Police are investigating a possible hate crime after openly gay journalist Randy Gener was attacked and badly beaten while walking home from a party on Jan. 17 in Manhattan.

Gener had brain surgery at St. Luke's Hospital and is reportedly scheduled to undergo surgery another time. Gener's sister wasted no time in her rush to get by her brother's side; she flew from the west coast to New York to be with him.

The party, according to reports, was located near West 54th Street and Seventh Avenue. His spouse said he was just three minutes away from home. The New York Police Department has not yet made any arrests and said it is looking at the attack as a possible hate crime. Any person who has information have been asked to call 800-577-TIPS.

It comes as no surprise that the NYPD is looking at this as a possible hate crime considering the surprisingly high amount of LGBT-related hate crimes in the past year throughout the city of New York. According to The New York Daily News, there were 68 bias attacks against gays from January 2013 through August 2013.

The 45-year-old journalist has worked for the New York Daily News, the New York Times, the Village Voice, and NPR.

A Facebook page was created in support of Gener and it was used to organize a Candlelight Vigil for him over the past weekend as he remained in the hospital.

"We, as New Yorkers, demand an end to hate violence in our city," the page writes. "We as LGBTQ folks, Filipino Americans, people of color, and allies want to feel safe on our streets again."

What do you think about this? Do you think he was attacked because of his sexual orientation or could it have been related to something else? Let us know in the comments section below.