The assault happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Yucca Street.
Police said three men approached the victim and asked him if he was gay. When he said yes, they suddenly began beating him. The suspects fled the scene when a witness intervened.
The victim was taken to the hospital, where he was listen in stable condition.
LAPD investigators don't have a solid description of the suspects.
Leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community said attacks like these happen too often.
"We just had a few attacks last year," said Jake Finney of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. "There's no signs of hate violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people going away."
