Police 'seemed obliv' to gay beat near cliff ath | Shepparton News

Contents:

• POLICE 'SEEMED OBLIV' TO GAY BEAT NEAR CLIFF ATH
• GUILTY VERDICT FOR 1987 MURR 'GAY BEAT'
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• COPS 'HARASSED' MEN AT GAY BEATS: QUIRY
• ONLY LADS : EE GAY DATG & GAY CHAT SOCIAL WORK
• GAY AND TRANSGENR DAIRY FARMERS BREAK DOWN BARRIERS RAL VICTORIA
• GAY MELBOURNE
• COPS 'HARASSED' MEN AT GAY BEATS: QUIRY
• GAY CENTRE COSGROVE
• GAY GIDS VAN BUNBARTHA (GREATER SHEPPARTON, VICTORIA)
• GAY GIDS VAN MOOROOPNA NORTH (GREATER SHEPPARTON, VICTORIA)

POLICE 'SEEMED OBLIV' TO GAY BEAT NEAR CLIFF ATH

When police found 18-year-old Mark Stewart ad at the bottom of a cliff near a known gay beat on Sydney's northern beach, they quickly led out foul play. But a special missn of quiry to spected gay hate crim has heard NSW Police should have done more to vtigate if Mr Stewart was murred.

Mr Mars cricised police for losg Mr Stewart's se file as well as a potentially tellg note found on his body, which uld have been the clue on whether he had met up wh a potential romantic tert at a Kgs Cross gay bar. Officers appeared obliv to the fact Mr Stewart may have been the area bee was a known gay beat, even though police had been btg men for homosexual activi there, Commissner John Sackar was told.

Gay hate asslts were a mon occurrence Manly durg the 1970s but the police report found "no spic circumstanc" surroundg the ath.

GUILTY VERDICT FOR 1987 MURR 'GAY BEAT'

"One might have hoped that potential offendg motivated by gay hatred would have been a nsiratn the mds of police officers, " Mr Mars said. Mr Stockton, who was openly gay, died five days later at St Vcent's Hospal. Like Mr Stewart's se, there was not enough evince to terme that Mr Stockton was targeted for his sexualy, even though he had prevly been the victim of several gay hate attacks, unsel assistg the quiry Christe Melis told the hearg.

Police did not follow up on tip-offs about a group of men the area who were allegedly bashg patrons at Bar Cleveland, a pub equented by gay men that Mr Stockton attend on the night he staed his juri. Homosexual nduct was crimalised NSW 1984 but homophobic attus were still rife the muny durg the 1980s and '90s, and anti-gay bashgs were mon. Raymond Keam was fatally bashed 1987 a Sydney park known as a "gay beat".

A 36-year-old ld se is nearg s long-overdue ncln after a jury returned a guilty verdict for murr at a well-known gay beat Sydney's east.

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS

A NSW Supreme Court jury returned s guilty verdict on Wednday after hearg that Early had attacked the 43-year-old  Randwick's Alison Park spectg he was homosexual. Alison Park had a reputatn for beg a "gay beat", crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC told the jury as the trial began.

Men at a popular Sydney gay beat had to stter when a r reered towards them "like was on a kangaroo shoot", an quiry has heard. The 72-year-old long-time gay rights activist was givg evince at the NSW Special Commissn of Inquiry to LGBTIQ hate crim. It is vtigatg historil hate crim agast the queer muny, particularly a wave of gay hate homicis and other crim Sydney durg the AIDS epimic of the 1980s.

"While as a young man om Punchbowl ( Sydney's wt) I had no ia how to fd a gay bar, beats were somethg I uld fd, " he said. "Hangg around for longer than necsary was dangero, bee you knew you uld be apprehend, or were danger of vlence and some men were at risk of beg exposed as gay. The Bondi to Tamarama track Sydney's eastern suburbs was known as a gay beat the 1980s.

COPS 'HARASSED' MEN AT GAY BEATS: QUIRY

Police would regularly harass ers of Sydney's gay beats the late '80s and early '90s, cludg g "psychologil" tactics, a hate crime quiry has been told.

Many gay men were arrted an attempt to shut down the beats, creatg fear and mistst among ers who already faced vlence and risk of disease at the height of the AIDS epimic.

Another tactic ed by police was to take the rmatn of men at gay beats wh the implic threat of makg that public. Earlier this week the NSW Special Commissn of Inquiry to LGBTQI hate crim was told of police showg difference to gay hate crim. It's particularly foced on a wave of gay-hate homicis and other crim Sydney durg the AIDS epimic of the 1980s.

ONLY LADS : EE GAY DATG & GAY CHAT SOCIAL WORK

The former -nvenor of the NSW Gay and Lbian Rights Lobby, Gary Cox, told the quiry on Wednday he believed the HIV/AIDS epimic and "the hysteria around " brought on a risg ti of vlent hate attacks the late 1980s. "I sometim characterise as a stage (wh) the embedd discrimatn, hostily, prejudice, stereotyp towards gays and lbians, " he said.

GAY AND TRANSGENR DAIRY FARMERS BREAK DOWN BARRIERS RAL VICTORIA

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GAY MELBOURNE

– THE Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and genr diverse, Intersex, Queer/Qutng, Asexual + (LGBTIQA+) social-support group loted the Shepparton/Goulburn Valley/North-East Victorian regn – iends/fay of the LGBTIQA+ muny most wele too. The pair is not only openly gay, but Pley is transgenr, and together they are raisg three children the heart of south-wt Victoria. Dpe the reputatn often associated wh small untry towns, the uple has received wispread support after they were featured the marriage equaly mpaign, The In Bed project is the brachild of Melbourne artist Lisa Whe, who has spent the past two years photographg gay upl om across Atralia.

(Supplied: Jason Smh)Growg up as a gay man ral Victoria, Jason Smh stggled to rencile his sexualy wh the hyper-mascule stereotype of untry men.

COPS 'HARASSED' MEN AT GAY BEATS: QUIRY

"I was and am the only gay person they've ever known, so I n't begdge them, they jt didn't know any different.

GAY CENTRE COSGROVE

" Mr Smh now ns a dairy farm Simpson, wt of Colac, and is workg to break down stereotyp wh the gay and farmg muny. Everyone said, 'You look too straight to be gay'. Gay people aren't jt hairdrsers and nurs, " he said.

GAY GIDS VAN BUNBARTHA (GREATER SHEPPARTON, VICTORIA)

Thanks to the advent of social media, Mr Smh has been able to nnect wh other LGBTI farmers onle, and said the creased visibily of gay people wh the agricultural sector had seen a gradual shift accepts some wh the farmg muny will not change, but said thgs had improved.

(Supplied: Alison Coate-Kibeiks)As perceptns of LGBTI Atralians shift, more and more gay upl have found themselv leavg the htle and btle of cy life Coate-Kibeiks and her partner Bian Przvska-Kibeiks, origally om Melbourne, were livg Panmure, a town Victoria's dairy belt wh a populatn of ls than 500 people, when Ms Przvska-Kibeiks beme pregnant.

Rabow Door is a ee specialist LGBTIQA+ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Genr Diverse, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, BrotherBoys, SisterGirls) helple providg rmatn, support, and referral to all LGBTIQA+ Victorians, their iends and fay.

GAY GIDS VAN MOOROOPNA NORTH (GREATER SHEPPARTON, VICTORIA)

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