Study shows anti-gay abuses in Australia (no surprise here)
Chief Thracian
Gay.com U.K.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003 / 04:45 PM
Despite its image of being a liberal country,
homophobia is rife in Australia, according to a new
study.
The government-backed study reveals that 85 percent of
gay and lesbian residents in Sydney, which is famed
internationally for its Mardi Gras festival, have faced
some form of abuse based on their sexuality.
Nationally, roughly 56 percent had experienced
homophobia in the year before the survey took place,
according to research conducted by the New South Wales
attorney general's office. That figure is unchanged
from a similar 1994 report.
Additionally, 75 percent said the abuse came from
strangers and took the form of spitting, verbal
harassment and stalking. A fewer number of victims
suffered physical assaults with weapons, including
sexual assault.
The study has galvanized many gay right groups into
calling for more police protection in the city against
homophobic crimes.
However, it follows a report earlier this year that
said Australia was one of the "gayest" countries in
the world.
The survey, by condom manufacturer Durex, revealed that
Australia and the United States have the highest
proportion of gay men and lesbians in the world.
--end of article
Note: I take offense at that final sentence, claiming
that the US and Oz hold the highest proportion of
homosexuals. (Is that threat from the rest of the
world, to bomb us, or what? Were the survey TRUTHFUL,
it would more aptly have stated: "Australia and the
United States have the highest proportion of
OUT-OF-CLOSET gay men and lesbians in the world."
The way they said it, could be construed as a veiled
threat, intrinsic to the bias of the reporter who
composed this article (and/or perhaps that of the
surveyors).
Sincerely,
Zeke Krahlin (a Bohemian homosexual)
--
Vote for Zeke in oh-oh-four,
Or brown shirts will
Bang down your door!
http://www.gay-bible.org/