Julie Ward
A resident of Florence said she was asked to leave a bar and then beaten by other patrons because she’s gay.
Julie Ward, her sister, her sister-in-law and a friend went to the only bar in nearby Weir, called The Bunkhouse, around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Weir is a small town in Williamson County about 6 miles northeast of Georgetown and 30 miles north of Austin. Florence is about 20 miles northwest of Weir.
Ward told KVUE News they had been at the bar for about half an hour playing pool when an employee told them The Bunkhouse doesn’t serve their kind and asked the bartender to have them removed.
Ward said they left but then women held her arms while men beat her, calling her derogatory names in the process. Ward, her sister and her friend suffered scrapes and bruises.
Bruises that Ward, her sister and a friend say they suffered on their arms when patrons held them and beat them early Sunday at a bar in Weir, Texas.
“As we came outside into the parking lot, we were followed by the patrons of the bar and our arms were held back by women and we were beaten by men,” Ward told KVUE News. “A man told me if I was going to look like a man, I better be able to take a hit like a man, and I was punched in the face at that moment and hit the ground.”
The manager’s wife told the news station that the women were roughhousing and weren’t asked to leave because of their sexual orientation. She said the violence toward the women didn’t occur.
Sgt. John Foster with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing for multiple assaults. He said if “it is warranted that charges be filed for a hate crime, charges will be filed.” He declined further comment.
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