On December 31st 2007 my boyfriend Jon and I were on the 36 Broadway bus going southbound to the Landmark Theater to spend a nice quiet New Years together. When the bus stopped at the Addison stop a man and his friend were exiting the stop when a large (muscle) man got up and punched one man in the head and called him a faggot. Another rider on the bus ran to the bus driver to tell him what transpired and the man who punched the passenger exiting the bus chased this other man off the bus. Jon and I told the bus driver the same thing as we were exiting the bus and he did nothing. We called the police and they told us to call the CTA and the CTA said call the police.  We had the royal runaround with no response and no action taken.

I shared this story for a reason - safety. As you continue, you will read the story of what happened to Dann Hauff.

Many news outlets have covered the story of Dann Hauff and the harassment and punishment he endured Sunday morning on the CTA Red line. MTM waited to post this article because Dann and his boyfriend Reeve are good friends of ours and we wanted to do justice for him as well as the readers of MTMChicago.com.

The following is an interview with Dann Hauff regarding the events he states took place. At the end of the interview is a statement by the CTA pertaining to the events. When I called the CTA I also asked if they would send over the procedures the CTA employees are supposed to follow when an incident happens, so MTM can post for our readers to know - those will follow shortly.

BG: What stop and time did you get on the Redline?

DH: Perhaps 2:30 or 3am from the Belmont Red Line. Possibly why they thought I and the witness who stood up for me were gay.

BG: Where you with someone?

DH: I was by myself.

BG: When did you notice the man was being picked on (roughly what stop)?

DH: I don't remember. It wasn't long.

BG: Did you know this individual?

DH: No. I have no idea what was being said, only that it was about to turn physical because they were in each other's faces. In hindsight, I realize that the guy who attacked me had the other guy up against the side of the train, but at the time I did not know what the argument was about (nor do I now) or if anyone was being inappropriate. I only knew that there were two people about to scuffle and I hoped that asking them to let it go would help. After they got into my face (he and two of his friends), I tried to contact the train conductor. It wasn't until after the train conductor came to the train car, then went back to the front and drove off that I was further assaulted. They had already pushed me and put their hands on my face (that's assault) and threatened me (that might be assault). The punches came after we pulled out of Wilson - AFTER I had called the train conductor. I have no idea what was said. It is all a blur to me.

BG: How many men were taunting and how old do you think they were?

DH: Probably 20s. There were three.

BG: How did you get involved/ what actions did you take to get help?

DH: I stood up and asked them if they could let it go, said that I didn't know who was in the right and who was in the wrong and that I didn't care, could we please let it go, etc.

BG:  What did the CTA employee do to help?

DH: She came to the car (the driver), spoke to us briefly, and then left. She drove the train off and I was assaulted after that.

BG: What did these men do to you?

DH: They punched me, kicked at me, called me a "faggot" and "stupid faggot," pushed me around, ran their hands over my face...

BG: Were the men arrested?

DH: Yes. The responding officers (Officer White and Officer Betz) said that they felt it was a hate crime. They saw me with the blood all over my face. The witness who took photos with his cell phone (I heard the police officers discussing the photos - one said how you could see the two guys hitting me).

BG: Did you go to the hospital?

DH: Yes.

BG: What physical injuries do you have?

DH: My nose bled profusely all over myself and the guy who tried to help me also had my blood on him. No broken or fractured bones and no stitches, thankfully. I am swollen, cut up and bruised in places and in a significant amount of pain. It wasn't until I threatened them with my blood, even wiping it on their faces, stating that I was HIV positive that they left me alone. Although I am not HIV positive, this was the first time that they stopped harming me, so I did what I had to do.

BG: What mental injuries do you have?

DH: I wouldn't do anything differently. It's always alarming to see how violent people are and how they are so willing to harm other people (or animals) due to whatever they are lacking. Violence toward animals is often a precursor to violence to humans and my investigative work, along with data from police agencies around the country and the FBI show the direct link between those who harm animals and those who harm people. I hope that people will stand up against cruelty and violence, no matter who the victim is, and although my ability to get help from authorities was thwarted by the CTA pulling off and leaving me on the train car with the men who beat me up, that shouldn't have been the case. We always need to stand up to those who think they can harm others. That's why I do the work that I do with Mercy For Animals, as those animals are unable to change laws or enforce the minimal laws that we have to protect them. Although I am certain that I will feel the need to look over my shoulder more because it happened to me, if anything, I stand stronger in my resolve to help others and to speak out against violence toward all sentient beings.

BG: What do you want the CTA to do to improve safety?

DH: Clearly, CTA drivers should immediately address situations and never blow them off. I don't know what CTA policy is or why the driver continued to drive without police arriving, but it all made an already bad situation much, much worse.

BG: Are you going to press charges and are you looking for Hate Crime status?

DH: We will absolutely press charges and if the crimes fall under the definition of a hate crime, then I will seek that as well. No one should feel entitled to beat someone while calling them derogatory names that reflect groups they are identified with. If it wasn't a "hate crime" as defined by law, it certainly was a crime of hate that included some unresolved feelings of anger, frustration or prejudiced against the LGBT community that shouldn't be ignored. When we ignore homophobia, racism, sexism and so forth, we give ignorance a green light. The light is red.

As you can tell, the chain of events is similar but the courses of action told by both parties are very different. From my personal experience with the CTA, I would have to say the train operator is at fault.

*As of 9:30 pm I could not reach the police for further comment or if this will be considered a hate crime. On a side note the officers at the police department were very helpful to me.

This will be an ongoing story updated as we receive more information.  Special thanks to Dann for providing MTMChicago.com with this story.