A gay man was left needing hospital treatment after being head on the head with a baseball bat when he and his partner were attacked in Boston, in an incident that is being treated as a possible hate crime

The attack took place in the Mattapan neighbourhood of the Massachusetts city at about 7.45pm on 13 September when the couple were walking towards a convenience store. 

At first a group of men shouted gay slurs at them, some of which were in Haitian Creole, a French-based language, before a fight broke out, a witness told The Boston Globe.

One of the gay men was then hit with what appeared to a be a bat. Boston pofficers found him in a parking lot, bleeding from the back of his head.

He was assessed at the scene before being taken to hospital. His condition is unknown. His friend was interviewed by the officers, and the attack is being investigated by the Boston Police Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Hate is never tolerated in Boston,” a police spokesperson said. “Our thoughts go out to the two victims, and we ask anyone with information to contact [us].