An Oklahoma teen is speaking out after being beaten unconscious amidst a flurry of homophobic slurs at a party over the weekend.

As Fox 23 is reporting, 18-year-old Cody Rogers is still recovering from injuries sustained after he stepped in to defend his 21-year-old female friend, who he claims was being attacked by another guest. "I am feeling really emotional, I am holding it in right now," Rogers, who says he came out about 18 months ago, recalled. "I stepped in and they threw me to the ground -- obviously, I’m a little beat up."

After the attack, Rogers shared a bloodied photo of himself, which has since gone viral after being uploaded to Facebook.

Subsequently, Rogers launched a Facebook page titled "Help Stop the Stomping," in an effort to promote protection for Oklahoma's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) residents. At present, Oklahoma is one of just 19 U.S. states that don't include protections for sexual orientation in their hate crime bills.



You can view Rogers' Facebook campaign, which currently has over 500 members, here.