A man who moved to Manchester so he could “be who he wanted to be” was attacked and left for dead in an incident described by police as a homophobic assault.
Morgan Fevre, 22, was approached by a man who mocked an item of clothes he was wearing, before using a vile slur and attacking him.
He suffered a bleed to the brain as well as a severely fractured cheekbone and eye socket, three broken teeth and a badly broken nose.
His father Paul, 53, told Manchester Evening News Morgan had been out with friends and believes the thug first asked Morgan for a cigarette before attacking him.
He said: “The man said to him 'why are you wearing a girl's jacket, you f****** f*****?
"That's the last that he remembers. In 2022, that people are called these names and these things happen to them - it is absolutely horrendous
“Morgan has gone to Manchester thinking it's great - you can go out and be who you are. Then this happens.
"This has knocked him back, but we are all here for him.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the reasons he came to Manchester was because of the city's inclusiveness."
Morgan - a support worker for adults with learning difficulties - moved to Manchester from Retford for work more than a year ago.
Morgan, who lives with partner Elliot Lyte in Didsbury, was taken to the MRI by ambulance at around 2.15am on Sunday, April 10.
Elliot, 30, said he was last seen walking from a pub on Deansgate up Market Street towards Piccadilly Gardens.
Morgan went on to be transferred to Salford Royal Hospital, where his father Paul said he remained with a blood clot on his brain until he was discharged on Wednesday evening.
More than 40 staples medics used following Morgan's emergency craniotomy have been removed, but doctors are continuing to monitor him, Paul added.
He said: "We are just taking each day as it comes. It is heart-wrenching to be honest. The family are in bits.
"I got a phone call from my wife saying that Morgan had been attacked and was in intensive care. We just jumped in the car and raced up to Manchester."
Elliot said Morgan was now stable, but was initially left fighting for his life because of what he called 'senseless violence'.
"He sent his last text message to a friend at 1.30am," said Elliot, who believes Morgan may have been followed by the man who attacked him.
"So there's a gap in time before he was taken to hospital.
"In a country of progression and in a city which has somewhere called the Gay Village, that this can happen, and these words said, is baffling and upsetting.
"Morgan is doing well, but this will leave lasting scars both physically and mentally. He is on the way to recovery, but has only just become himself in the last couple of days."
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "Officers were called to reports of an assault on Charlotte Street in Manchester city centre at about 1.35am on April 10, 2022.
"It is believed the male victim was punched by another man and required hospital treatment for face and head injuries.
"He has now been discharged from hospital.
"The incident is being treated as a homophobically aggravated assault and is being investigated by GMP's City of Manchester CID.
“Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 4409 quoting incident 247 of 10/4/2022.”
