Burns goes after Laws and Price

Burns goes after Laws and Price

Gary Burns is angry. Angry about homophobia, angry about discrimination against gay men and lesbians, and particularly angry with 2UE presenters Steve Price and John Laws.

Burns alleged yesterday in the Administrative Decisions Tribunal that comments Laws and Price made about the openly gay stars of the Channel Nine program The Block, Gav and Waz, had the effect of inciting hatred towards the homosexual community.

The Tribunal announced yesterday that Laws and Price would be considered as joint respondents to the complaint brought by Burns when it hears the matter again on 7 October.

This means I can cross-examine [Price and Laws] and find out why they made these comments, Burns told Sydney Star Observer. These comments incite hatred and vilification which can lead to the assault and murder of homosexuals.

In his statement of claim to the Tribunal, Burns states that Laws and Price used language that would incite the reasonable listener to hatred by arguing that Gav and Waz were impious and not suitable to be shown at 6:30pm timeslot.

Burns told the Star that his terms for an out-of-Tribunal settlement included 2UE making a $10,000 donation to the Luncheon Club and Laws and Price making a written apology in a gay community publication.

Burns said he had not contacted Gav and Waz when making his complaint.

It’s not about Gav and Waz, he said. Those two men were portrayed by Channel Nine as ordinary people, but that brought out fear in Steve Price and John Laws. I believe they used their positions on radio to send out a message that gay people are impious.

But Gavin and Warren themselves distanced themselves from Burns’s action.

We never went into the show to be gay political activists. As far as we’re concerned, the issue with Steve Price and John Laws was buried within 24 hours. The whole issue is finished.

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