A London teenager who was choked and forced to apologize for being gay is speaking out about the recent homophobic attack.

Photography student Will Mayrick, 19, tells the Evening Standard that he feared for his life in October when two men attacked him on a London Underground train.

Mayrick and four friends were on their way to a formal event at the O2 Arena. “We’d got a bit of glitter on and they obviously didn’t like that," he said. "They shouted 'fucking gays' and 'fag,' whatever they could think of."

“Then one grabbed hold of me and got my head in a headlock," Mayrick continues. "The other grabbed my phone and tried to make me apologize for being gay."

“I said that’s absolutely not going to happen, that’s not who I am. But he got me so tight round the neck that if I didn’t say something I wouldn’t have been able to breathe. At the same time the other guy was pulling something out of his coat. I was so, so scared.”

Police say that the suspects also threatened to stab him. One of Mayrick's female friends was allegedly punched and pushed to the ground while coming to his defense.

“I’m proud of the fact that I’m gay, I would never want to change," adds Mayrick, president of the LGBT society at Ravensbourne design and digital media college. "I’m not sorry. But at the time I thought if I don’t apologize I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

"Like many others, we were shocked when heard about the horrific attack on Will," says Diversity Role Models CEO Claire Harvey. "We have been hugely impressed by his determination to turn this terrible experience into something that will, ultimately, have a positive impact, and we are delighted that he is helping us to promote greater inclusion and empathy by sharing his story."

Two 16-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of assault and have been released on bail pending further investigation. British Transport Police say they are treating the incident as a hate crime.

According to a recent survey conducted by LGBT advocacy group Stonewall, incidents of anti-LGBT abuse and assault in Britain have increased by 78% in the last five years. The poll found that 21% of respondents had experienced a hate crime in the past year, but 81% of victims did not report those incidents to police.