A young woman has been overwhelmed by the support she has received in the days after she was knocked unconscious by two thugs.
The men told Kerry Byrnes they knew she was gay before they punched her repeatedly in the head.
Kerry, 23, was unconscious for up to 15 minutes as a result of the attack in her home town of Oakham last Sunday.
She said she has had an "amazing" response to her decision to post a photograph of her injured face on Twitter and Facebook along with an appeal for help catching the men.
The image has been shared widely on social media and the attack has generated revulsion.
Also, Rutland County Council has said it will help her with any home security measures she might need.
The council has also offered to replace her spectacles, which were broken when the men repeatedly hit her in the head.
She said: "I can't believe how supportive people have been and how many people have shared my photograph.
"It's amazing how many people have shared the photograph. Hopefully it will help the police."
Talking to the Leicester Mercury earlier this week, Kerry said: " just want these lads to be caught before they do this or something worse to someone else.
"They were just two lads walking behind me. I didn't think anything of it because this is Oakham and nothing ever happens here.
"But then they said they knew I was a lesbian and that I worked at Tesco.
"They just started hitting me in the head and I lost consciousness.
"I don't know how long I was out for, it must have been about 15 minutes."
Dennis Bradley, project manager at Leicester's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, (LGBT), Centre, said while incidents of verbal abuse and harassment were commonplace, such serious assaults were rare.
He said: "It is appalling that in this day and age that a young woman is unsafe in her own neighbourhood.
"People will sometimes ask us why we still need LGBT centres when we have legal rights and protections.
"Then something like this will happen and it illustrates exactly why centres like ours are still needed.
"Hatred and violence have not disappeared overnight.
"This was a very serious attack but lower-level incidents are happening every day, everything from name-calling in the street upwards."
Councillor Jayne Woodcock, mayor of Oakham and chairwoman of the town council, said: "I am in genuine shock that something like this could happen to a young woman walking home.
"We should all feel safe walking in our own community.
"Hopefully people will look at the photograph of her injuries and will tell the police who did this. Perhaps, the people who attacked her will feel guilty and will come forward."
Pc Mark Barlow, who is investigating the crime, which happened in Burley Road at 1.30am, said: "This was a nasty assault which resulted in the victim receiving hospital treatment and she has been left badly shaken up.
A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said the investigation was continuing.
Contact Pc Barlow on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
