Mr. Gay Namibia Assaulted

Days after Wendelinus Hamutenya was crowned the first Mr. Gay Namibia, he was attacked last week on his way home.

Hamutenya was assaulted in Windhoek, Namibia last Sunday, and has filed assault charges against the two attackers, Behind The Mask reports. The men approached him, asking for the money he won for the Mr. Gay Namibia contest. One of the attackers allegedly kicked Hamutenya to the ground, while the other stole his cell phone and wallet. The attackers beat his head, face, and ribs. Eventually, he was admitted to a private clinic for 24 hours.

Out-Right Namibia, a local gay rights group, said it may have been a politically motivated attack. They said that while Hamutenya has received a great deal of positive feedback locally and globally, he has also become the subject of discrimination and verbal attacks. The organization said he is now under police protection.

"Wendelinus Hamutenya represents a new breed of Namibian freedom fighters who are fearless in the face of adversity and stead fast in our goal to realise a Namibia in which all citizens live in equality, dignity and peace," representatives from Out-Right Namibia said in a statement. "No amount of physical and verbal attacks or stigmatization and discrimination will discourage us from this path."