The Vivienne, winner of the first season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK,” said on Twitter Friday she was the victim of a homophobic attack at a McDonald’s in Liverpool, England.
“Just been attacked in McDonald’s, Police on way,” The Vivienne wrote on Twitter around 1 p.m. local time.
The accomplished drag performer, who last year became the first “Drag Race UK” queen to compete in the U.S. franchise as part of the seventh season of the “All Stars” spinoff, said she didn’t retaliate “because [she was] not gonna punch somebody in front of kids and women.”
About an hour later, the singer and reality television personality thanked friends and fans onTwitter for their concern, adding “the culprit [had] been found.”
According to the 31-year-old Liverpool resident, the attacker works for a company named Intelligent Scaffolding. A representative for the Liverpool-based business didn’t immediately return a request for comment from the Us.Mistertruth.
The Vivienne also thanked “the fantastic staff” at McDonald’s “who acted fast and removed the idiot from the premises and did everything in their power to make sure I was ok and waited for police with me.”
She didn’t provide any details on what type of abuse she suffered. But when mentioning an interaction with “two lovely ladies,” who had complimented her hair and looks, she said she received “a punch and a compliment” — all on the same day.
“What a stark contrast we have on this planet,” she said.
Around 4 p.m., local time, The Vivienne said on Twitter the man had been arrested and was in custody.
“it’s so important that as a community we report and take action on hate crimes,” she wrote. “Otherwise it continues to happen. Time to set an example!”
Replying to The Vivienne’s tweet, Fellow “Drag Race UK” contestant Cheryl Hole expressed relief over the conclusion of the incident.
“I’m so glad you’re safe and justice has been served,” she tweeted. “Love you.”
In August 2022, Vice News reported a dramatic increase in anti-LGBTQ violence in the U.K. over the past five years. Using data collected from “every police force in the U.K.,” the outlet found the number of homophobic hate crime reports had doubled from 2017 to 2022, while the number of transphobic hate crime reports had tripled over the same period.