‘Men were stterg everywhere’: quiry hears of strg of vlent cints at Sydney gay beats | Sydney | The Guardian

Contents:

• TWO TEEN BOYS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKG GAY MEN SYDNEY
• MAN ACCED OF HISTORIC MURR A SYDNEY PARK WOULD ALLEGEDLY 'SET UPON' GAY MEN, URT HEARS
• NSW POLICE: HUNTG GAY MEN AT BEATS
• THE BT LGBTQI + AND GAY BEACH SYDNEY
• TAG: GAY BEATS
• MAN’S FURY OVER ‘PRAVED’ TOILET ACT SPARKS BATE OVER GAY BEATS
• ‘MEN WERE STTERG EVERYWHERE’: QUIRY HEARS OF STRG OF VLENT CINTS AT SYDNEY GAY BEATS
• ‘TENNCY TO ASSLT HOMOSEXUALS’: ALLEGED KILLER GAY BEAT CRIME GRANTED BAIL
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• FOUR OTHER GAY-HATE CRIM BEG VTIGATED BY NSW POLICE AFTER STT JOHNSON MURR CHARGE
• COPS 'HARASSED' MEN AT GAY BEATS: QUIRY
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS
• TWO TEEN BOYS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKG GAY MEN SYDNEY
• ‘TENNCY TO ASSLT HOMOSEXUALS’: ALLEGED KILLER GAY BEAT CRIME GRANTED BAIL
• FOUR OTHER GAY-HATE CRIM BEG VTIGATED BY NSW POLICE AFTER STT JOHNSON MURR CHARGE
• MAN RPONSIBLE FOR ATH OF STT JOHNSON AT MANLY GAY BEAT SENTENCED TO NE YEARS JAIL
• SYDNEY GAY BEACH

TWO TEEN BOYS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKG GAY MEN SYDNEY

Two teenage boys have been charged over a seri of alleged asslts central Sydney, which gay men were punched, kicked and pots:The alleged asslts took place weeks before Sydney's Gay and Lbian Mardi GrasOne cint was ptured on CCTV helpg police to track down two spectsTwo teenaged boys have been charged wh assltIn one cint, which took place on Febary 6, a 19-year-old man was allegedly beaten by one of the boys jt before 9pm Haymarket after tellg them he was say one of the teens wound down the wdow of a black Volkswagen Golf and asked the man if he was gay, to which he replied "y"'s alleged one of the boys jumped out of the r before punchg the 19-year-old the head and knockg him to the ground outsi the Oaks Sydney Castlereagh 's then alleged the man was repeatedly kicked, leavg him wh ser bisg and swellg to his say the victim's iend, a 20-year-old woman, was egged when she tried to tervene. Sourc have told the ABC the man was also asked if he was gay, and when he replied, "y", he was pelted wh eggs, which h him the eye and the cht. Vlence targetg LGBT people often creas the lead up to Sydney's Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras, which will this year be held on March 5Detective Supertennt Rohan Cramsie said vtigatns were unrway to whether others were volved.

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

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. Beats ed to be a place where men uld meet before gay pri movements won the right to meet pubs and clubs. 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.

NSW POLICE: HUNTG GAY MEN AT 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. The Sydney Cliff murrs were a strg of murrs om the 80’s through the 90’s agast gay men the of Sydney, Atralia which may have had as many as 90 victims — primarily Marks Park at the top of the Bondi Beach cliffs, which was a popular cisg spot for gay men, but also some other areas that were popular “gay beats”.

THE BT LGBTQI + AND GAY BEACH SYDNEY

Acrdg to retired High Court jtice Michael Kirby, the police viewed gay men as low level crimals (even though sodomy was crimalized there 1984) and thought that homosexuals should pretty much expect to be hurt or killed. But wasn’t a rash of suicis plagug the gay muny of Sydney. And, no, wasn’t a serial killer on the loose or anythg nearly that dramatic — was groups of vlent, homophonic teenagers who knew that crim agast gay men would never be taken serly by the police.

