A British trans woman, Naya Martinez, 21, and her gay friend, Valentino Kyriakou, 20, were told to leave a chicken shop in north-west London’s Wembley otherwise they would be stabbed. Trigger Warning: This story has details and visuals of a homophobic attack, which might be distressing to some readers.
For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The BBC reported the ordeal was recorded by onlookers and posted on TikTok where it went viral, and was shared via other social media platforms including , and Instagram where it has been viewed “hundreds of thousands of times.”Valentino Kyriakou, 20, and Naya Martinez, 21, were subjected to homophobic slurs by a group of young men in Wembley, #London.The video shows the friends being told that they would be "shanked" if they didn't leave.@metpoliceuk say they are trying to identify the perpetrators.
pic.twitter.com/eU9BapFAos— Birmingham Against LGBTQI Hate (@BrumAgainstHate) February 1, 2022Police have yet to make any arrests as they try to identify the offenders captured on video.
Officers interviewed Kyriakou and Martinez on Monday.Kyriakou told the police he was afraid he was going to be “stabbed” when the men were verbally abusing him.