testimony of Luc Di Gallo, trapped and attacked because he is homosexual

Luc Di Gallo was far from imagining, a year ago, that the meeting would close on him like a trap. After chatting for a few hours with a man he met on Grindr, a homosexual dating site, he agreed to a meeting in a park in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), a family and reassuring place that he knows well, since he is elected from the city. Taken to a dark area, he describes an outbreak of violence. “He grabs me by the neck, starts to strangle me and says: it’s okay, get out”he confides.

Three people hidden in the trees came out and put him “punches in the face” insulting him as a “dirty faggot”. He finally managed to put his attackers to flight. For many weeks, he struggled to leave his house. In addition to the theft of his phone and his wallet, he is marked by this homophobic ambush. “When we punch people in the face with this violence, calling the person a dirty faggot, it’s because we have this hatred written deep within us,” he judges.

Homophobic ambushes are increasing and affecting all ages, backgrounds and all regions of France. It is difficult to quantify them, as many victims do not dare to file a complaint. More generally, 2,870 anti-LGBT crimes and offenses were recorded in 2023, i.e. 19% more than in 2022. The anonymity of social networks makes it easier to organize ambushes.