Drag queens Lucina Schynning and Krystal Queer attacked in Cork City, Ireland during Jazz Festival Weekend
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Two drag performers were violently assaulted in Cork City, Ireland over the weekend in what has been described as a homophobic attack.
Lucina Schynning and Krystal Queer, well-known figures in Ireland’s drag scene, were filming a promotional video for their upcoming club night Saints on Oliver Plunkett Street in the early hours of Sunday morning, during the Cork Jazz Festival. Dressed in full drag, the pair were suddenly attacked by a man who kicked them from behind. As Lucina attempted to pursue the assailant, Krystal was subjected to a second assault by a group of men who struck her in the face with a mobile phone, causing significant bleeding.
Disturbingly, bystanders reportedly cheered and filmed the attack rather than intervening. “There were hundreds of people on the street, no one tried to help,” Krystal said in a video posted to social media. “The most sickening part for me was the men on the street who laughed at us and cheered.”
The performers have since shared footage of the incident online and appealed to the public for help in identifying the attackers. Thanks to community support, they have reportedly identified all individuals involved and passed the information to Gardaí. Additional footage received has led the pair to believe the attack constitutes incitement of a hate crime.
Despite the trauma, Lucina and Krystal have vowed to continue their work and will proceed with their scheduled performance on Thursday night at Saints Cork. “We’re going to keep enjoying ourselves and being very openly queer,” Lucina said. “This is very clearly an attempt to dehumanise and degrade us as queer people, but we won’t let it dim our light.”
