A Victor man who claims to be the victim of a hate crime says he wants the community to know his story.
Jim Eskildsen said he went to the Victor Village Inn early on the morning of Feb. 5 with his girlfriend and another friend to enjoy some karaoke.
Eskildsen said he and his male friend stepped outside for some fresh air behind the bar when they were assaulted by two men who told him they had been watching them.
"He turned to me and said, 'You guys are a bunch of _____ faggots,' and at that point, the words hadn't even dropped out of his mouth and he attacked us; just jumped us. A fight ensued; I took a couple of punches. My friend got thrown over the railing."
Eskildsen said the same two men plus a third man attacked them again as they were leaving the bar. He did not know the alleged attackers or what their motive may have been, aside from the gay slurs he said they repeated.
"They kept saying, 'You're a faggot, faggot, faggot.' That's what I heard, so my only assumption would be that they thought I was gay and that beating me would get the gay out of me."
Eskildsen said he suffered a concussion, broken nose and eye socket, and bruised ribs. His friend had less serious physical injuries, but was shaken up emotionally.
Three Canandaigua men, 24-year-old Dominick Wheeler, 25-year-old William Cole, and 27 -year-old Robert Bergman, have been charged with second degree assault. They were still being held at the Ontario County jail as of noon Wednesday.
Ontario County district attorney Michael Tantillo has not confirmed whether he will pursue hate crime charges. Tantillo and the Ontario County Sheriff's Office say they are still actively investigating the case.
Eskildsen says he is working with the Gay Alliance in Rochester to shine a light on the alleged attack. He feels the political atmosphere in the country right now has empowered some people to target those who they see as different.
"I would like to be able to be the voice for someone who can't speak up, or doesn't have the strength to speak up. I don't mind being that person."
Gay Alliance executive director Scott Fearing said his office has received an increasing number of calls from people who have reported bias-motivated incidents in the past three months.