A boy aged 16 has been arrested over a homophobic attack which left two women covered in blood after refusing to kiss on a bus.
Four other males aged between 15 and 18 remain in custody, the Met said. Melania Geymonat, 28, said the attack on her and partner Chris happened on the top deck of a London night bus.
A group of young men began harassing them when they discovered the women were a couple, asking them to kiss while making sexual gestures. The accused are being questioned on suspicion of robbery and aggravated grievous bodily harm.
Speaking about the attack, which happened in the early hours of 30 May, Ms Geymonat told BBC Radio 4’s World at One she had previously experienced “a lot of verbal violence”. But she said she had never before been physically attacked because of her sexuality.
Asked whether the attack left her less willing to show affection in public, Chris, who lives in north London but is originally from the US, said: “I am not scared about being visibly queer. Geymonat, who is a doctor but currently works for Ryanair as a stewardess, said she agreed.
Chris said: “I was and still am angry. It was scary, but this is not a novel situation.”
Over the five years to 2018, reported homophobic hate crimes across London have increased from 1,488 in 2014 to 2,308 in 2018, according to the Met Police’s crime dashboard.
