Former NSW Police officer Mark Higgbotham has spoken out about the gay bashgs at the hands of officers durg the 1980s Sydney." name="scriptn
Contents:
- SELF-DEFENSE EXPERTS SUGGT THE 5 STRATEGI FOR AVOIDG OR SURVIVG A GAY BASHG
- GAY BASHGS, HOMOPHOBIA: FORMER P RELLS HORROR YEARS NSW POLICE FORCE
- GAY BASHG
- GAY BULLYG, GAY BULLI AND DEALG WH GAY BASHG
- VIO: SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE OF WT VILLAGE GAY BASHG
- GAY BASHG
- AVERAGE OF 20 GAY MEN BASHED EVERY DAY FOR OVER 40 YEARS, NSW QUIRY TOLD
- SYDNEY'S GAY HATE CRIM STILL UNSOLVED 30 YEARS ON AS REPORT LLS FOR MORE VTIGATNS
SELF-DEFENSE EXPERTS SUGGT THE 5 STRATEGI FOR AVOIDG OR SURVIVG A GAY BASHG
* gay bashings *
The prospect of beg gay bashed is que sry, but Carolyne Haycraft, the executive director of EMERJ-SafeNow, an anizatn that teach cultural-specific strategi for preventg vlence, says there’s no need to nstantly fear beg attacked and has suggtns for effective gay bashg fense that uld help you learn how to survive a gay bashg. Together wh Aman Weaver, a lbian woman who works as an EMERJ-SafeNow facilator and curriculum veloper, the two have tght gay bashg fense class to LGBTQ people.
So we asked them for advice on how to survive a gay bashg (or avoid one altogether). Here are the gay bashg fense methods they suggted.
Also, if your statn is a nservative area (filled wh possible queer-phob), a place of drkg or an area known for gay bashgs, prepare to be extra vigilant, keepg your ey and ears open.
GAY BASHGS, HOMOPHOBIA: FORMER P RELLS HORROR YEARS NSW POLICE FORCE
Unfortunately, many of the high-profile news stori volvg LGBT people are stori of gay bashg. From middle schoolers beg tnted wh antigay slurs to lbians beg murred for showg affectn public, bias-related vlence ntu to threaten the LGBT muny. But some good has e out of too: Some of the more poignant gay-bashg cints have l a fire unr policians to help clu sexual orientatn and genr inty the tegori of thgs that make an act of vlence a hate crime. The Advote has all the latt news on gay bashg and the fight to end anti-LGBT vlence. * gay bashings *
Pre-planng is always a smart, preventative form of gay bashg fense. Even if you’re 18 or younger, Haycraft remds , you n duck to a rtrant or bar as a gay bashg fense.
GAY BASHG
Gay bullyg, gay bashg happens to the majory of gay youth and n e great harm, cludg suici, but people are workg to stop gay bullyg. * gay bashings *
While fear and tun n be helpful a dangero suatns, Haycraft says, stayg clear-head n also help when figurg out how to survive a gay bashg. She says that we live a cultural climate where more people feel ’s OK to make racist, sexist and homophobic statements.
Weaver strs g posive affirmatns to help keep yourself lm, nfint and empowered durg a gay bashg fense.
GAY BULLYG, GAY BULLI AND DEALG WH GAY BASHG
Gay bashg; verb {gae-bahsheeng} The act of llg out/flamg a homosexual dividual for their sexual orientatn. - The act of beg vlent wh a homosexual dividual, while sptg offensive slurs and phras, for their sexual orientatn." name="Dcriptn" property="og:scriptn * gay bashings *
When teachg people how to survive a gay bashg, she remends distance as a good start for a gay bashg fense. I’m not gay! ”) If your attacker is homophobic, turng the tabl on them this way n create a small amount of time for you to pe.
As we’ve mentned, fightg should be a last rort when figurg out how to survive a gay bashg. The first rort a gay bashg fense should always be leavg the suatn. The life-savg techniqu are sential when figurg out how to survive a gay bashg.
