A gay man, Christian Dingus, is accusing a group of Shake Shack employees in Washington, D.C., of assaulting him after he kissed his boyfriend inside the restaurant. The incident occurred at a DuPont Circle location where Dingus, his partner, and friends were waiting for their order.
Despite being reprimanded by an employee for being affectionate, Dingus defended his partner when the situation escalated, leading to a physical altercation where he was beaten by the staff. Video footage of the incident shows Dingus being attacked by multiple employees.
The case is being investigated as a hate crime, and the involved employees have been suspended pending further review. Dingus suffered a concussion and jaw trauma from the attack.
The incident has raised concerns about safety and accountability in the LGBTQ+ community, especially in supposedly queer-friendly areas like DuPont Circle. Dingus hopes for justice and the recognition of the impact of such violent actions.
“I’ve been … thinking of progress and how great that community is here, and then for that all to kind of be shattered, you know, kind of sucks.”