Never has a hate crime and subsequent arrest of the perpetrators better represented how far we’ve come as a community and how far we’ve yet to go in our struggle for equality.

Six gay men were attacked outside the Pride festival Saturday evening in Balboa Park. In five separate attacks, these men were assaulted with baseball bats, fracturing the skull of one of the victims, and another was stabbed with a sharp object, possibly a knife.

Following an unprecedented response from San Diego’s city officials, as of Tuesday the three men suspected of committing these malicious acts have been apprehended and will be charged with attempted murder and assault and battery with a deadly weapon. The attempted murder counts will carry the hate crime enhancement charge.

Mayor Jerry Sanders, who addressed the city during a press conference Monday in response to the attacks, called the attacks “shameful.”

“I have a few choice words for the criminals who committed this vicious attack and for any others who are contemplating perpetrating such a crime: You are cowards,” he said. “Make no mistake about it; if you commit such a crime, we will do everything within our power to catch you.

“Clearly these animals wanted to push these men back into the closet,” Sanders continued. “We won’t and shouldn’t allow that to occur.”

Many of us remember a different time, when assaults against our community were commonplace and received little, if any, attention; when the SDPD perpetuated hate instead of protecting us from it. Witnessing Mayor Sanders, Police Chief William Lansdowne, City Attorney Mike Aguirre and our community’s own elected representative, Councilmember Toni Atkins, standing in solidarity before the news media this week was a true testament to the achievements of this community and so many of its tireless activists and community leaders.

These latest attacks follow a string of recent crimes against members of our community. While it remains unclear if these other crimes are hate-related, one thing is for certain: Living within the gay bubble has given many of us a false sense of security. Even in the confines of Balboa Park during Pride weekend, our community is vulnerable. Please take extra precautions, be aware of your surroundings and travel in groups if at all possible.

Each year during Pride season, the question of whether the GLBT community still needs a Pride parade is invariably raised. After all, in the state of California, we are legally protected from many forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation, and our families receive almost all the state rights and privileges of marriage through our domestic partnership laws.

As for visibility, our community is represented in all forms of media, and many elected officials are out members of our community. But for all of our advances in the gay rights movement, this latest occurrence of hate is a bitter reminder of how far we’ve yet to go, and reconfirms Pride’s mission and its necessity – especially today.

In response to the hate-related attacks during Pride weekend and to show support for the victims, The Center and San Diego Pride ask you to join them for a rally against hate on Friday, Aug. 4, at 5:30 p.m. The event will take place at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest. State Senator Christine Kehoe, Councilmember Atkins and Police Chief Lansdowne will be among the featured speakers. For more information, contact Sean Wherley, The Center’s public policy director, at (619) 692-2077 ext. 212.