A group of popular drag queens were set upon and attacked by a gang outside a premises on Dublin's Dame Street on Tuesday night.
Alexis McQueen, who is one of the resident drag queens at The George around the corner on George's Street, suffered injuries to her head after the attack in which a glass bottle was used. She was with fellow drag performers Anita Hero and Grainne Kneez when a group of men started verbally attacking them with slurs over their appearance.
According to an Instagram story post by Anita Hero, Grainne Kneez was in drag and Alexis McQueen had dressed down but still had her makeup on when the men confronted them and used homophobic slurs. They followed the trio out of the shop they were in and threw bags of glass at them which led to Alexis suffering cuts to her head when she stood between her friends and the men harassing them.
Alexis said yesterday that people who were members of the LGBTQI+ community need to be careful when they're out and about in Dublin city and thanked well-wishers for their messages. An ambulance had to be called to the scene as she was left with injuries to the back of her head.
She said: "Got glassed in the head for no reason by a load of scumbags going home last night. Be careful out there when out guys. Just got home I'm grand, could have been worse though. Thanks so much for all the lovely messages and well wishes guys, you're all stars."
In August a Dublin man was left with a bloodied face after being attacked by homophobic thugs. Mark Sheehan, 26, was on his way home from the city centre on the number 15 bus when the horrific attack took place.
Half of all Ireland's reported hate crimes last year occurred in Dublin. New hate laws are being introduced following a rise of attacks on the LGBTQI+ in the country. The new bill will create for the first time in Ireland specific hate crime offences. They will be in the guise of aggravated forms of existing criminal offences, where perpetrators are motivated by prejudice towards a “protected characteristic” such as race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity and disability.
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