Homici tective Steve McCann secretly rerd nversatns the boys had wh each other and other mat — they bragged about killg gay men at the cliffs at Bondi Beach. Dpe this, only McCann was terted lookg to the aths of gay men that area. He turned to lawyer, and official liaison between the New South Wal police and the gay muny, Sue Thompson for help but even so there was only so much they uld do.

TAG: GAY BEATS

He noticed what McCann had noticed — a lot of gay men were dyg or disappearg around Marks Park. As a rult of this, the New South Wal police began Operatn Parrabell, a review of 88 vtigatns to var aths of gay men — tryg to terme if the crim should be classified as hate crim. The Operatn Parrabell task force for unsolved homicis accepted eight of those as potential anti-gay hate crim that need to be vtigated.

While Oxford Street is still the se of many of the longt-nng gay clubs Sydney, the fun isn’t relegated to Darlghurst alone. If you’re keen to really make a night of , keep an eye on the lik of Heaps Gay, Poof Doof, Hoe of Mce, Honcho Disko and Birdge (as well as the social media-elive Kooky) to fd out when their next soiree start planng your next night out, read on for our gui to some of Sydney’s favoure gay clubs, pubs and bars.

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

Chg-a-lgsSure, ’s not officially a gay bar, but Chg-a-lgs draws a pendably queer crowd.

The ColombianOpen 9am ‘til 6am every day — y, you read that right — this sprawlg Oxford St hnt n always be unted on for a tipple the early 117-125 Oxford St, DarlghurstYou n fd all the tails for this year's Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras here. ”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.

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

”One woman agreed, “The historil beats should be honoured for the role they played gay male life and culture this cy and others. 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. 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.

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.

‘TENNCY TO ASSLT HOMOSEXUALS’: ALLEGED KILLER GAY BEAT CRIME GRANTED BAIL

“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.

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS

“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 76-year-old man acced of murrg a father of four at a known gay beat Sydney’s eastern suburbs 35 years ago has been granted bail on a $1 ln surety. Raymond Keam was found wh head juri Sydney’s east park had a reputatn for beg a gay beat, the NSW Supreme Court heard on Friday.

People who were homosexual who attend that park”. 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.

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

"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.

COPS 'HARASSED' MEN AT GAY BEATS: QUIRY

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. 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. 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.

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS

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.

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY BEATS

(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".

INQUIRY HEARS OF VLENCE AT GAY 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.

TWO TEEN BOYS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKG GAY MEN SYDNEY

The Bondi to Tamarama track Sydney's eastern suburbs was known as a gay beat the 1980s. 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.

‘TENNCY TO ASSLT HOMOSEXUALS’: ALLEGED KILLER GAY BEAT CRIME GRANTED BAIL

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. 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.

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

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.

MAN RPONSIBLE FOR ATH OF STT JOHNSON AT MANLY GAY BEAT SENTENCED TO NE YEARS JAIL

"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. (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. The man rponsible for the ath of a gay Amerin mathematician who had “everythg to live for” has been sentenced to ne years already served part of his sentence, Stt Phillip Whe will be eligible for release 2026 for punchg Stt Johnson, leadg him to fall to his ath the late 1980s Sydney.

“Not much is known of the ath beyond a punch on a cliff, a fall om a cliff and s of pa and grief that followed, ” Jtice Robert Beech-Jon said durg sentencg the supreme urt on 10 December, 1988, Whe met Johnson at a hotel and the pair went for a walk around North Head which was known at the time to be a gay, then 18 years old, threw a punch at Johnson the heat of an argument g the 27-year-old to stagger backwards and fall to his ath over the Amerin was close to receivg his doctorate om the Atralian Natnal Universy, which he has sce been award posthumoly.

SYDNEY GAY BEACH

”Origally thought of as a suici, NSW police eventually opened an vtigatn to what they thought was a gay hate crime her now overturned judgment on the murr nvictn, Jtice Helen Wilson found there was not enough evince to show the attack was motivated by Johnson’s said he uld not be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the crime was a “gay hate crime”.