Hideous homophobia...

It's early morning, New Years Day 2013 and I'm sat at home with a bag of frozen peas pressed up against my face. After a gig in the west end of London, the roads were closed so the taxi that was arranged for our small group of wayward drag artists couldn't get close so we had to walk to Bolton Street in Mayfair to be picked up. A few were still in full looks which garnered the predicable heckles and cat calls you'd expect from New Years revelers in the capital but just as we finally reached our taxi, one of our party who was slightly ahead of us was attacked. I saw a wig fly and ran over to get in between the attacker and the innocent which resulted in me getting a bash on the nose myself.

The utter asshole (and there's no way to be polite about this) kicked and punched a person who was simply dressed differently. They felt threatened by someone disrupting their sense of the so-called norm.  After the initial attack, asshole #1 was pulled back by asshole #2 who then called us "batty boys". How original.
I retorted "Happy New Year, now fuck off". Asshole #1 tried to have another go but the screeching girl with both assholes forced them into a taxi and drove off into the night. I looked down to see asshole #1  had dropped his phone during the attack. Oh you silly, silly bastard.

We ran around the corner to tell the community police officers (who were unfortunately one street away) to report it. Luckily neither of us were severely hurt (can't imagine anywhere worse than A&;E on New Years Eve) so it would have been easy enough to shake it down and put it down to an unfortunate episode but all incidents of this nature, no matter how big or small and especially homo and transphobic attacks must be reported. Unfortunately statistics are required for any kind of change. These kind of incidents happen more frequently than should be happening in this age of so-called liberalism. You'd hope with legal changes and more gays in the media, attitudes would be on the move but there are still a lot of small bigoted minds out there. This was an abhorrent unprovoked attack by someone who obviously feels more of a 'man' swinging his fists when faced with something his pathetic little brain can't quite compute.

This is not how I expected my first blog post of 2013 to go but there you have it.  My nose hurts and I have a splitting headache but I'll get over it (I'm off to Thailand and Cambodia in just over a week to travel, volunteer and write my new full length show which premieres in May).
As for the asshole with the vile sexist screensaver, we're passing his phone to the police who will be able to track him down. We will be pressing charges. Happy new fucking year asshole.

x

P.S. Two days have passed and still haven't heard from Westminster police. It being on the corner of Piccadilly, it's likely there was CCTV and we've got his phone, it's an easy case to follow.
I'm ok, no bruises but a sore nose, more angry than anything. It's hideous that our queer fore brother and sisters have been physically assaulted for simply being who they are but incidents like this should not be a rite of passage for any LGBTQI person in 2013.
Look out for each other out there. Apathy is the current gay fragrance of choice, we've still a way to go. 

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:33 pm

    Good for you for reporting it and following up. People who do this must not get away with it or attitudes will never change.

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  2. Anonymous4:53 pm

    Glad you reported

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  3. What a crazy world we live in. Differences in what we do or how we look or sound make people scared and stupid!

    Good on you for reporting....I cant wait for the update on what happens to the Asshole 1!

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  4. Anonymous11:22 am

    I totally admire and respect the way you have reacted to this unfortunate situation. The narrow minded coward of an attacker should be brought down hard. In an ideal world he would be tied and stretched out like in an old western movie but instead of horses trampling over him there should be a catwalk of trans strutting hard over him in their high heels in full force. However full charges and naming and shaming will do. Well done for reporting this. Love and peace for the rest of 2013 x

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  5. Growl ... pls make a right pest of yourself to the Police - (people who've had to put serial killers n rapists away have oft complained about the same wall of apathy, before getting anything done)

    At least the bum who lost his phone SHOULD be a bit scared about getting his collar felt now (if its registered to his name - and if its a PAYGo then he's lost his phone number, at least - but let that NOT be his ONLY punishment)

    BTW 'back in the day', I was pretty, er adorned, for a friends B'Day party and I'd JUST made it to my door (broad daylight) when some drunk bum slapped me on the back hard enough to bruise, screaming 'HareKrishna !' (it was a swishy cosmic robe thing)
    I actually had my bass gee-tar on me at the time, but i was a bit more gentle back then, and DIDNT smash him with it (He had a pal with him..) - So yeah, i can relate...

    ( pardon the irrelevance, but you seemed to handle it pretty well ) VISIBILITY NOW !

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