Atralia has long had a gay beach subculture but they haven't always been safe spac | Gary Nunn | The Guardian

Contents:

• ‘MEN WERE STTERG EVERYWHERE’: QUIRY HEARS OF STRG OF VLENT CINTS AT SYDNEY GAY BEATS
• MAN ACCED OF HISTORIC MURR A SYDNEY PARK WOULD ALLEGEDLY 'SET UPON' GAY MEN, URT HEARS
• FOUR OTHER GAY-HATE CRIM BEG VTIGATED BY NSW POLICE AFTER STT JOHNSON MURR CHARGE
• NSW POLICE: HUNTG GAY MEN AT BEATS
• MAN’S FURY OVER ‘PRAVED’ TOILET ACT SPARKS BATE OVER GAY BEATS
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• MAN WARNED OF GAY BEAT 'DANGER': QUTSTT JOHNSON'S PARTNER WARNED HIM ABOUT THE POTENTIALLY "SER DANGER" OF GAY BEATS, A NSW RONIAL QUIRY TO HIS ATH HAS HEARD.STT JOHNSON'S PARTNER (PIC) WARNED HIM ABOUT THE POTENTIAL "SER DANGER" OF GOG TO GAY BEATS. (AAP)THE PARTNER OF STT JOHNSON, WHOSE NAKED BODY WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF A SYDNEY CLIFF ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO, SAYS HE WARNED HIS LOVER ABOUT THE DANGERS OF GAY BEATS."IN 1982 I RECEIVED A LETTER TELLG ME THAT AN ASSOCIATE OF ME HAD BEEN MURRED A BEAT THE BLUE MOUNTAS AND THIS HAD MA A PROFOUND EFFECT ON MY VIEWS ON BEAT E," MICHAEL NOONE SAID ON THURSDAY AT THE THIRD RONIAL QUIRY TO MR JOHNSON'S ATH.HE SAID THAT WHILE MR JOHNSON "WASN'T TERTED GAY BEATS", HE NEVERTHELS UTNED HIM ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR "SER DANGER".SPEAR FISHERMEN FOUND THE 27-YEAR-OLD'S BODY AT THE BOTTOM OF MANLY'S NORTH HEAD DECEMBER 1988.THE MATHEMATICIAN'S BELONGGS WERE DISVERED 10 METR BACK OM THE CLIFF EDGE, NOT FAR OM A BEAT WHERE THE QUT PREVLY HEARD GROUPS OF "BASHERS" WOULD SET UPON GAY MEN.A MARCH 1989 RONIAL QUT LED THE AMERIN'S ATH WAS A SUICI.BUT A SEND QUT 2012 RETURNED AN OPEN FDG AFTER THE POSSIBILY WAS RAISED HE HAD BEEN MURRED AS PART OF A "GAY HATE" KILLG SPREE SYDNEY DURG THE LATE 1980S.AT THE THIRD QUT, MR NOONE WAS ALSO QUTNED OVER A LETTER HE RECEIVED LONDON OM MR JOHNSON WHO REVEALED HE HAD THOUGHT ABOUT MTG SUICI BY JUMPG OFF THE GOLN GATE BRIDGE 1985."THE LETTER SIMPLY SAID 'I TRIED TO DO AWAY WH MYSELF,'" MR NOONE SAID."IT WAS ALARMG BUT VAGUE."THE PAIR THEN SPOKE ABOUT THE SUICI ATTEMPT ON THE PHONE BUT NEVER DISCSED AGA OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS."IT WAS UNNECSARY ... THE EPISO OF THE SUICI ATTEMPT WAS BEHD HIM," MR NOONE SAID."HE KNEW HOW TO NTACT ME AND HE KNEW THAT I WAS THERE."I'M NOT SOMEBODY TO CHECK UP ON PEOPLE."JOHN AGI, THE JOHNSON FAY'S LAWYER, PUT TO MR NOONE THAT HE NEVER FOLLOWED UP WH HIS LOVER BEE HE DIDN'T BELIEVE THERE WAS A SER RISK HE WOULD END HIS LIFE OR BEE THE PAIR NEVER ACTUALLY SPOKE ABOUT THE FIRST STANCE.MR NOONE SAID HE HAD A LONG NVERSATN WH MR JOHNSON ABOUT THE SUICI ATTEMPT AND THEY WOULD "BE WORKG TOGETHER TO ENSURE HIS FUTURE MENTAL AND PHYSIL HEALTH"."I PERSONALLY TOOK SOLACE THE FACT THAT THIS WAS SOMEBODY WHO HAD GONE TO THE EDGE AND FOUND THEMSELV PABLE OF THAT FAL ACTN," MR NOONE SAID."I KNEW STT WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT PRODDG HIM ABOUT SENSIVE ISSU WAS NOT GOG TO LEAD TO A POSIVE RPONSE."THE QUT NTU.SHARE3 M READPUBLISHED 15 JUNE 2017 2:30PMSOURCE: AAPTAGSNEW SOUTH WALSYDNEYSHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHAREREMEND FOR YOUNORMAN VANISHED WHEN HE WAS 16. HIS FAY WANTS TO KNOW WHYINDIGENOWHAT IS TOURETTE SYNDROME, THE NDN LEWIS CAPALDI HAS?LIFEHAVE YOU SEEN THIS T STG ON THE UNTER AT A RTRANT? THIS IS WHY 'S THEREWORLDMY SONS BOTH TOLD ME THEY WERE GAY. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED NEXTLIFETHE STORY OF MY FACECULTURELEWIS CAPALDI NCELS UPG SHOWS TO GET 'MENTAL AND PHYSIL HEALTH ORR'WORLDWE GAVE THE VOICE TO PARLIAMENT PAMPHLETS TO FACT CHECKERS. HERE'S WHAT THEY SAIDPOLICSTHE NEW FANCIAL YEAR IS HERE. FROM SUPERANNUATN TO THE PENSN, HERE'S WHAT'S CHANGGATRALIATOPICS
• GAY BEAT TO TRIBUTE: BONDI'S MARKS PARK TO GET HATE CRIME MEMORIAL
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC
• NSW ERNMENT ANNOUNC QUIRY TO SYDNEY'S UNSOLVED GAY AND TRANSGENR HATE CRIM, MURRS

