Gay porn star and comedian Wesley Woods has opened up about a brutal homophobic assault he and his best friend endured on 8 August when out walking in West Hollywood.

Woods opened up about the ordeal in a video posted on his Twitter account.

“My best friend and I were brutally attacked by three straight white hetero men in West Hollywood, California,” Woods explains in the video, where scars on his face are visible.

“We just happened to be walking down the sidewalk minding our own business.

“I’m not posting this video for sympathy, I’m posting this video for awareness. You’re not always safe in the places that you think you are.

“Always have someone next to you, always be aware of your surroundings, and be prepared to fight for your life. I’m not saying that’s a first means and that it’s always necessary, but in some cases it is.

“I wish you love, I wish you happiness, and I hope that if you guys see me out this weekend bearing my scars, you’ll say hello,” he added.

Since he posted the video, it has been viewed over 100,000 times and has been shared widely by members of the LGBT+ community.

In a post with the video, he said the enemy wants you “to be afraid.”

“They want to force you into their idea of normal,” he continued. “I am not, you aren’t, none of us are – ‘normal.’

“We live this life the best we can [with] what we’ve been given in hopes of being our true self. Do not hide, fight for your space to exist and always be you.”

Hate crimes against the LGBT+ community continue to be persistently high. According to UK charity Stonewall, one in five LGBT+ people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual or gender identity.

Trans people are even more likely to experience hate crimes, according to the charity, with two in five having experienced a hate crime.