The Gay-Hate Des: 30 unsolved aths | SBS

Contents:

• ATRALIAN DOCUMENTARY INVTIGAT SPIC DEATHS OF 88 GAY MEN SYDNEY: WATCH
• BLOODSPORT: THE BONDI GAY MURRS
• STT JOHNSON: MAN NFS TO 1988 GAY HATE MURR
• NSW ERNMENT ANNOUNC QUIRY TO SYDNEY'S UNSOLVED GAY AND TRANSGENR HATE CRIM, MURRS
• EXPOSG THE SHOCKG PLAN BEHD ATRALIA’S GAY PRISON
• 'A LICENCE TO BASH GAYS': 1980S CRIME WAVE REVISED NEW TV SERI
• STT WHE ADMS TO MURRG STT JOHNSON, SOLVG ONE OF SYDNEY'S LONGT-NNG GAY HATE CRIM
• ‘MEN LIKE ME WERE KILLED AND NO ONE RED’: COMMISSN OF QUIRY TO GAY-HATE ATHS ANNOUNCED
• AN ATRALIAN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLGHTER ATH OF A GAY AMERIN 1988

ATRALIAN DOCUMENTARY INVTIGAT SPIC DEATHS OF 88 GAY MEN SYDNEY: WATCH

A new documentary Deep Water – The Real Storyabout to air on SBS unravels the stori of a cy the grips of homophobia as gangs stalked Sydney’s eastern suburbs seekg out vulnerable victims. “I was absolutely drawn to this story bee to have this on the doorstep of your cy, that I was proud to e om and om what I thought was a tolerant cy and acceptg of gay really felt like people me om all over the world to be here [for that]. Bee society wasn’t terted and if we red more about the gay muny then the police would have been forced to be more nsc, ” Ms Blue told om said the 90-mute film had a subtle “no one is to blame” msage nng throughout .

BLOODSPORT: THE BONDI GAY MURRS

“There are var parti that are rponsible but there is a kd of overridg sense we were all blissfully ignorant or not terted or different — but maybe people should have been there’s a kd of nflict, on one hand [Sydney] was a gay mec on the other was a dangero place to be gay — serly dangero. “I live Potts Pot [ Sydney], and I thought, if there is someone attackg and murrg gay men – more gay people livg there than I spect anywhere else Atralia – then how e 's not any of the papers, 's not been the news? The murrs were part of a much wir wave of vlent hate crim as gangs of youths roamed Sydney's ner suburbs randomly bashg and killg gay men for productn, box office & pany PhotosBe the first to reviewContribute to this pageSuggt an ed or add missg ntentEd pageMore to exploreRecently viewedYou have no recently viewed pag.

The unvarnished fact is that late at night, Marks Park, a grassy verge ppg the headland and the ncrete pathway skirtg the cliff face, had been a gay beat – a place where homosexual men would socialise and hook up – sce at least the late 1920s.

STT JOHNSON: MAN NFS TO 1988 GAY HATE MURR

Gangs like the Bondi Boys (otherwise known by their graffi tag PTK, or People that Kill) would prowl here, rryg out brazen acts of vlence; ’s likely that at least a few were serial offenrs; perpetrators of an anti-gay murr spree that swept across Sydney at the is no simple whodunn; volv a tangled tale of hate crim volvg multiple spects, gangs prisg up to 30 members, some of whom circulated among other gangs across Sydney, posg a dark mosaic of murr.

This is a lot more than n be said for the other men killed here, or for that matter, the vast majory of other murrs of gay men blightg Sydney at the a year to the day earlier, on another eezg night July 1989, Ross Warren, a handsome, charismatic weatherman and newsrear om WIN-TV Wollongong, vanished on this headland the early hours of a Saturday morng. ”In what was perhaps another watershed moment this year, a 75-year-old man was arrted for the murr of Raymond Keam, a martial arts expert and father of two who was found beaten to ath January 1987 at Alison Park, Randwick, then a well-known gay beat Sydney’s east.

