Man punched RuPaul’s Drag Race star after homophobic shouting match at McDonalds

An attack on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star The Vivienne was motivated by homophobia, a court has ruled.

Alan Whitfield, 51, had previously admitted assault after physically assaulting the winner of the first Drag Race UK, James Lee Williams, but denied that it was motivated by homophobia.

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“What have you come as, an Oompa Loompa?” Whitfield asked The Vivienne before punching the 31-year-old in the face at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant in Liverpool, England in June.

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Whitfield maintained the argument before the assault was “banter.” His “Oompa Loompa” comment compared the drag star’s green hair to the fantastical little people portrayed in the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (as well as the movies based on the story), reports Sky News.

But the badgering turned violent when The Vivienne returned Whitfield’s “barrage of abuse.”

Just been attacked in McDonald’s, Police on way. Homophobia alive and well folks! First time I’ve never retaliated in a fight because I’m not gonna punch somebody in front of kids and women. #pieceofshit

— TheVivienne (@THEVIVIENNEUK) June 16, 2023

Testifying behind a screen, she said: “He carried on, then after the fourth ‘Look at the state of you,’ I said, ‘Look at the state of you’. I said, ‘Look at the state of your face’, to which he said, ‘I’ve got skin cancer’ and then punched me straight in the face.”

The Vivienne said she regularly dresses in a “flamboyant” and is used to “looks” and “stares”, but her assailant’s violent reaction felt unprecedented.

He’s been arrested and in custody. Result, it’s so important that as a community we report and take action on hate crimes. Otherwise it continues to happen. Time to set an example!

— TheVivienne (@THEVIVIENNEUK) June 16, 2023

“There were countless other people in the branch of McDonald’s that day,” she testified. “Why didn’t he start on anyone else? Why did he choose to publicly humiliate me and then hit me, if it wasn’t for my image or me being quite evidently gay?”

In a 999 call played for the jury, The Vivienne told the operator, “He obviously knew I was gay. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist.”

Today I will stand up in court and use my voice to defend not only myself, but our community for the homophobic attack a few months ago. Let’s hope justice prevails and makes people think twice before acting on hate.

— TheVivienne (@THEVIVIENNEUK) December 1, 2023

For his part, Whitfield claimed he was “very hurt, very very angry” after The Vivienne mocked the scars on his face.

The drag star and third-place finisher on Dancing On Ice earlier this year accepted responsibility for her part in the ugly exchange, admitting to the court she added insult to injury when she told Whitfield his skin cancer was “made up.”

“For that, I truly apologize,” The Vivienne said. “That must have hurt. That was never intended.”

After a short deliberation, head magistrate Anthony Canning told Whitfield, “Having considered this incident from beginning to end, we believe beyond reasonable doubt that the hostility shown by yourself from the outset was motivated and down to the perceived sexuality of the complainant and this was homophobic in nature.”

As Whitfield exited the court, he muttered his unhappiness with the finding: “Joke. Bulls***. Where’s the hate crime for my cancer?”

He’ll face sentencing on January 3.