Drag Race UK star Elektra Fence faces "vile" attack on train to Manchester

The self-proclaimed "Lightning Bolt Assassin" was out of drag and travelling alone at the time of the incident.

News . Written by Saoirse Schad.

Close up of Elektra Fence posing lying on the ground, biting long fingernails with chains on them and butterly clips in her hair
Image: Instagram via @ElektraFence

The season three-star of Drag Race UK, Elektra Fence, faced physical and verbal on a commute from Euston to Manchester via train.

The attack took place on Sunday, April 24, when Julian (the real name of Elektra) was returning from the buffet car with a cup of tea. A group of nine grabbed and pushed him while shouting homophobic insults.

“It was incredibly aggressive and frightening and I felt totally helpless,” Julian posted on Twitter, “…[they were] shouting every homophobic slur under the sun.”

He revealed that the attackers, made up of five men and four women, pulled open his jacket and put their hands on him after jumping out to scare him. Fortunately, he was aware of a self-defence move (learned from Tik Tok) which allowed him to escape the grip of the attackers.

“Attacks are at the back of many queer people’s minds every day, including mine; whether it’s holding my fiancé’s hand, leaving for work in drag/makeup or simply buying a cup of tea on a train…

“I want you all to know that I am a strong, resilient person and have suffered worse than this in my life. Despite this, I should not have to deal with or process an incident such as this in this day and age. As a victim of both physical and verbal bullying at school, this attack was triggering and I admit to being both upset and angry about it still.

“I won’t be changing a thing about myself. I nearly changed my outfit immediately after to blend in. But no. Our community has fought too hard. Dimming my light is not an option; I’ll never do it. I’ll never change. Ever.”

He concludes by advising fans and readers to “Look after yourselves and each other”, and shared with the caption “My history has made me a tough cookie, like so many of us; I won’t be changing for anyone.”

Julian also noted that the police did not respond to the incident, meaning that the attackers were able to leave the train unapprehended at Crewe.

A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast, the train company on which the incident took place, Tweeted out in response.

“We are really sorry to hear that this happened on board one of our trains, Elektra,” they wrote. “No one should have to experience that. Really glad to hear our TM [train manager] Lee was there to support you.  If you are able to DM us with the journey details, we’ll get this looked into further.”

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