( CNN ) -- Three masked men allegedly bound a woman and carved words into her skin , police in Lincoln , Nebraska , said Monday . The incident has been classified as a hate crime because a derogatory term for lesbians was painted inside the home , said Officer Katie Flood , a spokeswoman for the Lincoln Police Department . Someone had carved words into the woman 's body , police said , but investigators declined to elaborate . In addition , someone poured gasoline around the house and lit it , but the fire did little damage , police said . After the attack , the woman made her way to the home of a neighbor , Linda Rappl , who said she feared bad news about her husband , who is in hospice , when she heard someone knocking on her door before dawn Sunday . What she saw instead was her 33-year-old neighbor , she said , naked and bleeding . `` I was in shock , '' Rappl said . `` She was naked , her hands were tied with zip ties . All I could see was a cut across her forehead and blood running down . '' The woman was sobbing . Rappl , 68 , brought her neighbor inside and wrapped her in a blanket before calling 911 . `` She had cuts on her arms and legs but I did n't want to humiliate her and stare , '' she said . It looked like she had endured torture , Rappl said . `` Some of the blood that was on her -- that had run down her legs -- was dried so I do n't know how long it was before she got away . '' When word got out about the attack -- and the words carved into the woman 's skin and painted onto the walls -- people responded with anger and sadness on social media . Word of the incident spread quickly , said Tyler Richard , president of Outlinc , a non-profit organization for the lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgendered community in Lincoln . Members of the LGBT community organized a vigil at the capitol building Sunday night that he estimates more than 500 people attended . Opinion : Boy Scouts , end discrimination against gays . `` The most powerful thing to me was the amount of people there , the amount of people that wanted to support and say this is not something we 're going to stand for in our community , '' he said . The city and its police force will do everything they can to `` ensure that justice is done , '' Mayor Chris Beutler said Monday . `` Hate crimes are despicable and appalling to me and to all Lincoln residents , '' the mayor said in a statement . `` Lincoln strives to be a community that embraces tolerance and equality . We stand united with our gay and lesbian citizens in denouncing violence directed at any group . '' Though Rappl could n't attend the vigil , she said it is good for the woman `` to know how many people care about her and support her . '' The women have been neighbors for about seven years and have become good friends , she said . Rappl said her neighbor recently lost her job and had been spending her time volunteering with local children . `` Apparently , though , through that job someone let her know that she had no business working with children because she was a lesbian , '' Rappl said . `` She is a wonderful , beautiful person . I could n't ask for a better neighbor . '' The woman lives openly as a lesbian , Richard said . Lesbian ex-den leader takes petition to Boy Scouts . She helps her rake leaves and shovel snow , Rappl said ; she also mows the lawn each week for neighbors who do n't have mowers . `` She even apologized to my foster son for waking him up , '' she said . She said the woman is out of the hospital and staying in an emergency shelter . More from CNN Justice : . First court appearance for Colorado shooting suspect . Penn State gets 'stark wake-up call ' Jury selection gets under way in the Drew Peterson murder trial . FBI : Missing Iowa girls probably alive .
Police are investigating assault and arson they 're calling a ` ` hate crime '' in Lincoln , Nebraska . The victim , 33 , has words carved into her skin and painted on her face , an officer says . A neighbor says the woman came to her door in the middle of the night , naked and bleeding . The woman is openly lesbian and ` ` the best friend , '' a friend says .