A POLEGLASS mum has spoken of her anger after her son was subjected to an alleged transphobic attack on the Glider on New Year’s Eve.
Julieann McNally was speaking after her son Leon (20) was travelling home from work when he was subjected to a torrent of abuse from a group of six males, aged in their late teens.
“What happened was a clear hate crime,” Julieann said. “You should be able to get on a bus and travel without being discriminated against because of your race, your gender, your sexuality or who you choose to love and it angers me so much.
“How many of these incidents have happened in the past and how many have been let go?” she asked.
Julieann said that when she reported the incident to Translink that she was told to make a police report but that she feels it would be too traumatic for her son.
“Leon making a police report would retraumatise him. A police report would lead to give police statements and Leon is not in the right space to have to deal with that on top of all the abuse.”
Leon boarded the bus around quarter-to-six and was subjected to the abuse along the route from the city centre.
“He was waiting to come home to us as we were going to my other son’s for New Year’s Eve. He got off the bus and I got a phone call from him, and he was in a state,” she continued.
“He said he just froze and that no one on the bus tried to stop it. He thinks they are around 17-years-old, and they should know better.
“Leon was afraid they would get off the bus with him and attack him because his transgender friend suffered a really bad attack last year getting off a bus in East Belfast.
“I am absolutely disgusted that this could happen in this day and age,” she said. “What my child identifies as, how he chooses to live his life and who he chooses to love, doesn’t impact on anyone else, so I am blown away by people's need to interfere in his life or make him feel bad about himself.
“People don’t realise the strength needed to go through a process like this.”
Julieann said that she is working with LGBTQIA+ support group Cara Friend to introduce workshops within West Belfast on issues affecting the LGBTQ+ issues and that she has witnessed a number of occasions where trans people have been misgendered within the community.
“In recent days I have spoken with a number of businesses in West Belfast about the possibility of making them safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Cara Friend offer training for business which helps them become safe spaces.
Julieann told us that the support that Leon has received since the attack has been amazing that that her son’s strength amazes her and detailed the challenges that he has faced in accessing services as a transgender person.
“He is a hard worker. He is 20-years-old and wants to move to America in a few years. He is saving towards that and surgery costs because there is no support here for trans people."
Julieann added that she believes that if people are educated on the issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community, then attacks like this will decrease.
“If you educate people and give them the proper knowledge they might step back and say right, okay. If they don’t have that knowledge, do they think they aren’t doing any harm, that it is a bit of a laugh? I don’t think they understand the impact on the person.
“People are also genuinely afraid to intervene as they are afraid of potential violence and don’t know what kids are carrying which is pretty sad,” she said.
A Translink spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff is our top priority and we condemn all instances of anti-social behaviour on our services.
"We have reached out to this passenger and their family directly, advising them to contact the PSNI and reassuring them that a Translink investigation is also underway.”
