MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Police are investigating after a same-sex couple said they were brutally beaten Wednesday night while dining at the Dockside Restaurant in Malden.

Michelle Hart and Kelly Gonyer claim a man sitting at the bar started yelling gay slurs at them before attacking them because of their sexual orientation.

“It’s very swollen and I superglued this gash shut,” Gonyer said as she showed her puffy right eye to 7’s Byron Barnett.

“Right now, it’s two ligaments in my ankle and a fractured cheekbone,” said Hart, who is in an ankle boot and on crutches. “I’m in excruciating pain.”

The couple says they were absolutely the target of a hate crime and that one kiss set off the alleged attacker.

“I kissed her,” Gonyer said. “That is what provoked everything. That made him very mad.”

Hart says she fought back as much as she could but was taken away on a stretcher.

“He came over and beat us both to a pulp,” Hart said.

Authorities are working to secure surveillance video from the restaurant as part of their investigation.

“To hate on someone for who they love, it’s disgusting,” Hart said.

The couple says they have never been targeted before. They plan to attend this weekend’s gay pride parade in Boston to celebrate themselves.

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