It's been a big issue nationwide in recent weeks, following the suicides of several college students who were harassed about their sexual orientation. This weekend in Albany, the gay and lesbian community is speaking out after the assault of a homosexual man. Our Matt Hunter reports.

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"It started with the one and then the other two were egging him on to say, "Beat the (expletive), knock the (expletive) out," Webster said.

At around 3 a.m. Saturday, the 23-year-old, who's gay, left the popular gay bar Rocks on Central Avenue and went next door to Yankee's Pizzeria.

After accidentally spilling parmesan cheese, he says an employee, Jamil Karmini, 20, began yelling homophobic slurs at him and attacked him.

"As I was going out, he stepped on my flip flops and pushed me into the wall,” Webster said. “I turned around and he punched me several times in my face."

Webster says he had to get six stitches, and doesn't know whether he's going to regain vision in his injured eye.

Karmini was arrested and charged with third degree assault.

Despite the alleged language used by him and other pizzeria employees, Albany Police Department spokesperson James Miller says there's little to suggest this was a hate crime or that Webster was targeted because he's gay.

That's not sitting well with members of the local gay and lesbian community.

"I mean, it kills me because it's 2010. It's not 1942, 1968 or you know, and people still think that way,” Albany Queer Rising member Kiki Vassilakis said. “It's almost kind of bred down through the generations, like it's sad to say, but it's going to be years before anything like this is completely obsolete."

This Tuesday night, the local advocacy group Queer Rising has organized a rally at Albany's Townsend Park. The hope is to bring people on both sides together and put an end to what they believe is a growing problem.