Westlife singer Markus Feehily reveals 'agressive' homophobic attack forced him to leave his hometown pub
Feehily fled the pub in Sligo after intimidating abuse over his sexuality
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Gay former Westlife singer Markus Feehily has spoken about an “aggressive” homophobic attack that forced him to flee a pub.
The 34-year-old came under fire for his sexuality in his hometown of Sligo in Ireland and was left “shocked” by the ordeal.
“A man asked to take a picture of me, then four of his friends crowded round yelling, ‘What the f**k are you doing? Why are you having a photo with him, you gay? You queer!’” Feehily reportedly told The Sun.
“They said ‘gay’ about 30 times. It was so aggressive and intimating. The most upsetting thing was it was in my hometown. We left quickly, the fear kicks in. I was shocked.”
Feehily believes that despite big steps such as legalising same-sex marriage, there is a long way to go before homophobia is stamped out.
“It would be a big mistake to think it’s over,” he said. “Things are far from where they need to be.”
Five-piece boyband Westlife officially split in 2012 after a Greatest Hits album and farewell tour. Feehily launched his solo career in February with debut single “Love is a Drug”.
He first disclosed he was gay in 2005 after seven years of keeping his sexuality private from the public. Feehily credits late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately for “helping him and probably lots of other gay lads to understand their sexuality and come out”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments