Two gay men were assaulted on a Manchester Tram in the early hours of Saturday morning (1st November) leaving one unconscious.
Jean-Claude Manseau and Jake Heaton were singing songs from the hit musical Wicked when the pair were subjected to verbal abuse by an another passenger.
When Manseau and Heaton got off at Piccadilly Gardens the homophobic passenger called over a group of 15 others and according to the victims proceeded to attack them physically.
Manseau was knocked unconscious and sustained head injuries while Heaton was punched to the back of the head.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Manseau said, ‘It has destroyed every bit of confidence I have. It will be a while before I go anywhere on my own. I don’t know when I’ll feel safe to go into Manchester again.
‘They split my forehead, my lip, broke my nose. My eyes are black and swollen. My ribs are painful, I can’t move much. My face is going to be scarred for life. That has upset me.’
Heaton went on to say, ‘It was terrifying. They crowded around us and it probably only last a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime. It’s completely shocking. Nowadays you think people are mostly accepting of people’s sexuality, especially in a big city like Manchester.
‘We did nothing to provoke it. We were just having a laugh and a sing on the tram. It was definitely homophobic. Throughout it all, they were hurling abuse at us. I don’t feel safe now. You feel like you can’t be who you actually are when there are people like this walking the streets.’
Anyone with information, please call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
