Homophobic graffiti to be removed

Homophobic graffiti to be removed

Homophobic and racist graffiti will be removed from a Cockatoo Island toilet block in the course of general renovations.

The move has been welcomed by activist Bruce Thompson, who protested its use in a Vernon Ah Kee exhibition during the Sydney Biennale last year.

The graffiti targeting gay men and wogs, which was left on the toilet block from 20 years ago, is set to be removed in the course of a general upgrade, the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust confirmed.

A Trust spokesman declined to comment on whether Thompson’s complaint to the Anti-Discrimination Board had anything to do with the decision.

Thompson said he was pleased to hear of the decision, although he did not consider it an ideal outcome which would have included an apology from the Trust, the artist Ah Kee and the Museum of Contemporary Art for its incorporation as a found object during the Biennale.

After 20 years, the decision to remove the graffiti is long overdue, Thompson told Sydney Star Observer.

The graffiti is still offensive and these people are still alive most likely, which is the worst thing.

That graffiti was written up when the AIDS pandemic was at its height and it was at a time when gay people were being condemned as the scourge of the world, so all of those people who were named would have suffered some sort of trauma and they would have never been compensated for that.

Thompson said he would still like to see the MCA and Federation Trust make donations to GLBT and multicultural charities.

Thompson is yet to receive an outcome in this case, which is before the Administrative Decisions Tribunal.

He is also awaiting hearing dates in relation to a separate anti-discrimination case which he brought against CityRail last year, in which he alleged he was sexually harassed and vilified by homophobic graffiti while working for the organisation two years ago.

Thompson said his offers to settle out of court had been declined.

CityRail did not wish to offer a statement while the matter proceeded.

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7 responses to “Homophobic graffiti to be removed”

  1. Mr Thompson,

    i understand you might find the graffiti offensive, but in my mind, that is all the more reason for it to stay, and the more people who get to see it, and see it for what it is, the better.

    i do hope you change your mind, as i think it would be a travesty for this piece of history to be lost. if it wasn’t offensive and controversial, then i would see no point in keeping it.

    Please rethink your views and decision before it’s too late..

    Thank you

    David

  2. Well said Mr Saunders but ultimately, who really cares and how does this contribute to a sustained and valid dialogue about homosexual and other ‘deviant’ sexual subcultures in society today?

    It doesn’t.

    It’s sadly ironic that (well documented) homosexual graffiti in Pompeii remains to this day, while so called sophisticated Sydney-siders can’t even cope with a bit of verbal rough and tumble.

    And what about context? Cockatoo Island was a military establishment for crying out Joan. I was lucky enough to see said graffiti during last year’s Biennale and feel richer for the experience. In fact I’d be more upset if it wasn’t there.

    Yet another diversion from real and substantial issues – anyone for a civil union?

  3. Andrew – What are you on about? I didn’t say that there were mobile phone numbers in the graffiti, you did. But thanks for answering a question I didn’t ask anyway.

  4. James you idiot, the “gay pick up” messages scrawled in public toilets are usually put there by straight guys as a homophobic joke on people they dislike (ie “for a good time call Gary…”). Do you really think there are people dumb enough to leave their own phone numbers on a bathroom wall?

  5. As ugly as it is this graffiti shows us a snapshot of some of our (unpleasant) history. We are a result of our political and cultural surrounds at any given time and erasing things is not necessarily the answer. Do we erase all images of early white people destroying a whole culture or do we use this in educating and changing our nation for the better. The toilet block should be kept intact and commemorative plaques with details about homophobic and racist laws written from a cultural perspective. The graffiti is more a reflection on poor governance and education than on original sin.

  6. What I’d like to see is gay pick up messages removed from public toilets. When I go for a piss, I don’t really want to read about the sex acts on offer from people at various times of the day.