Cork native, David Babington is a likeable man – chatty, funny and flamboyant. It's his flamboyance that makes him stand out, and made him a target, he believes.
Last month, the 43-year-old stylist was walking alone in Cork City after a night out, when a man approached him.
"I could hear, 'you effing queer, you effing faggot’ and, very quickly, I knew something was about to happen" he told Prime Time.
Before David could react, the man attacked him.
"Before I knew it, I received a massive punch into my eye. I remember going down, the impact of it was very strong." David was left unconscious on the footpath.
"Here I am, 43-years-old… beaten up for my sexuality" he said.
What happened to David is part of an increase in homophobic attacks across Europe. A report last month, by advocacy group ILGA-Europe, showed that attacks on the LGBT community, at a European level, are at the highest they have been for a decade.
Here, figures released by An Garda Síochána last week, show that hate crimes reported in Ireland rose by 29% last year. Of all reported hate-motivated attacks and incidents, those related to sexuality accounted for 22%. That was second only to race, which accounted for 32% of all reported incidents targeting what are described as vulnerable communities.
David’s husband PJ, and their three-year-old daughter Eden were also traumatised by the attack. After David, shared his story on social media, he endured more hurt, this time from online homophobic commentary.
One anonymous person commented: "It's a shame that he didn't put you in the morgue" David recalled.
"I don't understand why people would go out of the way to deliberately write and hurt somebody".
The attack left a physical mark on David, but there is also a psychological impact. When he is out socialising, he is now wary that he might be singled out for attack as a gay man.
"I love my sexuality. I wear it with pride, but I don't feel safe. I definitely do not feel safe now," he said. "I'm not the same person since it happened."
Almost eight years on from the passing of the marriage referendum, David still feels unsafe as a gay man.
"I believed that Ireland changed back then, but clearly it hasn't" he told Prime Time. "It's okay to be gay in Ireland, but don't be too gay".
David, had experienced a similar attack at a much younger age, and now feels it is bringing back similar trauma "it threw me back into a very, very dark place" he revealed.
When asked if he is taking a case forward, David said he declined due to his previous experiences in court cases.
"We would go to court within two-to-three months. I would stand up in the dock and in the courtroom and tell my story. That's a huge trigger for me, because I did it when I was 19-years-old, and the thoughts of doing it again was just too much for me."
"I do feel like a coward letting the person off with that, but I have to protect myself and my family." he concluded.
