PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — A man threw hot coffee on another man at a Port Washington Starbucks while shouting an anti-gay slur on Saturday, according to the Port Washington Police Department.
The victim is a member of the LGBTQ community, and police are investigating the attack as a hate crime.
Officials said the attack took place around 4 p.m. at the Starbucks at the corner of Main Street and Haven Avenue, but did not elaborate on details of the attack and did not specify the victim’s sexuality or gender identity.
Law enforcement is currently reviewing surveillance footage of the suspected hate crime as the search for the attacker continues.
Melanie D'Arrigo, co-founder of the Port Washington LGBTQ advocacy non-profit Be The Rainbow, spoke out against the attack and said the organization will sponsor workshops on how to respond to anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.
“We’ve been fielding calls from community members just heartbroken that this happened here," she told Newsday. “The danger to minority communities is very real and it’s bolstered by what’s happening on the national stage politically.”
The attack came amid a wave of anti-trans legislation and a Supreme Court decision allowing businesses to refuse service to gay people.
Starbucks was one of the businesses that became the focus of right-wing agitators looking to limit public displays of support for LGBTQ people during Pride Month.
Starbucks workers claimed they were instructed to remove Pride Month decorations to appease the right-wing activists who were disrupting businesses with Pride-themed products or displays.
Starbucks denied any such policy.
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