‘It's not acceptable’: Darren Kennedy calls out homophobic incident in Dublin

Darren Kennedy says he was “inundated” with supportive messages after sharing his experience. Picture: Miki Barlok

Presenter Darren Kennedy has described the shock he felt after being the target of a homophobic slur at the weekend.

Kennedy, who founded the grooming brand Kennedy & Co, says he was in Dublin city centre when a passing man pointed him out to his friends by using homophobic language.

“I was on Camden Street minding my own business on Saturday night when a group of guys walked by and one of them pointed directly to me and went ‘There's the faggot off the telly’, and they all laughed,” Kennedy says.

“I was like, ‘oh my God he's talking about me, he’s calling me a faggot’. Is it the first time I've been called a faggot? No. Is it the first time in a long time? It is.” 

Kennedy, who has previously spoken about being bullied in school because of his sexuality, says he was shocked by the incident.

“I'm absolutely fine. Thank God, I've got thicker skin than that but I'm not going to lie to you. I'm going to be honest and say that it did sting at that moment in time. It kind of transported me back to my 13 or 14-year-old self and my school days when I was called a faggot a lot and it's not nice.” 

Kennedy says he was “inundated” with supportive messages after sharing his experience on Instagram and has called for people to both stop using similar language and to call out homophobia when they witness it.

“I just want to call it out and say it's not acceptable. If you do that, please stop. If you hear someone do that, please do not accept it. And let's give each other a break because it's tough enough as it is.”