Sce alhol and other dgs are often part of gay and public scen — and n crease aggrsn or crease awarens — Weaver suggts beg extra mdful and thkg ahead if you’re head to a place where dgs will be ed. Have you ever been a suatn requirg a gay bashg fense? Do you have any addnal tips on how to survive a gay bashg?
VIO: SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE OF WT VILLAGE GAY BASHG
”Mark Higgbotham has revealed police bashgs of gay men the 1980s. ”The notor former police officer, Roger Rogerson, was based at the statn at the time, but the now-faiar stori of protectn money, pay-offs om crime boss and ps on the take at Darlghurst, Surry Hills and Kgs Cross police statns have missed another, arguably more signifint story: how police were allegedly bashg gay men.
Higgbotham was wns to this at one gay beat Moore Park.
GAY BASHG
”Higgbotham was mystified by the anger directed towards gay men by the officers, “which isn’t what you would have expected the middle of a gay area”. The pth of that anger beme abundantly clear to Higgbotham when he arrted a man for a gay bashg that happened only blocks away om the statn. “I do remember thkg he was gay and askg him what had happened.
After the victim, the edor of a gay newspaper, wrote a posive story about Higgbotham and the Darlghurst police, he was seen as some kd of avenger and protector for the gay muny by at least two senr staff at the statn, who subjected him to a soul-stroyg bullyg mpaign, at s nastit durg the ‘taskg para’ at the mencement of each shift, when jobs were alloted.
AVERAGE OF 20 GAY MEN BASHED EVERY DAY FOR OVER 40 YEARS, NSW QUIRY TOLD
‘” Higgbotham was not sulted by beg labelled a homosexual by his tormentors – for the rerd Higgbotham is heterosexual – but bee they were g that word to try to mean and stroy him.
He has been wh the Victorian police for 29 years, pneerg work improvg practic for supportg sex crime victims the urt early as next week, a cisn will be ma on whether a judicial quiry will proceed to the large number of unsolved s of spected gay and transgenr hate crime aths between 1970 and 2010. “Time is nng out on the murrs and asslts, ” says Mallard, who has been a victim of a homophobic asslt himself. This is unfished bs for the gay, lbian and transgenr muny, which llectively still mourns the crim.
As early as next week, a cisn will be ma on whether a judicial quiry will proceed to the large number of unsolved s of spected gay and transgenr hate crime aths between 1970 and gby league footballer, now actor, Ian Roberts, says the horrific anti-gay crime spree rollg across Sydney the late 1980s and early 1990s ntributed to his cisn to postpone his g out as gay (he had planned to e out at the end of 1989 football season, but didn’t fally do so until 1994) Roberts layed g out partially bee of the gay bashgs and murrs occurrg Wolter Peeters“The public backlash agast soccer player Jt Fashanu (who me out October 1990) also ma me hate, ” says Roberts. “I wnsed bashgs durg that perd and was myself the target of attacks when I was out wh gay iends on Oxford Street. ”Higgbotham’s story, as well as Ian Roberts’ memori of the anti-gay crime wave Sydney the late 1980s, n be heard episo five of The Sydney Morng Herald and The Age’s podst, Bondi Badlands.
SYDNEY'S GAY HATE CRIM STILL UNSOLVED 30 YEARS ON AS REPORT LLS FOR MORE VTIGATNS
He scribed his first exposure to the ps' gay bashg when he was told to meet a group of six to ten officers at a lol Sydney park while uniform.
Moore Park was a known hangout for gay men at the time, and the bathrooms were a favored cisg spot.
Higgbotham quickly realized was not a legimate police operatn, but stead a brazen and public mob attack by uniform police targetg gay men. "Eventually, I unrstood that this was beatg gay people and was beatg gay people wh alumum tncheons and was done by on-duty uniformed police.