Alan Hughes has opened up about the recent homophobic abuse he and his husband Karl experienced in Dublin. The incident in question happened two weeks ago while the pair walked through Grafton Street holding hands.
In an interview with Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, Hughes recalled: “This couple – a very respectable looking guy and girl – as we were passing them said, ‘You dropped something’ and we looked down and they went, ‘Your gay card’ and started laughing and then went ‘queers’.”
He continued: “Karl was actually going to say something because a similar incident had happened to him only a couple of weeks back when he was getting out of his car with friends. I didn’t want to cause a scene in the middle of the city centre so I just said to leave it.”
The 60-year-old expressed that it’s “an awful pity” that some people still act and think this way, adding: “It’s not ok to say those kind of words to anybody – any race or colour or anything like that”.
25 years of Ireland AM, and 25 years of our wonderful Alan Hughes.
From dodgy haircuts and innuendos, to powerful interviews that have touched the nation.
Thank you, Alan. 🧡
#IrelandAM pic.twitter.com/ybJaja3w2d— Ireland AM (@IrelandAMVMTV) September 20, 2024
Hughes, who has been out and proud on Irish television for 25 years, shared that the word ‘queer’ still holds negative connotations for him.
“I’ve grown up where queer is a bad word and I know in the gay community they’re saying they’re reclaiming the word queer for us. But for me, that word still has very negative connotations and I know for a lot of people it does.
“So when I hear that or being called that it does affect you and it is something that has affected me,” he said.
Reflecting on the homophobic incident, Alan Hughes expressed: “We are being accepted in so many ways but there’s always going to be bigots, there’s always going to be people who will call you out for your sexual orientation.”
He added: “I think after COVID the tolerance for things (has gone down)…It’s just bizarre, the world has gone a bit mad at the moment, I think.”
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