A "p****d up couple" threatened to smash a crate of ciders into the face of a lesbian woman whom they branded a " gay c***" in a vile rant.
Tracy Neesom, 42, has branded the latest homophobic attack "childish, pathetic and ignorant".
She and her girlfriend became embroiled in a dispute with the drunk couple outside a shop in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, on Sunday night.
"They kept having a go at me and the guy threatened to slam a crate of ciders in my face. He kept calling me a he and when I said, ‘I’m not a he’ he turned around and called me a gay c***," Tracy told Hull Live .
"Then he started having a go at my partner who had come into the shop with the dog and my dog did try to bite him because he was being aggressive."
Tracy said the abuse is the latest in a string of homophobic attacks she has endured since coming out as gay 20 years ago.
Although she has logged the offence as a hate crime with Humberside Police , Tracy says it has had a huge effect on her girlfriend who she has only been seeing for the past six months.
"I’m a repeat victim," mum-of-one Tracy continued.
"I’ve had my car covered in paint stripper and I’ve been beaten up. Someone threatened to break my daughter’s legs and a few years ago a woman who started on me called me a dyke.
"It’s disgusting in this day and age that this abuse still happens. Gay people are now allowed to get married but people still call us all sorts of names under the sun and it’s just childish, pathetic and ignorant.
"It’s all too common and I’m not afraid to speak out but I find that a lot of people are."
What is a homophobic hate crime?
Homophobic and transphobic hate incidents can take many forms including:
- verbal and physical abuse
- physical violence
- teasing
- bullying
- threatening behaviour
- online abuse
- damage to property.
It can be a one-off incident or part of an ongoing campaign of harassment or intimidation.
Hate incidents are not only carried out by strangers. It could be carried out by a carer, a neighbour, a teacher or someone you consider a friend.
When a homophobic or transphobic hate incident becomes a criminal offence, it’s known as a hate crime. There are no specific homophobic or transphobic hate crimes.
Source: Citizens Advice
Tracy had a message for people who still think they can commit hate crimes without punishment.
She said: "People think it’s just a word when they are being homophobic but it’s more than that.
"It’s part of our identity and it’s not acceptable to call people names and things because of their race and religion, so why do people think it’s acceptable to target someone because of their sexuality?
"People think being gay or lesbian is a lifestyle choice but it’s not. Nobody would choose a lifestyle where they are subjected to hate and it just makes you wonder what this world is coming to when people can’t even go to the shop without being subjected to homophobia."
Humberside Police now wants anybody who saw the encounter unfold between Tracy and the couple to get in touch immediately.
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