CHAMPAIGN- Emotional words from the victim of a hate crime. It happened on Green street in Champaign just after one in the morning on Saturday. Police arrested Brett Vanasdlen and he was in court Monday. They say he made comments about the student being gay and then pushed him to the ground.
    Steven Velasquez is a student at the U of I. He was walking with friends when he says he was attacked for his sexual orientation. He says in this day and age he couldn't believe this could happen and even worse on campus where he thought he was safe.
    "My comment was 'How ignorant was that' and then I was just pulled back and that's all I remember," It happened so fast.. Steven Velasquez has trouble remembering the details.
    He was walking down Green street with two girls and another guy when a man started yelling at them for being gay. "It upset me so much that he had no idea who I was, I didn't even try to stick up for myself, I  ignored him to go on with his action and throw me to the ground it was such a shock."
    Sitting with friends now, the whole thing seems unbelievable.
    Amy Snyder, his best friend, is trying to be there for him, "It's one of those fears that you just don't talk about that there is hate in the world, that you're okay being who you are and when that actually happened it was just earth shattering."
    Velasquez has struggled coming to terms with his sexual orientation, telling friends and hoping for acceptance but this is something he had never imagined.
    "I started thinking, wow I'm gay and I can't even embrace that to my family and for someone to take that out on me and push me to the ground and injure me, it just makes me not want to come out to my family because you don't know who's out there, you don't know who is going to react the way that guy reacted."
    He's shaken up but taking a stand ready to press charges. It's not going to be easy but he won't let this go un-noticed.
    "Yes this happened but I have to move on I can't let it affect me because it will take over and inhibit my ability to embrace who I am." Velasquez was released from the hospital the following day Doctors say he was knocked out unconscious and suffered from some head trauma. The man arrested.. Brett Vanasdlen is charged with a hate crime. He's out on bond.