Hero alert! After attending a drag show on Sunday night, a straight marine got his face beaten (and not in the fun way) for defending two of his gay friends.
Corporal Ryan Langenegger, 22, was grabbing a late-night bite with two gay guys —one of whom was dressed in drag — when a homophobic meathead approached their table at Pepperjax Bar and Grill in Omaha, Nebraska, and began harassing them.
“We were eating and there was three guys watching us,” Langenegger told WOWT 6 News. “And one of them stepped up and was a foot or two away from my friend and he just kept saying, ‘Should I? Should I?'”
To avoid further conflict, Langenegger and his two friends — Joshua Foo, 29, and Jacob Gellinger, 25 — decided to walk away. But the homophobes pursued them and blocked their exit. According to Langenegger, Gellinger said to the men, “Yes, I know, I’m a boy in a dress,” to which one of the men reportedly responded, “Yes, I know. And you’re (expletive) disgusting.”
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At that point, Langenegger verbally tried to diffuse the situation. That’s when he got punched in the face. He suffered a gash on his forehead and two chipped teeth as a result of the blow. (And since this is a serious crime, we will refrain from talking about the fact that Langenegger is gorgeous, even with the scars.)
The group filed a police report, but their attackers already had left by the time the cops arrived. Few other details about the investigation are available at this time.
“It just makes no sense this day and age and in Omaha, for all of this stuff to still be happening and out in the streets,” Langenegger said.
On Saturday, a gay rights group will host a rally in Omaha to call attention to homophobia and hate crimes in the area. Organizing the event is a local drag queen named Chad Bugge, whose performs under the stage name Anna Roxia. Sorry haters, but gay people are the best.
P.S. You may be thinking/hoping Langenegger is a closet case. We visited his Facebook page, and we’re pretty positive he’s not lying. Among his likes: Megan Fox, Incubus and Mitt Romney. What can you do? Nobody’s perfect.
tardis
Wow, good for him. I bet the guy that did this to them is a completely gay. His computer history is probably filled with gay porn sites. Usually is.
trtoosure
We need more people like Corporal Langenegger. We need more heroes in general, not just good looking heroes that we could sleep with after they defend their gay friends. Reporting like this makes that harder, though. This article not so subtlety suggests that a hero’s song will only be sung as loudly as he is good looking. This article is shallow, one-dimensional, and myopic. If people want to admire him more because he’s good looking, that’s their business. It doesn’t need to be a part of a story. What happens when an “average looking” person reads this and learns that their bravery will only matter if they have a six-pack and pretty face? Do you think they’re more or less likely to confront homophobia?
GymJockTX
Three cheers to this straight Marine for standing up for his gay buddies! Here’s hoping the authorities track down and punish the obviously deeply conflicted & possibly closeted nimrods who attacked them. And side note: Corp Ryan L is one seriously hot looking piece of man. I love it when handsome straight studs are comfortable enough in their skins to have gay pals–and have the balls to stand up for them to boot. Rock on, Corporal! Semper Fi!
Snapper59
If you’re being harassed at a restaurant or bar by other patrons the lesson is not to leave and get harassed more and possible even killed outside.
the other Greg
Good for him!
And I hope another Queerty writer, Graham Gremore, reads this article and ponders the implications.
If only Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper were male and, you know, HOT, they might get better press in Queerty?
Teleny
The thing about it is these types are looking for gays to bash or kill. They have the notion that if you can (sort of) identify an lbgt person then it’s open season. I’m so tired of this crap, I wish we had a gay mafia to hunt down and punish these thugs.
Derek Williams
I am very sorry this happened to him and thank him for his support. I can only hope that those responsible are promptly apprehended, charged and prosecuted.
Ruhlmann
I have five very straight brothers and they all would have stepped into the fray. It’s what our parents would expect. Cheers to Corporal Ryan Langenegger, one of more and more every day.
Eiswirth
Typical homophobic tough guys: cowards as the day is long. Langeneggar is to be commended for his bravery and sense of justice.
tripster
he is a good man and honor him, but why does this photo look like it’s photoshopped?