Thank you, AIDS Council of New South Wales (ACON), for letting us know amidst the revelry at Sydney Mardi Gras, there will be more gay bashings than usual. How to stay safe?
Suggests ACON chief Nicolas Parkhill: “To start with, we know that street-based homophobic violence is usually perpetrated by groups of young men, often travelling together in groups of two or more, so it’s best to avoid these types of groups if possible by crossing the road or walking around them.”
We know he means well, but this advice suggests you zig-zag through traffic at all times whenever you spot two or more men together. Which, during Sydney Mardi Gras, will be every tenth of a second.
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
Let me see if I understand this.
Queerty is criticizing the obviousness that crowds attract the bad along with the good. “Duh!” And yet you think the story is worth posting? Hmmmm; slow news day?
romeo
Gays in large groups bash back. We have the same pack mentality that straights do.
terrwill
Second that, Romeo!……. Would make my holiday if I saw a pack of subhuman scumbags getting their balls bashed by a bunch of angry drag queens gone wild……….
Joe K
Oddly we never have a problem on Gay Pride Day in NYC, maybe Aussies arent just that civilized.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Alcohol is the bigger problem – it should be banned at all events – gay or otherwise!
sam
@joe K, considering mardi gras isn’t a “day”, there’s plenty more chances for lonely queers to get bashed (if nyc pride day goes for longer i’ll happily retract that statement btw). I’ts not in the middle of events that there’s a problem, but on teh way to and from, in the seedier parts of sydney. Something I’m sure nyc has in spades too.
Unfortunately, my sydney friends tell me that oxford street and the traditionally gay areas are being invaded with homophobes >_<
and lol @ no 5. that'll just make people even more pissed off.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
@Sam who deosn’t even live in Sydney
I was at the Puerto Rican Day Parade with my then date the last year that alcohol was allowed at events, the same year that there were many attacks on women including a gang-attack. I remember that a very dangerous element was arriving at the otherwise festive parade which is the largest in the world (with 12 and 18 packs hoisted on their shoulders) that I informed my date that we ought to get out of there, quickly.
Unfortunately, Sydney is a more dangerous town.
A Ban on open containers is necessary.
Straight men who are drunk become marauding gangs/yobbos.
Gay men on alcohol can make bad decisions about Safety.
Take drinking inside the bars where the bouncer and bar staff can police their gay-only clientele. This Sydney Mardi Gras is reportedly marketed to straights now like the New Orleans Mardi Gras with “show us ya boobs” beads which is actually very dangerous to lesbians as well as gay men.
jason
Unfortunately, the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras has become a freak show. It’s no more about gay rights than shopping at K Mart. It’s a freak show which attracts mobs of uninterested straights who are simply there for a get-together.
The best thing they could do would be to flush the Sydney Mardi Gras down the toilet.
adam
It’s just one huge commercial parade. So embarrassing. Vain twits in green fluoro shorts do nothing for me.
michael
I believe the sexually permissive atmosphere at the Sydney Mardi Gras leads to a hetero male mob mentality which puts women at risk of sexual assault. Women aren’t entirely blameless. They simply use the event as an excuse to dress like sluts.
Hyhybt
This may be a stupid question, but wasn’t Mardi Gras the Tuesday of last week? Australia’s supposed to be *ahead* of us by several hours, not behind by a week and a half…
jason
Australia is generally behind the rest of the world in many things, not just dates.
Marcus
Gay Sydney mardi gras website features a little boy on 2008 Sideshow, Removes – We took SNAPSHOT check it out ? http://twitpic.com/15qy8l