A gay couple were attacked for ‘holding hands’ after leaving an Edinburgh gay club.
Andy Millin, 32, has shared pictures of his horrific facial injuries after being battered on Saturday night (19 May).
He was walking with boyfriend Cameron Stringer, 26, hand-in-hand after going to gay venue CC Blooms.
Targeted for ‘holding hands’
A group of men, who spoke a foreign language, targeted the couple.
Stringer was targeted first, but Millin stepped in to help him and was smacked in the face.
The beating continued, giving his cuts and a bust nose which required stitches.
Stringer was also punched as the attackers ran away.
The pair do not have a good recollection of the men’s appearances as it happened so fast.
‘Scared of strangers’
The couple now say they are now ‘scared of strangers’.
Millin told the Scottish Sun: ‘We’d been at a friend’s barbecue and went to CC Blooms for a few drinks. We left at about 3am and were on our way home.
‘We crossed the road holding hands and there was a couple of guys behind us. One of them ran up and kicked Cameron in the back.
‘He was about to attack him but my first instinct was to get him out of the way. I got punched and then I blacked out.
‘I had a lot of blood so Cameron told me to sit down on the pavement, but then one of the guys ran back round and punched Cameron. His injuries weren’t bad, he just had a bit of a lump.
‘We’re alright now but still a bit shaken.’
Police have said they will check CCTV for evidence of their attackers.
One in five LGBT people in Scotland have said they have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexuality or gender identity in the last 12 months. Almost half of trans people (48%) have experienced a hate crime or incident in the past 12 months.
