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Feel like I'm in an alternate reality today. I'm so angry and upset that people are not acknowledging what happened in Dublin yesterday. These aren't just silly #antimask protesters who should be ingnored. These far right protesters attacked two lesbian women. https://twitter.com/RobertBohan/status/1304847425006436354
@IzzyKamikaze and @MoObstreperous were set upon by protesters who screamed "paedo" at them and injured Izzy with a plank wrapped in the tricolour. Let's call this what it is: homophobia. The Gardai and media are saying nothing, despite the very clear footage and Gardai presence.
As a fairly obvious lesbian, I'm used to the snide looks and the occasional "dyke" being spat at me on the street. I shrug it off. The last I was physically attacked for homophobic reasons was thirteen years ago and I've learned to deal with the low level homophobia I receive.
I didn't realize that we still live in an Ireland where people are free to attack us, where no one will be held accountable and where no one will speak up. Seeing the online discourse about the attack, it heavily features slurs and nasty comments about butch appearances.
This is emblematic of a bigger problem facing Ireland. Until this year, I believed that Ireland was above the far right nonsense. That this ideology couldn't take hold in a country that has had so much trauma and oppression in its history.
I believed that the Irish people have too much in common with groups of people who are marginalized and victimized to allow the far right ideology to take hold. But it's here and we need to do better in shutting down the hate and bigotry. Too many people will suffer if we don't.
