A virtual press conference and rally was held Wednesday evening by community leaders to discuss an attack on a gay couple in Mattapan last month.

The assault took place Sept. 13 near 550 River St. and is being investigated as a hate crime, as a group of men allegedly directed anti-gay slurs at the couple. One of the victims was struck in the head with a baseball bat and his partner was attacked after confronting the men, according to a police report.

Curtis Santos, co-founder and executive director of the Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation and lead organizer of Boston Black Pride, opened the meeting by saying that all people, no matter how they identify, deserve to walk Boston’s streets without any fear.

“These incidents are painful reminders that while we have come a long way, there

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