As Sue Thompson, a former state ombudsman’s vtigator who joed the police force 1990 to ordate s liaison wh the gay and lbian muny, tells me the podst: “Cliffs were the easit weapon; you didn’t have to rry anythg wh you. ”For Thompson, beg a liaison officer was eply personal: one of her close iends, a gay man, had been murred only months before she took the role, and she was ls than imprsed wh the police rponse. Activists splattered red pat over 11 cy buildgs, cludg state parliament, the Downg Centre urt plex, and the headquarters of Channel 10 and The Sydney Morng Herald, then loted Jon Street, class were sprgg up ner-cy gyms and muny groups, and a group of gay volunteers – some of them former members of the army, navy and police force – began foot patrols along Oxford Street and Darlghurst Street foot patrol RtersStill, the murrs ntued.

NSW ERNMENT ANNOUNC QUIRY TO SYDNEY'S UNSOLVED GAY AND TRANSGENR HATE CRIM, MURRS

In May, one of their own, social science teacher Wayne Tonks, was murred his Artarmon apartment by two young men (not his stunts) was outrage when the so-lled gay panic fence, a cel wrkle the law that enabled killers to claim an alleged sexual advance provoked them to a murro rage, was ed the murr trial of Christopher McKnon, arrted for killg Mrice McCarty, a technician wh the Atralian Ballet, April 1991. ”Parkhill nces that the culture of the NSW police force reflected broar societal norms of the time, although possibly exacerbated by a mostly male staff and the AIDS crisis, which provid those wh an agenda agast gay men wh the perfect ammunn to stigmatise the LGBTQ muny even more.

EXPOSG THE SHOCKG PLAN BEHD ATRALIA’S GAY PRISON

Earlier this year, the fdgs om an 18-month parliamentary quiry, Gay and Transgenr Hate Crim between 1970 and 2010, found that the NSW Police Force had failed s rponsibily to properly vtigate historil hate crim. NSW Premier Domic Perrottet has announced the most extensive quiry to dozens of Sydney gay hate aths that have gone unsolved some s for more than half a century.Key pots:Gay hate crim were rampant durg the 1980s and 1990s SydneyA parliamentary mtee prevly found police failed to vtigate many spected gay hate murrsThe upg quiry will have signifint powers, cludg the summong of wnsThe special missn of quiry will be led by Supreme Court judge John Sackar and will vtigate 88 unsolved murrs mted agast LGBTQI people om 1970 to 2010.It is thought the quiry may lead to new evince beg unvered or brg prevly unreported crim to light.A spate of btal bashgs and murrs Sydney brought terror to the LGBTQI muny for s and police were often not terted vtigatg the crim.Many gangs targeted gay men parks and toilets, and victims were often found at the bottom of cliffs.One such se was the murr of Amerin mathematician Stt Johnson, who was found ad at the base of a cliff near Manly's North Head.

(Supplied: NSW Police)A judicial quiry was one of the key remendatns of a 2018 parliamentary mtee to gay and transgenr hate crim, which found NSW Police were different to such crim and failed to properly vtigate them at the time. NSW Police tablished Strike Force Parrabell 2013 to vtigate the murrs of 86 gay men and found a third of the killgs were a rult of gay bias.The Strike Force found the AIDS crisis fuelled homophobia but nclud was "almost impossible" to intify a "gay-hate bias" om police vtigators workg on the s.Attorney-General Mark Speakman told the ABC the upg judicial quiry aimed to give grievg fai some long-awaed answers."This is a really tough subject but an credibly important one," he said."Where there are unsolved aths that have left lovg fai whout answers for too long … no-one our muny should have to suffer the distrs of not knowg what's happened to someone they love."I thk we have to get to the bottom of many unsolved s."Inpennt Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich said the tablishment of the missn was "long overdue"."It is disappotg that has taken this long and I know that for the fai, the iends and the muni of a number of the victims, that the length of time has really add to the trma that they have experienced," he said."We need to really learn om mistak of the past, mistak ma by the police and others and make sure that we learn om the horrific tim the past to make sure this never happens aga."Jtice Sackar will liver a fal report to the Governor on or before June 30, 2023.Posted 16 Apr 2022Sat 16 Apr 2022 at 1:06am, updated 16 Apr 2022Sat 16 Apr 2022 at 2:42am. ”Steve Johnson would return to Atralia several tim, doggedly termed to prove his brother uld not have killed the way, Steve and a team of supporters and vtigators would learn of chillgly siar aths other astal of young men were turng up at the bottom of cliffs, not only at Blue Fish Pot where Stt had been found, but at another betiful astal spot the harbour cy’s the men simply vanished, their bodi never to be found, at a place lled Marks Park, which the 1980s was a killg ground for a gang of youths aged as young as 15 huntg gay Stt Johnson died, he had left his cloth neatly fold at the top of Blue Fish Pot.

