The owner of a popular New York City-based drag nightspot said that he suffered a brutal attack because he is gay.
Mark Zschiesche, who owns the LIPS Drag Queen Show Palace, Restaurant & Bar on Manhattan's Upper East Side, as well as other locations, posted a video to Facebook on Feb. 12 that shows his face bruised and his nose bleeding. On the video he said that he was assaulted because he is gay and that he blamed President Donald Trump and his supporters for the attack.
"This has never, ever happened to me," said Zschiesche, who frequently performs under the name Yvonne Lame, on the video. "So somebody hit me because I am gay, and I never, ever, in my entire life, have experienced this, and I blame this on Trump and all of you who supported him."
Sobbing and visibly shaken, Zschiesche does not explain the specific circumstances around the attack on the video, which was first reported by the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News ( SDGLN ).
There are several LIPS locations across the country. A Chicago location is currently scheduled to open in Sept. 2017 in the McCormick Square area being developed by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority on the Near South Side.
SDGLN's article is at bit.ly/2l0V9Pf. Zschiesche's post is at bit.ly/2lHAa2W.