Evan Somers says he is used to verbal abuse because of his sexual orientation.
However, as a young gay man living in Dublin, he did not let himself get in the way so that he could enjoy the vibrant nightlife.
But in the early hours of a Saturday, that abuse turned into a devastating physical attack that has left him struggling to recover.
The 23-year-old had left The George, an iconic gay bar on Dame Street in Dublin, and was looking for a taxi when a man approached shouting homophobic insults.
“This guy came up to me and started insulting me, yelling at me this and that,” Evan told Sky News.
“He started yelling at me, and finally that made me yell with his fists in the air as he punched me in the face and knocked me out. “This is what caused my injuries.”
Evan was taken to hospital, where he learned that he had suffered a fracture in the orbit of his eye, a dislocation and two fractures in his ankle.
“My ankle bones were basically broken, so the surgeons had to work hard to repair them,” he said.
Image: Lack of progress on hate crime bill is “embarrassing” says Evan Somers
Evan says he is still struggling to accept the attack. A rugby player with an all-inclusive team, the Emerald Warriors, is not sure if he will be able to return to the game due to his leg injuries.
No one has been arrested in connection with the attack, and even if the Gardai [Irish police] Find the culprit, they could not charge him with a hate crime, as unlike most European countries, Ireland does not actually have a specific law on hate crimes in the law book.
“I think it’s a shame,” Evan said. “Not just for me, but for any victim of hate-related attacks. I think this bill, this legislation should be prioritized.”
He is referring to the Hate Crimes Bill, which has not yet reached the Irish Parliament, despite efforts to inject a sense of urgency into the process.
A few days after Evan was attacked, two men were killed across the country in the town of Sligo. Police investigating the deaths of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee suspected a possible motive for a hate crime.
At the time, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she knew it had been “a difficult week for the LGBT community” and said she wanted to “reassure people that hate crimes, prejudice or harassment discrimination will not be tolerated. ” it will lead to higher sentences and I hope to present the hate crime bill in a matter of weeks. “
Two months later, the bill has not yet appeared. A spokesman told Sky News the bill, which would create aggravated forms of existing crime, would lead to “improved sanctions” and “strengthen the law”. But they have only been able to say that the minister will publish the legislation “as soon as possible”.
Image: Oisin O’Reilly
‘We need to do better’
“We’ve been waiting for years for this legislation and I’m really disappointed and discouraged to hear that the language is back in the department,” said Oisin O’Reilly, general manager of the Outhouse LGBTQ + community center in Dublin.
“Months ago, Helen McEntee was talking about introducing the legislation in a few weeks.
We met Mr. O’Reilly while he was with the police at the Store Street station in the city center. The series of attacks has made many in the gay community nervous ahead of the Dublin Pride parade on 25 June.
“I took over as CEO at Outhouse nine weeks ago, and in six of those weeks I’ve heard of a violent assault on someone in the community,” O’Reilly told us. “I don’t remember a time when I was so prevalent and worked in the LGBT community all my adult life.”
Image: Sharans Kabra
Racism is also a problem
Not only those in the gay community are calling for urgent action. Sharans Kabra is from India, but has been living in the Dublin suburb of Lucan with his wife for four years.
During this time, he has experienced three serious incidents of racist abuse, such as being stoned, called “Ali Baba” and “returned home”.
“My message to the minister would be: make this an inclusive society for all,” Kabra said. “A hate crime law is an absolute necessity for everyone right now, including a place like Ireland, which I want to call my home.”
The government promises that legislation, with its potential to act as a major deterrent, is in place.
For now, those most in need of protection are still waiting for Ireland to get its long-awaited hate crime law.