FOUR TEENAGERS have been charged over the homophobic attack on a London bus that left two women bruised and bloodied.
Melania Geymonat and her girlfriend Chris were on the N31 bus headed to Camden on Thursday, May 30th, heading home at 2:30am after a night out when a group of men began taunting them and throwing coins.
The situation then turned violent when the women reportedly refused to heed to the groups demands to kiss.
Geymonat, a Ryanair stewardess, was subsequently unable to work as a result of the injuries she sustained.
Four boys, two aged 16, one aged 15 and another aged 17, have now been charged with an aggravated hate crime over the incident, police have confirmed.
One of the 16-year-olds was additionally charged with theft and handling stolen goods, while the other stands accused of being in possession of cannabis.
The 15-year-old boy involved in the incident is also facing an additional charge over the handling of stolen goods.
The four boys, who hail from the Wandsworth and Kensington regions of London, are due to appear in court on August 21.
Geymonat made headlines around the world after taking to Facebook to detail the attack.
Writing on Facebook, the 28-year-old said: “They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions.
“I don’t remember the whole episode, but the word ‘scissors’ stuck in my mind. It was only them and us there. In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes. I thought this might make them go away.
“Chris even pretended she was sick, but they kept on harassing us, throwing coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it. The next thing I know is Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them.
“On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up. The next thing I know is I’m being punched. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back. I don’t remember whether or not I lost consciousness. Suddenly the bus had stopped, the police were there and I was bleeding all over. Our stuff was stolen as well.”
“What upsets me the most is that VIOLENCE HAS BECOME A COMMON THING, that sometimes it’s necessary to see a woman bleeding after having been punched to feel some kind of impact,” she added.
“I’m tired of being taken as a SEXUAL OBJECT, of finding out that these situations are usual, of gay friends who were beaten up JUST BECAUSE. We have to endure verbal harassment AND CHAUVINIST, MISOGYNISTIC AND HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE because when you stand up for yourself shit like this happens.
“By the way, I am thankful to all the women and men in my life that understand that HAVING BALLS MEANS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I just hope that in June, Pride Month, stuff like this can be spoken out loudly so they STOP HAPPENING!”
