Will Young Subjected to Homophobic Abuse by Bus Driver in Fulham

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Singer-songwriter asks Mayor for help finding driver who called him 'poofter'

Transport for London has apologised to singer songwriter and actor Will Young after he reported homophobic abuse by a bus driver in Fulham.

Will, 38 said he was driving through Fulham on December 12 when the bus driver called him a 'poofter'.

He is now trying to track down the driver to prevent further abuse, and has asked London Mayor Sadiq Khan for help.

Will was driving his car at about 12.25pm on 12 December when he became involved in an altercation with the driver of a bus coming towards him on the opposite side of the road.

Will, who came out as gay in 2002, tweeted about the incident @willyoung on 5 January, saying: "Homophobic abuse from a tfl bus driver calling me a poofter. Reported it ten minutes after it happened and TfL been amazing.

"TfL doing everything they can but I am appealing to @TfL @SadiqKhan to help me find the driver to ensure he doesn't abuse others . PLEASE DM me."

He added: " TfL been great at reacting to my tweet . All I need is an apology - no witch hunt . To be called a poofter isn't the nicest thing and it reminds me what a vile thing prejudicial language is to try and shame others. I can take action, many young people can't."

Steve Burton, TfL’s Director of Enforcement, said: "We’re very sorry to hear of Will Young's experience, and are looking into it urgently.

"Any form of hate crime is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

"Everyone has the right to travel without fear of abuse or intimidation and if anyone witnesses or is victim to hate crime they should report it immediately.

"We work closely with our police partners to eradicate hate crimes and fully investigate all reported incidents."

A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor's Office are in touch with Will Young in regards to this incident and the work being done across the TfL network to tackle all forms of abuse including homophobic hate crime."

 

January 11, 2018