Putting an end to homophobic street crime is a real battle. ACON’s Anti-Violence Project is meeting the problem head on.

The above extract is from a report made to ACON’s Anti-Violence Project (AVP), just one of 70 reports made between January and March this year. However, government research indicates that only 13 percent of incidents are reported, meaning the actual figure for that period is probably well over 500. Welcome to the world of gay hate.

The issue of homophobic violence received widespread attention following the brutal bashing of Sydney man Craig Gee in Darlinghurst in December 2007. Since then, local police have been working on ways to address the problem but it continues to fester throughout NSW, especially in Sydney’s Oxford St precinct.

“Government stats show that gay men and lesbians are between four and six times more likely than the general population to experience abuse, harassment or assault,” says AVP Coordinator Nancy de Castro. “The same research also shows that 85 percent of people in the GLBT community have experienced some form of homophobic violence.”

The AVP tackles this problem by taking reports, supporting victims, organising self-defence workshops, promoting anti-homophobia education in schools, running the Safe Place program and lobbying relevant authorities for safer city planning.

Following a surge in gay hate crimes in the Oxford St precinct late last year, the AVP and the City of Sydney trialled a dedicated Safe Place on Oxford St where victims and witnesses of gay hate crimes could get help. The six-month trial led to an increase in reporting of incidents. Nancy says it was an important outcome.

“One of the biggest problems ACON faces in terms of improving security for the GLBT community is that most victims of and witnesses to homophobic violence don’t report it. As a result, the stats are a lot lower than they should be which diminishes the need for the relevant authorities to take action. To help us improve security, we need people to report these incidents and get them on the record.”  

Nancy says better reporting also needs to fit in with a range of other strategies if the fight against homophobic violence is to be effective. These include:

• addressing homophobia in schools and in the broader community before it happens
• empowering the GLBT community with personal strategies for avoiding violence
• making spaces like Oxford St safer for the GLBT community
• ensuring that the police and the courts do their job adequately
• ensuring appropriate support is readily available for victims of violence

“We’re doing what we can to put these strategies in place but it requires real commitment from government and our community,” Nancy says. “It’s a tough job but until we live in a society where everyone upholds values of tolerance, understanding and respect, we need to take action.”