84 per cent of LGBTI people believe parts of Australia are unsafe for the community: research
New research released to coincide with Mardi Gras shows that 84 per cent of queer Australians believe parts of the country are unsafe for LGBTI people.
ANZ commissioned the YouGov research which also found that just over half of LGBTI Aussies would not feel comfortable opening up about their sexuality in a rural town or community.
ANZ also unveiled a series of artworks themed around Mardi Gras’ focal point, Oxford St, including a large-scale artwork at Bondi Park which points the way to all 123 Oxford Streets around the country.
The ‘Signs of Love’ artwork points to seven other Oxford St signposts around Australia, including:
- New South Wales – ‘Eternal Flame’, Oxford St (cnr Bourne Cl), Mittagong
- Victoria – ‘Coming Out’, Oxford St (cnr Battery Rd), Deep Lead
- Queensland – ‘Pink FlaminGo-Go’, Oxford St (cnr Talford Street), Rockhampton
- Tasmania – ‘Love is Love’, Oxford St (cnr Abbott St), East Launceston
- Western Australia – ‘I’m Spinning Around’, Oxford St (Austral Pde), East Bunbury
- South Australia – ‘Turn the Party’, Port Pirie Regional Tourism and Arts Centre
- Northern Territory – ‘We’re Not in Sydney Toto’, Oxford Rd (cnr Cox Peninsula Rd), Berry Springs
The signs will be viewable on Google Street View from Wednesday February 27 onwards.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Terese Casu said they “hope the installations serve as a reminder that individuality is worth celebrating and that they prompt conversation around LGBTIQ+ inclusion in a range of different communities.”
The research also found that, while just over two-thirds of Australians support greater efforts to improve LGBTI equality, 52 per cent of LGBTI Australians would not be open about their identity with their manager at work.
41 per cent of respondents said they would feel similarly uncomfortable being open at a place of education including school or university.
ANZ said the sculptures in regional areas are “designed to be signposts of an equal future and inclusivity for the LGBTIQ+ community.”
That is probably correct of all countries. Yes, we, and everyone else, has the Right to walk (innocently) through all of Australia’s Parks which are close to the city or a short-cut home BUT just because that is our Right it does not mean that we should do so – particularly late at night and alone – People – straight and GLBTIQ – have complained about how they got bashed up, threatened, robbed and abused – physically, verbally and sexually – whilst they walked through those un-lit, dark Parks and Reserves late at night. They have loudly claimed that they had the “Right to do so”. Yes, they did but that does not mean they should. Heaven knows there have been more than enough reports of this sort of abuse over the years, but people still go there or use them as short-cuts. Why? Our “Rights” have nothing to do with it. Society is a dangerous place and that will never change – no matter how hard we try or want it to.
Having lived in Melbourne for many decades we all knew that we should not walk through un-lit parts of Prince’s Park or Fitzroy Gardens simply because it was not just the homophobes who were out to harm the Police were every bit as involved.
We have to take responsibility for what we do. If we ignore Commonsense then we have got to be prepared to, possibly, be attacked.