A lesbian couple in Oshawa, Ont., who were allegedly assaulted by a man because of their sexual orientation want the assault charges against him upgraded to a hate crime.

Anji Dimitriou and Jane Currie said a man assaulted them as they were all waiting to pick up their children at Gordon B. Attersley Public School in Oshawa on Nov. 3.

Currie said Dimitriou was confronted with a swearing, enraged father who spat in her face before punching her twice, once in the face.

As Currie went over to help, the man also punched her hard on the cheek, drawing blood, the couple said.

During the assault, he hurled crude, derogatory epithets at the two women with regard to their sexual orientation, the couple said.

"I was honestly shocked," Dimitriou told CBC News. "I really didn't think anything like that would happen in this day and age."

The attack was over quickly after another man and woman intervened; police were called.

Durham Regional Police have charged Oshawa resident Mark Scott, 43, with two counts of assault causing bodily harm. The women said based on what their assailant said to them, the charges should be upgraded to a hate crime.

"That is what it is," Currie told the Toronto Star. "He went after us because of who we are."

Police have to consult with the Crown attorney's office before they can lay a hate crime charge, officers said.

Scott's lawyer Mark Jacula said, "As everyone knows, there [are] two sides to every story, and Mr. Scott will [give] his side of the story when he has his day in court at trial."

Since the incident, the couple have started a Facebook group to share their story, and it has attracted 3,860 members. A rally to support them is scheduled for Friday.

In the meantime, their children still play together, but Scott must stay away from the women.

The alleged assault wasn't the couple's first confrontation with Scott, they said. The Star quoted Currie saying Scott verbally abused them in the past, often over a parking space in the school lot.