homophobia
African country Gabon decriminalises homosexuality
Gabon has voted to decriminalise homosexuality, reversing a ban on gay sex put in place last year in the Central African nation. Last year the country legislated a ban on “sexual relations between people of the same sex.” Punishments included six months’ imprisonment and fines of up to five million FCFA ($AU12,440). However, Gabon’s lower …
Gay man reveals shocking police reaction to 1980s bashing
Warning: distressing content A gay man bashed in a horrific 1980s Sydney hate crime has alleged a police report at the time said he “deserved” the attack. After murder charges in the 1988 death of Scott Johnson, Sydney man Martin Parker recalled his memories of his own vicious assault in northern Sydney with The Australian. Parker …
Egyptian activist dies: “To the world – you were cruel…”
Following imprisonment, abuse and torture in Egypt, LGBTIQ+ rights advocate Sara Hegazy sought asylum in Canada. Sadly, she died in her home in Canada Sunday, leaving a note asking her family and friends for forgiveness. In 2017, Sara attended a concert by the Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila in Cairo. The band’s lead singer Hamed Sinno …
Disgraced Labor MP slammed for homophobic, misogynistic rants
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has sacked state Labor MP Adem Somyurek from cabinet amid corruption allegations and leaked audio of homophobic, misogynistic and racist tirades. In the recordings on 60 Minutes, the party powerbroker described Young Labor members as “little passive aggressive f—ing gay kids” and gay staffers as “real slimy little f—ers”. “We’ll have …
Here’s what Sydney’s memorial for gay hate crime victims could look like
ACON and Waverley Council have released shortlisted designs for the planned memorial artwork for victims of historical gay hate crimes in Sydney. The permanent memorial, in Marks Park at Tamarama south of Bondi, will honour victims and survivors targeted in homophobic and transphobic attacks in NSW across decades. From the 1970s to 1990s, attackers targeted …
Gay escorts threaten to out notorious homophobe ‘Lady G’
American gay escorts threatened on Twitter yesterday to out a notorious homophobe they nickname ‘Lady G’. Escort and adult performer Sean Harding kicked things off when he tweeted that every sex worker he knew had at some stage been hired by the notorious Republican senator. The senator in question was formerly an outspoken critic of …
South Australia is the last Australian state to axe ‘gay panic’ defence
A Greens MP has called on the South Australian government to finally abolish the so-called “gay panic” defence for murder. Currently, the partial defence of provocation allows a heterosexual man accused of murder to attempt to reduce a charge if they claim they lost control and the violence was “provoked” by a non-violent homosexual advance. …
MasterChef’s Reynold ‘truly sorry’ for past homophobic comments
MasterChef Australia favourite Reynold Poernomo has “sincerely and deeply” apologised after homophobic comments from six years ago resurfaced. The contestant in the Network 10 cooking show said he was ashamed of the comments, posted online back in 2014, and they don’t reflect his views now. Reynold’s posts on an online bodybuilding forum, under the username …
US LGBTIQ groups back Black Lives Matter after George Floyd’s death
Dozens of US LGBTIQ leaders have united to back the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd. Over 100 leaders of at least 75 groups, including GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project, have signed an open letter condemning racial violence in America. The death of African-American …
Furious residents petition for CCTV to catch rainbow crossing vandals
Wollongong residents have asked their local council for better surveillance after “cowardly” homophobic vandals repeatedly defaced their local rainbow crossing. The rainbow crossing was painted in the coastal New South Wales city last Christmas as a show of support for the LGBTIQ community. However after it was unveiled, vandals targeted the crossing with their cars, …