GuysLikeU’s Simon Dunn expresses his disgust at First Dates’ star Daniel May’s admission that he lied about being attacked.
When reality TV star Daniel May first went public about his ‘gay bashing’ in February, like most of you I was appalled that yet again another member of our community has been assaulted for simply being who they are.
You see, I am someone who myself has been a victim of an assault and spoken openly about it. And the reason I did so was to make the world aware that even in this time of acceptance and togetherness, homophobic violence is still an issue for our community and that if I – who is over 6ft tall and weighing in at 98kg – can be assaulted, then we all need to be cautious in our actions.
Daniel May issued this picture after his ‘attack’
Therefore I was immensely proud of Daniel for coming forward and telling his story. But now having read his outrageous interview with GuysLikeU, in which he admits that he actually lied about being attacked so that he could enjoy a further 15 minutes of fame, I can only say that I am totally disgusted. Disgusted and appalled at what I see as a trivialisation of an abhorrent issue for the simple reason to gain ‘fame’. And Daniel, you should be ashamed!
As it so happens, Daniel’s confession comes almost three years to the day after I was assaulted in the street by six men who left me for dead (thank you Facebook memories for the not so pleasant reminder!) It was a vicious assault which left me hospitalised and emergency doctors considering whether or not to induce me into a coma when they feared I may have had a blood clot on my brain.
Luckily, I pulled through, but memories of the night of the attack still haunt me. For months after, I still had a fear of going out at night alone, a fear that continues to rear its ugly face today. Even now, I constantly am reminded of that terrible night when people ask me why I don’t smile in photos much. The reason? Because I’m self-conscious of the damage the brutal assault did to my teeth! I would love to be able to smile with confidence again.
Homophobic violence is a very personal and important topic for not only myself but thousands of people within the LGBT community. Assaults on the LGBT are so often ignored or swept under the rug because the victims are too scared to come forward for many reasons, one of these being the fear of not being believed.
So having a ‘public figure’ like Daniel actually lie about something like this does little to elevate that fear. I don’t think Daniel really understands the ramifications of his actions. In his desperation for fame, he’s forgotten that with it comes ‘responsibility’ for the community. Saying you were assaulted should never be your stepping stone to becoming a celebrity.
Therefore I encourage anyone who falls the victim to such an act to come forward, contact the police or someone who can help and report the assault on your behalf. Even if that person is myself, I understand, believe you and I care. By reporting the act you can prevent it from happening again and very possibly even safe a life. The good thing about the LGBT community is we have a strong support network. We have social groups, counsellors and peer groups in place for this exact thing – you’re not alone!