‘MEN WERE STTERG EVERYWHERE’: QUIRY HEARS OF STRG OF VLENT CINTS AT SYDNEY GAY BEATS

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 r’s headlights and an apparent spotlight were blazg as the r drove at men at Rhcutters Bay Park Sydney’s east the 1990s. “It was a by Saturday night and men were stterg everywhere, nng like the dickens, ” Barry Charl said on 72-year-old longtime gay rights activist was givg evince at the New South Wal Special Commissn of Inquiry to LGBTIQ hate 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.

MAN ACCED OF HISTORIC MURR A SYDNEY PARK WOULD ALLEGEDLY 'SET UPON' GAY MEN, URT HEARS

“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 equented them between 1969 and 1998, visg at least 40 different on around sex was mostly anonymo and wordls, as the majory wanted to get over and done wh as quickly as possible. “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.

A 77-year-old man is on trial the Supreme Court after pleadg not guilty to murrg Raymond Keam a Sydney park nearly four s pots:Stanley Early is acced of allegedly murrg Raymond Keam 1987Mr Keam was found a park known for beg a gay beat Sydney's RandwickThe urt was told Mr Early was part of a group who would "set upon" gay men at nightStanley Early was arrted Augt 2021 what police alleged was a gay-hate crime based on a false perceptn of Mr Keam's sexual body was found face up the grass Randwick's Alison Park on the morng of January 13, 1987 wh var juri, and a post-mortem examatn later revealed he had died om a bra an openg statement, Crown prosecutor Ken McKay SC had argued there was evince that prr to the alleged murr the Victorian man had on ocsn been part of a group who had "set upon" men the park late at night bee they believed them to be the time of Mr Keam's ath the acced went by the name Stanley "Spir" Sutton and lived a boardg hoe oppose the park. It's a vlent slice of Sydney history — gay men beaten parks, hurled off cliffs or vanishg om the cy's streets s barely probed by horrific crim were dredged up aga this week when police charged a man over the 1988 murr of Stt 27-year-old's ath was the most high-profile gay hate attack Harbour Cy events that lead to his smashed body beg found at the base of cliffs near North Head were examed three ronial quts. (Supplied: Johnson fay)NSW Police Mister David Elltt this week nced " was a time where people were slightly dismissive of hate crim and where was too easy to make exc or to move on" are four other gay murrs that fell through the cracks the late Warren Ross Warren, a news prenter om Wollongong, was last seen at Darlghurst 1989.

