However, as a young gay man living in Dublin, he would not let that stop him from enjoying the vibrant nightlife. But in the early hours of a Saturday morning, this abuse turned into a devastating physical assault that made him struggle to recover. The 23-year-old had left The George, a iconic gay bar on Dame Street in Dublin, and was looking for a taxi when a man approached shouting homophobic insults. “This guy just approached me and started throwing violence, calling me that too,” Evan told Sky News. “He started yelling at me af , and eventually that led him to yell at me af with his fists in the air as he hit me in the face. And knocked me out. That led to my injuries.” . Evan was taken to hospital, where he learned that he had suffered a fracture in the eye socket and dislocation and two fractures in the ankle. “The bones in my ankle were essentially broken, so the surgeons had to work hard to repair them,” he said. Image: Lack of progress on a hate crimes bill is ‘shameful’, says Evan Somers Evan says he is still struggling to come to terms with the attack. A rugby player with an all-inclusive team, the Emerald Warriors, is unsure 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, even if Gardai [Irish police] find the culprit, they could not accuse him of hate crime, as unlike most European countries, Ireland does not actually have a specific law on hate crimes in the statutes. “I think it’s embarrassing,” Evan said. “Not just for myself, but for every victim of hate-related attacks. I think this bill, this legislation should be given priority.” It refers to the hate crime bill, which has not yet been tabled in the Irish parliament, despite efforts to instill a sense of urgency in the process. Just days after the attack on Evan, two men were killed across the country in the town of Sligo. Gardai investigating the deaths of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee suspected a possible motive for the hate crime. At the time, Justice Secretary Helen McEntee said she knew it was “a difficult week for the LGBT community” and said she wanted to “reassure people that any crimes motivated by hatred, prejudice or discrimination will not be tolerated. “It will lead to higher sentences and I hope to introduce the hate crimes bill in a few weeks.” Two months later, the bill has not yet appeared. A spokesman told Sky News that the bill would create aggravating forms of existing crime, which would result in “increased punishment” and “strengthen the law”. But they only managed to say that the minister will publish the legislation “as soon as possible”. Image: Oisin O’Reilly “We need to do better” “We have been waiting for this legislation for years and I am really disappointed and frustrated to hear that language is coming from behind the department,” said Oisin O’Reilly, CEO of the Outhouse LGBTQ + Community Center in Dublin. “Months ago, Helen McEntee was talking about introducing legislation within weeks. ‘As soon as possible’ sounds like it has been removed from the political agenda and the minister and her officials need to do better.” We met Mr O’Reilly as he met with police at Store Street Station in the city center. The series of attacks has made many in the gay community nervous before the Dublin Pride parade on June 25. “I took over as CEO at Outhouse nine weeks ago and in six of those weeks I heard of a violent attack on someone in the community,” O’Reilly told us. “I can not remember a time when it was so widespread and I worked in an LGBT community all my adult life.” Image: Sharans Kabra Racism is also an issue It’s not just those in the gay community who are calling for urgent action. Sharans Kabra is from India but has been living in Dublin suburb with his wife for four years. During that time, he has experienced three serious incidents of racist abuse, including throwing stones at him, calling him “Ali Baba” and telling him to “go home”. “My message to the minister would be: to make this an inclusive society for all,” Kabra said. “Hate crime law is absolutely necessary everywhere in the world right now, including a place like Ireland, which I want to call home.” The government promises that legislation, with its potential to act as a major deterrent, is on its way. For now, those most in need of his protection are still waiting for Ireland to get the long-promised hate crime law.
