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“Are you hitting on me?” an enraged bar patron yelled at Eugene Grosh as the savage beating began.

Grosh, who is gay, recounted details of the terrifying Saturday morning incident after he was discharged from a hospital.

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“It was a minor setback,” Grosh said with a half-laugh during an interview Sunday.

It’s unclear whether any arrests have been made. A Saskatoon Police Services official was not available late Sunday afternoon.

Saskatoon is making progress but still has a long way to go toward full acceptance of LGBTQ residents, Grosh said.

“Saskatoon is a welcoming place. I’m proud to live here, but the hate still exists,” he said.

Saskatoon Pride Festival chair Danny Papadatos agreed. He still gets people making angry comments and hand gestures when he drives around in his rainbow-coloured car.

“There is still a lot of work to be done. It’s sad. There’s still a lot of hate, ignorance,” Papadatos said.