FOUR OTHER GAY-HATE CRIM BEG VTIGATED BY NSW POLICE AFTER STT JOHNSON MURR CHARGE

A iend found his r keys two days later on a rock ledge below a cliff at Marks Park, Tamarama; was a well-known gay beat — a place men met for sual sex — which Warren floated the ia that Warren staged his own disappearance and four days later nclud he accintally fell to the sea.

His body was never 2005, then-puty roner Jacquele Milledge characterised the vtigatn as "grossly aquate and shameful" and said Warren was "a victim of homici" year, the NSW Upper Hoe mtee quirg to gay and transgenr hate crim between 1970 and 2010 received evince police officers lookg to Warren's disappearance chose to "sile" the mtee heard that 2001, former NSW Police Detective Sergeant Steve Page found major issu wh the way Warren's se was Detective Sergeant would go on to form Strike Force Taradale, which intified lks between Warren's spected murr and many other gay killgs. (Supplied)Raymond Frerick Keam's body was found lyg the grass at the northern end of Alison Park Randwick on January 13, 44-year-old father-of-two, who had a black belt karate, was beaten to right troer pocket was pulled out and the glove box and boot of his r, parked 40 metr away, were ransacked, their ntents strewn around the said the Alison Park public toilets were a well-known gay beat and men who were perceived to be gay were often the victims of ser asslts and robberi the time, the ma spect was a man who intified as gay and lived oppose the park where Keam was found. Authori believed he told other men, who were prevly volved the robbery and asslt of gay men the park, that child molters were equentg the Alison Park charg were laid relatn to Keam's Rsell John Rsell's ath 1989 was rerd as "misadventure".

NSW POLICE: HUNTG GAY MEN AT BEATS

William AllenWilliam Allen was found ad his Newton Street home on December 29, 1988 wh several head juri which he staed the prev eveng Alexandria was driven by a passg motorist who spotted him wh blood over his hands and retired school teacher, who worked at Newgton College, said he was bashed and kicked to the ground by "a uple of Aborigal boys" who then took his keys and the time of his murr, he was unr vtigatn for cultivatg and sellg nnabis to young mal for sex and was known to equent a gay beat at Alexandria were no clear spects, but NSW Police noted the circumstanc around his ath were siar to the later murr of Richard Johnson 1990, which led to the nvictn of the "Alexandria Eight", who bashed him to retrospectively vtigated the eight offenrs — aged 16 to 18 — but did not have enough evince to charge anyone wh Allen's murr. Beats ed to be a place where men uld meet before gay pri movements won the right to meet pubs and clubs.

MAN’S FURY OVER ‘PRAVED’ TOILET ACT SPARKS BATE OVER GAY BEATS

Beat ers have reported hourly patrols by several police vehicl, vert patrols on foot, the wrongful "banng" people om the area for 28 days, rogatory personal ments, threats to e pepper spray, e of unnecsary force, arrt whout charge and other homophobic behavur.

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS

In a letter to cy admistrators, LECD says that by regulatg sex public, the safety of homosexuals om "queer-bashers" n be better guaranteed. Communy Actn Agast Homophobia (CAAH) is mpaigng to end harassment of men Sydney beats and will provi onle rmatn for beat ers to bee better rmed of their rights when approached by police.

”But another acced the poster of homophobia.

Gay men? Sharg a screenshot of the post to the “Marrickville Rantg/Complats” page, she mocked the man sayg he had “accintally happened across a ‘beat’” — public plac where gay men meet for sex. ”One woman agreed, “The historil beats should be honoured for the role they played gay male life and culture this cy and others.

