Gay Man Assaulted in Rittenhouse Square

Courtesy of Alexander Kacala

Alexander Kacala was assaulted in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia on November 4. The 24 year old says he was punched, thrown to the ground and suffered a concussion and lacerated face, among other injuries. The man who was arrested for the assault, he says, claimed Kacala came onto him.

Kacala reached out to G Philly in hopes of sharing a new video he recorded for the “It Gets Better” project. In it, he discusses his experiences about being an out gay man in Philadelphia, as well as how he felt after the recent attack.

He says the man who was arrested for the incident is being criminally charged by the City of Philadelphia. “I will have to appear in court in order for the charges to be placed against him,” says Kacala, a resident of South Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, Kacala says this wasn’t the first time he was a victim of an alleged hate crime in the region. While a student at West Chester University from 2006 to 2007, “I was kicked in the face at a basement party by a non-West Chester student,” he says. “Some teeth in the back of my mouth were chipped.”

Kacala says because the attack happened off campus, the university did not take disciplinary actions. “I have since transferred to Temple and am now working in the city.”

Kacala says he wants other LGBT young people in Philly and around the country to know that despite sometimes difficult, even violent experiences, “It Gets Better.” Here’s his story: