Actress Eva Longoria has offered her support to a transgender employee at her Los Angeles restaurant after he was brutally beaten in an alleged hate crime on Thursday (30May13).

Victor Diego, who is in the process of becoming a woman, was heading home after his shift at Longoria's Hollywood eaterie Beso when he was allegedly attacked by a group of men.

The 22 year old was hospitalised at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and treated for two fractured ribs, a shattered cheekbone, a broken jaw and damage to his temple.

His sister Virginia believes Diego's attackers could have been Beso diners upset when they discovered the woman they were trying to flirt with was really a man.

She told CBS News, "Sometimes men try to talk to him and they get humiliated in front of their friends when they realise it’s a man, because he looks really good, he looks like a woman, you couldn’t tell the difference... He was basically left for dead just because of who he is."

Longoria, who opened the restaurant with chef Todd English in 2008, opened up about the attack via Twitter.com on Monday (03Jun13), posting, "My heart and prayers are with Victor Diego and his family."

According to Fox News Latino, police are investigating the incident as a hate crime as Diego is both gay and transgender.