MAN WARNED OF GAY BEAT 'DANGER': QUTSTT JOHNSON'S PARTNER WARNED HIM ABOUT THE POTENTIALLY "SER DANGER" OF GAY BEATS, A NSW RONIAL QUIRY TO HIS ATH HAS HEARD.STT JOHNSON'S PARTNER (PIC) WARNED HIM ABOUT THE POTENTIAL "SER DANGER" OF GOG TO GAY BEATS. (AAP)THE PARTNER OF STT JOHNSON, WHOSE NAKED BODY WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF A SYDNEY CLIFF ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO, SAYS HE WARNED HIS LOVER ABOUT THE DANGERS OF GAY BEATS."IN 1982 I RECEIVED A LETTER TELLG ME THAT AN ASSOCIATE OF ME HAD BEEN MURRED A BEAT THE BLUE MOUNTAS AND THIS HAD MA A PROFOUND EFFECT ON MY VIEWS ON BEAT E," MICHAEL NOONE SAID ON THURSDAY AT THE THIRD RONIAL QUIRY TO MR JOHNSON'S ATH.HE SAID THAT WHILE MR JOHNSON "WASN'T TERTED GAY BEATS", HE NEVERTHELS UTNED HIM ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR "SER DANGER".SPEAR FISHERMEN FOUND THE 27-YEAR-OLD'S BODY AT THE BOTTOM OF MANLY'S NORTH HEAD DECEMBER 1988.THE MATHEMATICIAN'S BELONGGS WERE DISVERED 10 METR BACK OM THE CLIFF EDGE, NOT FAR OM A BEAT WHERE THE QUT PREVLY HEARD GROUPS OF "BASHERS" WOULD SET UPON GAY MEN.A MARCH 1989 RONIAL QUT LED THE AMERIN'S ATH WAS A SUICI.BUT A SEND QUT 2012 RETURNED AN OPEN FDG AFTER THE POSSIBILY WAS RAISED HE HAD BEEN MURRED AS PART OF A "GAY HATE" KILLG SPREE SYDNEY DURG THE LATE 1980S.AT THE THIRD QUT, MR NOONE WAS ALSO QUTNED OVER A LETTER HE RECEIVED LONDON OM MR JOHNSON WHO REVEALED HE HAD THOUGHT ABOUT MTG SUICI BY JUMPG OFF THE GOLN GATE BRIDGE 1985."THE LETTER SIMPLY SAID 'I TRIED TO DO AWAY WH MYSELF,'" MR NOONE SAID."IT WAS ALARMG BUT VAGUE."THE PAIR THEN SPOKE ABOUT THE SUICI ATTEMPT ON THE PHONE BUT NEVER DISCSED AGA OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS."IT WAS UNNECSARY ... THE EPISO OF THE SUICI ATTEMPT WAS BEHD HIM," MR NOONE SAID."HE KNEW HOW TO NTACT ME AND HE KNEW THAT I WAS THERE."I'M NOT SOMEBODY TO CHECK UP ON PEOPLE."JOHN AGI, THE JOHNSON FAY'S LAWYER, PUT TO MR NOONE THAT HE NEVER FOLLOWED UP WH HIS LOVER BEE HE DIDN'T BELIEVE THERE WAS A SER RISK HE WOULD END HIS LIFE OR BEE THE PAIR NEVER ACTUALLY SPOKE ABOUT THE FIRST STANCE.MR NOONE SAID HE HAD A LONG NVERSATN WH MR JOHNSON ABOUT THE SUICI ATTEMPT AND THEY WOULD "BE WORKG TOGETHER TO ENSURE HIS FUTURE MENTAL AND PHYSIL HEALTH"."I PERSONALLY TOOK SOLACE THE FACT THAT THIS WAS SOMEBODY WHO HAD GONE TO THE EDGE AND FOUND THEMSELV PABLE OF THAT FAL ACTN," MR NOONE SAID."I KNEW STT WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT PRODDG HIM ABOUT SENSIVE ISSU WAS NOT GOG TO LEAD TO A POSIVE RPONSE."THE QUT NTU.SHARE3 M READPUBLISHED 15 JUNE 2017 2:30PMSOURCE: AAPTAGSNEW SOUTH WALSYDNEYSHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHAREREMEND FOR YOUNORMAN VANISHED WHEN HE WAS 16. HIS FAY WANTS TO KNOW WHYINDIGENOWHAT IS TOURETTE SYNDROME, THE NDN LEWIS CAPALDI HAS?LIFEHAVE YOU SEEN THIS T STG ON THE UNTER AT A RTRANT? THIS IS WHY 'S THEREWORLDMY SONS BOTH TOLD ME THEY WERE GAY. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED NEXTLIFETHE STORY OF MY FACECULTURELEWIS CAPALDI NCELS UPG SHOWS TO GET 'MENTAL AND PHYSIL HEALTH ORR'WORLDWE GAVE THE VOICE TO PARLIAMENT PAMPHLETS TO FACT CHECKERS. HERE'S WHAT THEY SAIDPOLICSTHE NEW FANCIAL YEAR IS HERE. FROM SUPERANNUATN TO THE PENSN, HERE'S WHAT'S CHANGGATRALIATOPICS

I’m an old school gay, so ’s neato, groovy, and crazy ol that beats still exist. Acrdg to an SBS Pri article om 2016, beats — which “explod” the 1960s and ‘70s — are “still around and very much a part of gay culture”. ”More CoverageOne man who attend beats on a “semi-regular basis” told SBS, “It’s simply bee a part of gay culture and some men — spe beg able to fd someone nearby on Grdr to f**k the fort of their own home — prefer to go cisg at a beat bee that’s what turns them on.

