A teen pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he used an anti-gay epithet during an attack on a fellow student at City College of San Francisco last week.

During the attack, which occurred after a confrontation, 18-year-old Jevon Mask allegedly referred to the victim using a gay slur, Assistant District Attorney Victor Hwang said.

The victim was allegedly choked briefly but didn’t suffer serious injuries.

Prosecutors filed assault charges with a hate crime enhancement because of the use of the anti-gay epithet.

But Mask’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Anne Irwin, said the term is “a colloquialism that goes beyond” the anti-gay meaning.