A gay Kentucky couple was viciously beaten last month by two men shouting homophobic slurs, WLWT reports. The victims, who have declined to release their names, had been consoling a female friend who is the ex-girlfriend of one of their attackers.

David Bruckman, 52, had broken into and ransacked his ex-girlfriend’s Covington home shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday. The gay couple later went to the house to console their friend.

Following a series of threatening phone calls, during which Bruckman called the gay couple "faggots" and "cock-sucking bitches," he returned to the house with another man and flew into a violent rage.

"He doesn't like her hanging out with homosexuals," Covington police officer David Griswald explained.

Bruckman and his accomplice allegedly punched both men in the face repeatedly while shouting more homophobic slurs.

“Basically just telling us that, you know, we were going to be assaulted because of who we were, because we were gay, and he didn’t want her hanging out with gay people," one of the victims recalls. “It’s important to accept other people for who they are. They may be different than you, but that shouldn’t matter."

After suffering broken or fractured noses, eye sockets, and cheekbones, both victims will require facial reconstruction surgery.

A GoFundMe page has been launched to help cover their medical and legal expenses. "The men that did this to us have cost us a lot more than just our dignity," the couple writes.

Following 10 previous arrests in the past two years, Bruckman is being held on $25,000 bond and faces charges of burglary, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and violation of an emergency protective order. Kenton County prosecutor Rob Sanders said the incident may be prosecuted as a hate crime.

The other attacker is still at large.