GAY BEAT TO TRIBUTE: BONDI'S MARKS PARK TO GET HATE CRIME MEMORIAL

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, young men were targeted a wave of bashgs and murrs of at popular gay beats across the related topics:Sydney. (PR HANDOUT IMAGE PHOTO)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 r's headlights and an apparent spotlight were blazg as the r drove at men at Rhcutters Bay Park Sydney's east, the 1990s.

"It was a by Saturday night and men were stterg everywhere, nng like the dickens, " Barry Charl said on 72-year-old long-time gay rights activist was givg evince at the NSW Special Commissn of Inquiry to LGBTIQ hate 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. Dcribg himself as a "beats queen", Mr Charl said he was aware that vlence agast gay men at beats was occurrg before the equented them between 1969 and 1998, visg at least 40 different on around Sydney. "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, " he Charl listed a strg of vlent acts he wnsed or experienced at beats, tellg the quiry he managed to sprt over the footbridge away om the r at the Rhcutters Bay cint.

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS

Another time an adolcent boy h him wh a tree saplg om the park, which was later the scene of a bashg murr of a gay outled his years of activism, notg a gay solidary Sydney rally phed the marchers back and began arrtg people after they cid to lay a wreath at the war memorial, to memorate gay and lbian service people.

"Durg the early 1980s, the gay muny's growg visibily and nfince also meant growg vlence agast he rejected opns that the advent of HIV/AIDS gave rise to more anti-gay vlence wh beg ed as an exce or jtifitn. The partner of Stt Johnson, whose naked body was found at the bottom of a Sydney cliff almost 30 years ago, says he warned his lover about the dangers of gay beats.

"In 1982 I received a letter tellg me that an associate of me had been murred a beat the Blue Mountas and this had ma a profound effect on my views on beat e, " Michael Noone said on Thursday at the third ronial quiry to Mr Johnson's said that while Mr Johnson "wasn't terted gay beats", he neverthels utned him about the potential for "ser danger" fishermen found the 27-year-old's body at the bottom of Manly's North Head December mathematician's belonggs were disvered 10 metr back om the cliff edge, not far om a beat where the qut prevly heard groups of "bashers" would set upon gay men. A March 1989 ronial qut led the Amerin's ath was a a send qut 2012 returned an open fdg after the possibily was raised he had been murred as part of a "gay hate" killg spree Sydney durg the late the third qut, Mr Noone was also qutned over a letter he received London om Mr Johnson who revealed he had thought about mtg suici by jumpg off the Goln Gate Bridge 1985.

ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC

As Garry Wotherspoon observ: “[H]omosexuals have been imagative creatg other for a range of stutns … sce the ways which heterosexuals n meet each other openly are not available to homosexuals. Brought to you by the Atralian Lbian and Gay Archiv. Marks Park south of Bondi was for s a known gay beat Sydney's eastern suburbs where multiple men were savagely bashed, robbed and some s, cliff-si park will bee a memorial to those men after was chosen as the se for a monument to victims of the cy's wave of gay hate crim om the 1970s to the 1990s.

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

"The memorial will be built a natural amphheatre-like space, created by a slope the ground and a clter of tre, on the Tamarama si of the will face south, towards the ocean and Waverley Warren, Stt Johnson and John Rsell were victims of Sydney's s-long gay hate crime wave. "LoadgMr Parkhill said would also help raise greater awarens of the gay hate attacks and serve as a remr of "the importance of valug and celebratg diversy our muny".

The uncil will ll for tenrs before a public nsultatn Park, a former notor gay beat, is on the Bondi to Tamarama Jam BrickwoodCr Sally Betts said anisers of Sculpture by the Sea, the yearly two-week public art display that the park, should be nsulted over the memorial's the meetg, Cr Wakefield said the anisatn had been nsulted but the memorial was ultimately a matter for the uncil and ACON.

A NSW Police review of 88 spic aths Sydney between 1976 and 2000 found almost a third were the rult of crim volvg spected or nfirmed gay-hate Force Parrabell this year found evince of gay-hate bias or spected bias 27 s, while 23 of the aths also rema unsolved. While Oxford Street is still the se of many of the longt-nng gay clubs Sydney, the fun isn’t relegated to Darlghurst alone.