Amidst a sea of pink bandannas, Patrick S. Kelly ’05 speaks to a crowd gathered in front of the Science Center at yesterday’s rally about his experiences with homophobia on campus.

Prompted by the assault of Galo Garcia III ’05 last Friday, a group of about 200 students gathered on the Science Center lawn yesterday to rally against hate crimes in a show of support organized by the Harvard Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Supporters Alliance (BGLTSA).

According to witnesses, Garcia was assaulted as he walked on Bow Street Friday night by a man—who is not a Harvard affiliate—yelling homophobic epithets.

At the rally, Garcia’s friend David G. Evans ’05, who was with Garcia on Friday night, spoke of his reaction to Friday’s assault. Calling Garcia “short, but strong as hell,” he said that he wasn’t able to hug Garcia when he visited him at the hospital because of his bruises.

“I hate this man for not letting me show my love to my friend in the only way I know how,” Evans said of the perpetrator. “Nobody should be ashamed of who they love.”

Students at the rally and throughout campus donned hot pink bandannas decorated with messages against homophobia, which the BGLTSA passed out throughout the day. Around 1,200 bandannas were distributed, and the group is ordering more to create a display against hate crimes, BGLTSA Public Relations Chair Mischa A. Feldstein ’07 said.

The many speakers at the rally emphasized different issues relating to hate crimes, but the theme of surprised indignation that a hate crime could happen at Harvard was prevalent.

“I think the vast majority of people were shocked by this [the assault],” Feldstein, who is also a Crimson editor, said after the rally.

Other speakers, such as Patrick S. Kelly ’05, shared their experiences of having been subjected to homophobia on and around the Harvard campus.

Kelly said he was assaulted multiple times throughout his four years at Harvard because of his sexual orientation, and said that the administration did not answer his repeated requests for intervention.

The incidents of hate crime “quickly faded from memory and victims are quickly dismissed by members of the administration,” Kelly said.

“This past Friday, Harvard’s apathy has claimed another victim,” he told the crowd.

Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Another student, whose account was anonymously read at the rally, wrote that last fall he was assaulted by a drunk Harvard student, who shoved him to the side of Claverly.

Hate crimes “are not necessarily only caused by non-Harvard students,” the student said. “I felt really marginalized.”

In another account of homophobia, Susan B. Marine, director of the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, said that someone told her on the subway, “You’re going to hell, dyke.”