Gay man refuses to go out after being beaten up in homophobic attack
Dean Wheeler was pushed to the ground and kicked in the heads and ribs
By Steve Brown
A gay man is scared to go out after being beaten in a homophobic attack.
Dean Wheeler, 23, went to the shops in his home town of Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, and on his way home, he was shoved to the ground and was kicked in the ribs and head by an unknown attacker, the Belfast Telegraph reported.
He said: “I was going out to the shop when I heard ‘queer boy’ being shouted at me.
“I just ignored it and went to get a taxi. I was told it would be over an hour and I live 15 minutes away so I thought I’d just walk.
“After that, I heard ‘f****t’ being shouted and the next thing I know I was shoved to the ground and kicked in the ribs and head while they called me an ‘HIV ridden bastard’, and all this.”
Although he didn’t see the face of his attacker, the last thing he remembers was being rescued by a passer-by.
Dean said: “Another man came out of nowhere and just ripped him off me. The next thing I remember was waking up at home the next morning.
“I’ll never got out in this town again, never. If that man hadn’t helped me, God knowns how far it would have gone.
“My family, friends and work colleagues are raging about it, disgusted this could happen in this day and age.”
Dean came out as gay to his family two years ago and although they supported him, he was targeted by online homophobic abuse.
“My family and friends have always known, to be honest,” he added.
“Most people in the town were all fine but I got people making fake accounts on Facebook and telling me I’m going to die from HIV and things like that.
“I pass these people off because I don’t care about their opinion, but it’s different when somebody actually hit me because I’m gay.”