Online donors have raised over $71,000 for the legal costs of David Vulin, a gay dad who was arrested and charged with a felony after his physical altercation with a right-wing media personality who suggested on-camera that he and his husband would molest their newborn son.

“We were targeted in a way that was deeply upsetting and destabilizing for our family,” Anthony Vulin, David Vulin’s husband, wrote on the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign. “My husband and I have fought incredibly hard to build the life we have today and to welcome our baby into it, which makes this moment especially painful and overwhelming.”

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Anti-LGBTQ+ commentator Ryley Niemi and a camera crew approached the couple while they walked through West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California with their infant. The crew told the husbands that they were CNN reporters.

“Have you ever heard about the statistics coming out that gay men are much more likely to commit child molestation?” Niemi asked.

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The couple looked shocked and simply said they did not, and that it sounded “crazy.”

Niemi kept going. “Don’t you think it’s weird that you guys have a child but neither of you are a woman?” he asked.

Anthony Vulin, who was holding his baby, continued to smile uncomfortably and said no. The couple then stared in stunned silence as Niemi asked if they used a surrogate. When they didn’t reply, Niemi added, “You paid a woman $50,000 to be pregnant?”

At that, the couple had had enough.

They began to walk away as David Vulin shouted, “Who the f**k are you? I’m gonna f**king kick your a**.” David Vulin then shoved Niemi. David Vulin later lunged at Niemi and punched him in the head.

David Vulin was arrested for assaulting Niemi but released after about 12 hours, according to Anthony Vulin. He was ultimately charged with a felony for “vandalism with loss valued equal or greater than $400” for allegedly damaging a camera. Anthony Vulin told the WeHo Times he did no such thing.

“As a result, my husband, David, is now facing a legal process, and the cost of securing proper representation is significant. David is a devoted parent to our newborn baby and an incredibly important part of our lives,” Anthony Vulin wrote. “Right now, our focus is simply on keeping our family stable, supported, and together as we move through this. We’re asking for help to cover legal fees and related expenses so that he can have fair representation during this time.”

Niemi claimed in a follow-up video that he tried to de-escalate the situation and claimed the couple “seemed to not care for their own baby’s safety.” However, online commenters criticized Niemi for staging a provocation, harassing public citizens for content, and using the men’s anger to paint himself as the victim.

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