A homophobic Uber driver kicked a man out of his car for being gay. And it only got worse from there
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A gay man has claimed that he was kicked out of an Uber and punched twice in the face after a homophobic driver found out that he was gay.
Mohamed, who has not given his surname to media, said he was attacked by the Uber driver on Sunday (13 September) during a late night journey home from a party.
He told French LGBT+ magazine TETU that the Uber driver became increasingly angry as he told his female friend about a man he had met at the party.
The driver reportedly became so angry that he ordered Mohamed and his friend to get out of the car.
“At that moment, I was completely confused, but he was ranting,” Mohamed said. “He started spouting homophobic insults at me, saying he didn’t want a ‘queer’ in his car.”
Mohamed got out of the car and tried to flag down a taxi while his female friend stayed back to talk to the driver about his actions.
But Mohamed said he “couldn’t take it anymore” – and he decided to confront the driver.
“I told him that I’m gay, that I’m proud, and that it’s 2020, you aren’t allowed to make the comments that he was making,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed had to have five stitches in hospital following the Uber assault.
The victim said the Uber driver then lunged at him, punching him twice in the face. He fell over a car that had stopped to help them and was left unconscious with a bleeding nose.
The driver then allegedly got back into his car and drove away before authorities arrived at the scene.
Mohamed was taken to hospital by paramedics, where he was given five stitches and told he had a trauma to the head.
Since the attack, he has been too afraid and anxious to be left alone, and his friends have been taking turns to stay with him.
“I’m still in shock. After I filed a complaint with the police, I was walking in the street and for am moment I wasn’t on the pedestrian section. Someone on a moped shouted at me, calling me ‘queer’, and it hurt,” he said.
A spokesperson for Uber told the French magazine that it “profoundly” regrets the incident and said it is cooperating with police in an effort to track down the driver.
In a statement released to PinkNews, a spokesperson for Uber said: “There is no place for this kind of behaviour in the Uber community. We take all reports very seriously and investigate thoroughly.
“We typically waitlist drivers during investigations and if the allegations prove true, an individual would likely face permanent deactivation. We are committed to improving our procedures and work closely with our partner SOS homophobie.”
