At a “Love Over Hate” rally at the Bucks County Courthouse Wednesday, the two men brutally attacked during last month’s gay bashing in Center City, Philadelphia spoke out for the first time via a statement read by organizers, The Intelligencer reports:

“Everyone keeps saying that they are sorry this happened to us. But the truth is, we’re sorry. We feel sorry for our attackers — people who believed it was OK, cool, maybe even funny, to use two innocent individuals as their punching bags and not even have the decency to apologize. Words are powerful. A simple, I’m sorry, would’ve went a long way with us …

“You butchered my boyfriend’s beautiful face. You violated our rights. You jeopardized our health and safety in a city that we love and during a time where so much progress around human rights has been made. … We are also determined to do everything in our power to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else again.”

The men said they haven’t released their identity because the story is not about them, but everyone who lives in fear. They called for passage of a hate crime bill in Pennsylvania. “It stops here. It stops today. It stops now.”

Kevin Harrigan, Kathryn Knott, and Philip Williams, the three Bucks County residents charged in the anti-gay assault, will face preliminary hearings in court December 16. 

Said Caryn Kunkle, a friend of the gay couple [pictured speaking above]:

We really want change in Bucks County. We want to be known as a place for equality and togetherness.

Check out video from the rally, AFTER THE JUMP…

Earlier today, we reported on the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee’s meeting yesterday on amending the state’s hate crimes statutes to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

[photo via Facebook]