t the first time violence has struck the Lavender Heights community. On Halloween last year, LGBTQ+ activist Alvin Prasad was beaten and put in a coma after being confronted outside a gay club. He died of injuries sustained in the attack on December 28, according to KXTV.
The attacks come amid broader concerns about violent crime in Midtown Sacramento and an increase in reported anti-LGBTQ+ incidents nationwide. The ALERT Desk, GLAAD’s Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker, reported a 5 percent increase in anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in 2025 from the prior year. California recorded the highest number of any state, with 198 of the 1,042 incidents documented nationwide.
“Americans should refuse to accept a country where our neighbors fear for their safety,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said when the figures were released in January.
Related: What States Have the Most Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes?
Following the attack on Sais, a growing number of leaders are calling for law enforcement to take a more proactive role in preventing such violence. “We need more awareness,” Jill Osur of Teneral Cellars told KCRA. “We do need more police coverage. We need more community involvement to help each other when something like this happens.”
Sais said such attacks threaten the safety and vitality of the LGBTQ district, but he insisted he will not stop going to clubs there.
“I’m not going to live my life in fear because of what four individuals did,” Sais said.
