A court has ruled that an attack on Drag Race UK star The Vivienne was motivated by homophobia.
Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable and/or upset.
Back in June, the All Stars 7 talent revealed on Twitter that a stranger physically assaulted her.
“Just been attacked in McDonald’s, Police on way. Homophobia alive and well folks,” she wrote. “First time I’ve never retaliated in a fight because I’m not gonna punch somebody in front of kids and women. #pieceofshit.”
A few hours after the attack, The Vivienne returned to social media to reveal that police had captured the homophobic assailant.
“He’s been arrested and in custody. Result, it’s so important that, as a community, we report and take action on hate crimes. Otherwise, it continues to happen. Time to set an example!”
In September, the perpetrator of the attack – whose real name is Alan Whitfield – pleaded guilty to the assault but denied the prosecution’s claims that it was fuelled by “homophobic hatred” – instead claiming that the attack took place after The Vivienne mocked Whitfield’s facial scars.
On 1 December, the Liverpool Magistrates Court held a hearing to review the facts of the case, including CCTV from the fast food restaurant, the 999 call, and evidence from the beloved drag performer.
Today I will stand up in court and use my voice to defend not only myself, but our community for the homophobic attack a few months ago. Let’s hope justice prevails and makes people think twice before acting on hate.
— TheVivienne (@THEVIVIENNEUK) December 1, 2023
During the trial, Whitfield described his exchange with the Drag Race star as “banter,” before admitting that he made comments about the performer’s looks – comparing her to an “Oompa Loopma,” per Sky News.
The Vivienne also gave further insight into the incident, stating that Whitfield targeted her with a “barrage of abuse” after she walked into the McDonald’s.
“He carried on, then after the forth ‘look at the state of you’ I said ‘look at the state of you,’ I said ‘look at the state of your face,’ to which he said, ‘I’ve got skin cancer’ and then punched me straight in the face,” she explained.
While Whitfield insisted that The Vivienne’s sexuality was not the reason behind his attack, the latter pointed out that there were a sleuth of people in the establishment that he could have interacted with.
“There were countless other people in the branch of McDonald’s that day, why didn’t he start on anyone else? Why did he choose to publicly humiliate me and then hit me, if it wasn’t for my image or me being quite evidently gay?” he said.
After deliberating the aforementioned items, the court ruled that Whitfield’s attack on The Vivienne was motivated by homophobia.
“Having considered this incident from beginning to end, we believe beyond reasonable doubt that the hostility shown by yourself from the outset was motivated by the perceived homosexuality of the complainant and was homophobic in its nature,” Chair of the Bench Anthony Canning said in the magistrates ruling.
Whitfield is expected to be sentenced on 3 January.
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