“Took off his cloth, laid down, and so somebody probably walked up to Stt while he was there and proposed sex, proposed somethg, ” Steve told Atralian began vtigatg whether Blue Fish Pot, like Marks Park, was a known as a beat among Sydney’s gay muny. Homosexualy was only crimalised Atralia the two s between the start of the 1970s and the end of the 1980s, up to 88 gay men Sydney’s east and metro areas were documented to have disappeared spic circumstanc, or were the victims of 1985, 27-year-old French natnal Gill Mattai was livg was last seen walkg along the astal walkg track at Tamarama on September 15 that year by a neighbour.

'A LICENCE TO BASH GAYS': 1980S CRIME WAVE REVISED NEW TV SERI

Between 1989 and 1999 around 46 known gay hate murrs took place New South Wal, many of them still one month alone 1990, 38 gay-related beatgs were reported to Surry Hills or Kgs Cross 2000, rpondg to pleas om fai of the murred or missg, NSW Police reopened thoands of s and took more than 400 2002, they prented a brief to then-Deputy State Coroner Jacquele Milledge. “Usg a pack mentaly they [gay-hate gangs] would target people that were unable to fend themselv agast the numbers of offenrs and there was a lot of vlence flicted agast the victims.

Image source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Stt me to Atralia 1986 om the USA man has fally nfsed to the murr of Cambridge Universy graduate Stt Johnson after more than 30 27-year-old's naked body was found at the bottom of North Head cliffs, a well known gay cisg ground Sydney, Atralia, back the time, his ath was led as suici - somethg his fay never Whe was arrted and charged 2020, and this week unexpectedly plead guilty at a pre-trial lawyers attempted to have the admissn whdrawn, argug that Whe, 50, was not mentally on Thursday, a Supreme Court judge rejected that motn, wrg the plea was entered " a loud clear voice, and an emphatic and termed manner". "It was nceivable to me that Stt went somewhere and jumped off a cliff, " his brother Steve told Rad 1 Newsbeat 2018, when he was sperately mpaigng for the tth behd his brother's 2005 Steve says he beme aware of quts to siar aths of gay men at Bondi Beach Sydney - the moment when he says he "woke up" to what might have happened to his younger lol police showed ltle tert re-openg Stt's se, Steve hired an vtigator who unvered urt rerds of gangs who roamed northern beach Sydney at the time mtg asslts agast gay source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Steve (left) has spent more than 30 years tryg to fd out the tth about his brother Stt's athAll the years later, Steve told ABC that he was grateful a trial uld be avoid. On both ocsns police found nothg to nvce them Stt hadn't taken his own November 2017 a roner led Stt had been murred by a gay hate gang, which led to a new was timated up to 80 gay men were murred by homophobic gangs and around Sydney the late eighti - wh many phed off third qut created a lot of publicy, wh Atralian police eventually renewg their vtigatn and offerg a $1m reward for rmatn, wh Steve reportedly offerg an addnal $ rerds show "a strike force" was assembled, and followg rmatn received om a member of the public, foc turned to Stt was arrted and charged wh murr on 12 May source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Steve says he spent summers wh his brother travellg, readg philosophy and dog maths togetherNew South Wal Police Commissner Mick Fuller prevly said Stt's ath was one of the most challengg s he's ever worked on - mostly bee no-one was willg to talk about his murr.

