SYDNEY: ‘I can’t be on the same train as faggots’
MULTIPLE homophobic assaults in Sydney and Melbourne have occurred in the past 24 hours and have left some of the victims wondering how anti-LGBTI sentiment is still alive in 2016.
Thomas Grainger was returning home on the train last night after performing as his drag character Amnesia Shadows at Shift Club on Oxford St where he was faced with a number of terrifying assaults.
“When I first got on the train at Central, I sat down and looked at my phone,” he told Star Observer.
“A group of people that were already on the train, got up and moved. One of the girls asked why they were moving and the guy said ‘I can’t be on the same train on faggots’.
“I’m used to that stuff though, I get it all the time.”
As the train approached Granville four people got on the train and when they noticed Grainger, started hurling insults at him.
“They were very big and they were saying things like ‘you fucking male slut in high heels’,” he said.
“I got up to move away from them and when they saw I was in drag they started saying ‘you trans slut, I’m going to get you’.”
Grainger started moving between carriages to get away from them, but they split up and circled him at either end of the train. It wasn’t until a group of men got on the train and defended him that he felt safe.
“I think they were quite drunk, one of the guys started hugging me and wouldn’t let go I felt quite uncomfortable,” he said.
“He was my safe option even though he was being sleazy. I basically had to put up with being groped to be safe and not get bashed.”
Grainger didn’t report the issue because he wasn’t sure if the police would take his report seriously and was worried he would be blamed for catching the train dressed in drag.
“It really upsets me this stuff continues to happen,” he said.
“I thought, ‘do I call the police, what can they do, I’m in drag, will there be any sympathy?’ My concern is whether it gets treated seriously enough. That was the mentality I was in.”
NSW Police Superintendent Tony Crandell and commander of the LGBTI GLLO program encouraged Grainger to report the incident to prevent the group from hurting anyone else.
“Firstly, homophobic bullying is never OK. The circumstances and behaviour described is criminal in nature and should be reported to police,” he said.
“This form of bullying behaviour targeted the victim’s perceived sexuality or gender. Any behaviour that de-escalates such a situation is appropriate.
“With the offence of intimidation (or possibly assault depending upon the closeness of perpetrator to victim) occurring on a train or railway station, police have an excellent chance of identifying those responsible through CCTV.
“It is important to reassure him that nothing he did promoted these behaviours which will always remain unacceptable and contrary to the expectations of modern society.”
In Melbourne, Greens candidate for Higgins Jason Ball was also the victim of homophobia yesterday when one of his campaign posters was graffitied with the word ‘fag’.
“It actually cut pretty deep, it was a slur I heard in high school,” he said.
“We were made aware of vandalism to a phone booth a few days ago and that said ‘gay’ and we made decision to clean it off and not give it publicity.
“But this time I decided I wanted to take a stand, to send hope and strength to the LGBTI community. We shouldn’t be threatened on our march to equality.”
By speaking out, Ball wants to be a role model for younger LGBTI people and the ongoing homophobia he receives is a sign the equality fight is winning.
“It’s indicative those who oppose equality are are dying out and this is a sign of desperation,” he said.
“First they bully us, then they laugh at us, then they fight us, then we win… this is the tide of change that can no longer be stopped.”
Ball believes the key to ending homophobic attacks should come from the leadership of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“We need the Prime Minister to show leadership and he needs to understand if he continues with a plebiscite… it will lead to the hate and violence we have seen over the past few days.
“These are the acts of hate he will be legitimising.”
Disclaimer: Both Ball and Grainger are friends of the journalist.
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Is there a lawyer any where on this planet that can take on the movie companies to have the word faggot, poofter and other demeaning words associated with gay men removed from movie scripts. I have had enough of watching a really good movie or tv show then one of these words will be said towards a single or group of characters. It is usually said with a tone of hate that this person is weak, useless and not what a male human being should be. Even worse when a gay character is bashed or killed because they were gay. Why is this allowed on the big screen, this is saying to the homophobes and society in general that it is ok to do this to gay men we are doing nothing wrong. Even though these movies are made up stories.
If movie’s or tv shows want to talk about gay issues that is fine as long it is not shaming us or spreading a message of hate and what we are doing and how we live our lives is not wrong.
If Australia does have gay marriage(I am in huge support for it) gay people will still never ever be allowed to kiss, hold hands and show any signs of love to there partner in public without verbal abuse or a threat of violence .As long as it is done behind closed doors with the curtains closed then it is almost ok .
People need to really calm down. Just get out and vote for marriage equality supporting parties on July 2, 2016 at the ballot box Australia! I am predicting Labor to win 77 seats and marriage equality will be the law of the land on midnight 1 January, 2017 in Australia. Why is it that when elections happen, people go star raving bonkers? The world has gone crazy! I am also predicting that Hillary Clinton Democrat will win in November 2016 too! Good things are just around the corner, I just know it! Think positive people!
THIS, is why marriage equality MUST be implemented. That would signal the separation of our secular marriage from religion. It needs to happen as the only way to start putting an end to this sort of mentality.
As long as our own government allows this discrimination & allows this dehumanizing, 2nd-class discrimination to exist, it’ll never go away. The legitimacy of legal marriage will be a turning point.
Imho
Don’t forget that Tim Wilson also had a smear campaign against him from his own party…
I’m a cynic as I think it’s political but it shows that there is HATE towards minority groups
Repugnant
They’re a queer lot those homophobes, so indoctrinated in monotheist hate, I can’t help thinking BIGTL people ought to ensure if they feel they look ‘obvious’ they travel in groups at night don’t be out of it & keep their wits about them, much like woman need to do, it’s a sad reality of life and won’t probably improve for more generations to come, we’ve lived it so long we should know not to be so lax with our personal safety and always report it
I get at least once a month some random guy shouting out ‘faggot’ or ‘poof’ from a car, or as they walk past me on the street, and in the past, I’ve just laughed it off. Since Orlando I have now started to feel fearful. Why is there such hatred? I’m just walking down the street minding my own business and yet some stranger seems to think it’s amusing or OK to shout out something to me. If there is women with the men, the women often laugh or also shout out something. I believe homophobia is tolerated and even encouraged in Australia, starting with government policy, or lack of it, and even business seem to be able to ‘justify’ this homophobia. Check out the Red Cross policy on blood donations for gay males. If you don’t have sex for a year, then you can donate blood.
I regularly catch the train to the western suburbs late at night in show drag and never have any trouble.
*where’s the drag winky emoji?
How frightening and disgusting. Homophobia and transphobia is on the rise and it is not rocket science to see why, when we are likened to sex offenders by LNP members under the Safe Schools program attacks, or when in Victoria Daniel Andrews ignores some hospitals, such as the Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, that fund the Gloria Award winning Bairnsdale Advertiser, who liken trans people to sex offenders and say gays are destroying society. I mean you have an actual Department of Health encorouging violence. When the Orlando rainbow lights are out I sadly doubt things will change.
I question if the heterosexual homophobes in society have suppressed homosexual or bisexual feelings…
I had a similar experience with homophobia on a train in Melbourne the day after the shooting.