New South Wales
Patrick Abboud podcast exposes country town’s horror gay secret
A new podcast explores the dark untold story behind the world’s only “gay prison,” which operated in a regional Australian town in the 1950s to house men convicted of gay sex offences. Journalist Patrick Abboud created the podcast The Greatest Menace after spending three years investigating the history of Cooma, a small regional New South …
‘Reckoning’ for police who ignored gay hate crimes ‘long overdue’
A private investigator who took up Scott Johnson’s gay hate murder case has called for accountability for police who ignored historical crimes and reflected on brother Steve Johnson’s “incredible 33-year-long odyssey” for justice. Scott Johnson was found dead at the bottom of a cliff at Manly in northern Sydney in 1988. NSW Police insisted the …
NSW MPs blast Mark Latham’s ‘dangerous’ anti-trans schools bill
A cross-party group of New South Wales MPs have called on the state Education Minister to reject anti-transgender education legislation from One Nation’s Mark Latham. Mark Latham (above left) introduced the draft Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill last year, causing outrage. Latham wants New South Wales to ban any “promotion” of diverse gender identities …
Disturbing new questions in killing of trans woman Mhelody Bruno
Almost two years after her death, an ABC investigation into the manslaughter of Filipina trans woman Mhelody Bruno has revealed troubling new details of the case. Warning: distressing content Mhelody Bruno arrived in Australia to holiday six weeks before her tragic death in September 2019. A week before her flight back home, former Air Force …
Location revealed for Inner West Pride Centre in Sydney
Sydney’s Inner West Council has backed the establishment of a LGBTIQ Pride Centre in the inner-city suburb of Newtown. On Tuesday night, the Council backed a motion from Councillor Anna York (pictured left) to throw open Expressions of Interest to create such a centre at Newtown Town Hall. The Council also plans to establish a …
Flood of support for first LGBTI Domestic Violence Awareness Day
Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate, so this Thursday (May 28) is Australia’s inaugural LGBTI Domestic Violence Awareness Day. The initiative aims shine a light on the high levels of domestic violence within Australian LGBTI relationships but low levels of reporting. Ben Bjarnesen, Queensland Police officer, DVConnect board member, and domestic violence survivor, founded the LGBTI Domestic …
Newcastle Pride Festival cancelled due to COVID-19
The organisers of the Newcastle Pride Festival have announced they have cancelled this year’s event due to COVID-19 fears, after months of preparation. Newcastle Pride President Lee-Anne McDougall said the committee had put in 7 months of planning for the 2020 Newcastle Pride Festival. However, with the “heaviest of hearts” she said the 2020 festival …
Gay venues around Australia react to COVID-19 crowd bans
LGBTIQ nightclubs and bars across Australia have reacted to the federal government’s new coronavirus crowd bans, with some closing their doors indefinitely. On Wednesday (March 18), the federal government banned non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people as Australia responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Brisbane, The Sportsman Hotel said as of Wednesday they …
NSW woman Kimberley McRae remembered at candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil has been held to honour the memory of NSW trans woman Kimberley McRae, following her tragic death this month in Coogee in Sydney’s south-east. Police found the 69-year-old, who was transgender, dead in suspicious circumstances at her unit earlier this month. The memorial was held in the suburb last Friday evening (January …
Aussie gay men on PrEP suffer less anxiety, study finds
An Australian study has found gay and bisexual men taking HIV prevention medication PrEP also have significantly lower levels of HIV-related anxiety. PrEP was made available in Australia through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in April 2018. When taken as directed, the once-daily pill is up to 99% effective at preventing an HIV negative person from …