STT WHE ADMS TO MURRG STT JOHNSON, SOLVG ONE OF SYDNEY'S LONGT-NNG GAY HATE CRIM

Stt moved om the US to Atralia 1986 bee, at the time, domtic partnership laws (siar to civil partnership) were some of the most clive the homosexualy had only been crimalised New South Wal 1984 and Steve believ police did not take hate crim serly at the time of his brother's source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Stt moved to Atralia 1986 to be wh a man he met at Cambridge Universy"The gay muny were send class cizens. The NSW ernment has announced an quiry to btal hat crim mted agast members of Sydney's gay muny over 40 pots:The quiry will have the power to pel wns to prent evinceLiberal MP and gay man Shayne Mallard said was an emotnal dayHe said there was evince of at least 88 gay and transgenr murrsIn July 1989, 25-year-old newsrear Ross Warren disappeared om Sydney's eastern r had been parked on a street near the popular gay beat Marks Park, and his keys were found at the bottom of a cliff closed his se jt three weeks later, whout lotg his is spected to be among the dozens of men murred  Sydney through the 1980s and will form the basis of a judicial quiry announced by the NSW ernment on Wednday.

(Supplied: Marton Dobras-Vcze)"The crim took place at a time when many the muny thought gay and transgenr people were sick, perverted or crimals, " chief executive Nilas Parkhill said. "Details about the ntent of the quiry, cludg s terms of reference, are yet to be month a memorial was unveiled at Marks Park Tamarama, the se of many spected murrs, to acknowledge and honour the victims of gay hate 4 Nov 2021Thu 4 Nov 2021 at 1:20am, updated 4 Nov 2021Thu 4 Nov 2021 at 3:29am. The gay marriage bate Atralia had boiled over, and while he was verg an anti-gay marriage prott, the openly gay journalist was mobbed and the SBS work Christmas party, he was unwdg wh a uple of drks, then planned to h the dancefloor before gog home and takg a break om reportg for a while.

‘MEN LIKE ME WERE KILLED AND NO ONE RED’: COMMISSN OF QUIRY TO GAY-HATE ATHS ANNOUNCED

Journalist Patrick Abboud has created a podst about the world’s only gay Rohan ThomsonThat was exactly when his iend and -worker Simon Cunich walked up to him to say he’d received an trigug story tip. ’”Abboud, wh Cunich as -producer, voted the next three years of his life to fdg out about , and the rult is The Greatt Menace, an eight-part Audible Origal lotn of the jail NSW shocked Patrick Rohan ThomsonIt sounds like somethg out of Rsia or East Germany or the US ep south, but happened Cooma, the small town an hour-and-a-half drive south of Canberra known as the gateway to the Snowy 1957, the town’s jail, which had been closed the early 1900s, was re-opened wh a new rem – was to be a prison for homosexuals. As Abboud searched for throughout the seri, he felt that “they eher didn’t disver what they wanted, and uldn’t cure homosexualy, so they need to bury the report, or the thgs they did were so horrific that they never wanted anyone to see the tail.

Abboud terviews gay men now their 70s and 80s who tell raw and revealg stori of beg targeted, entrapped and arrted by unrver police at gay beats such as public toilets, parks and beach. "Society slow to tch up wh lawsHomosexual sex was crimalised New South Wal 1984, and the feral Sex Discrimatn Act - which mak an offence to discrimate agast someone based on their sexual orientatn - was passed the same that didn't mean that people were ol wh lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) people.

()Laws help - but only up to a South Atralia and Queensland, 's still possible for a crimal to have a murr charge downgrad to manslghter on the basis that their gay victim was htg on them.

AN ATRALIAN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLGHTER ATH OF A GAY AMERIN 1988

The argument is that the acced uld be "provoked" to killg someone if they make non-vlent sexual advanc towards so-lled "gay panic fence" had been phased out other stat between 2003 and 2008, but remas on the books those two stat - meang 2016 's still possible to downgra murr charge when a gay man is the victim.