Content note: contains graphic descriptions of homophobic violence.
LGBTI Australians are using the Twitter hashtag #TheyGetToVote to share their stories of homophobia.
Amid the calls for “respectful debate”, LGBTI people around Australia have taken to Twitter to recount times they have received homophobic or transphobic abuse by people who are now voting on LGBTI rights.
The experiences people have shared range from homophobic comments to violent attacks.
“The girls in high school who called me a dyke and the man who told me I just needed a good dick to turn me straight #TheyGetToVote,” tweeted one person.
“We held hands in Newtown,” wrote another. “Bashed by gang: broken jaw and seizures. 21 years ago. We’re still in love. Never held hands again.”
High-profile Australians have joined in using the hashtag to share their experiences.
“The hundreds that have screamed faggot at me, moved their kids away from me, or the fun few who have told me to kill myself #TheyGetToVote,” tweeted comedian Rhys Nicholson.
“A man follows me into bathroom, pounds the stall door, shouts ‘just cause you’re wearing a dress doesn’t mean you’re a woman’,” posted Jordan Raskopoulos from The Axis of Awesome.
Hundreds of Australians have shared their stories using the hashtag as the campaigns around the marriage equality vote continue.
We held hands in Newtown. Bashed by gang: broken jaw & seizures. 21 years ago. We're still in love. Never held hands again. #theygettovote
— Greg Ussher (@drgregussher) September 14, 2017
The hundreds that have screamed faggot at me, moved their kids away from me, or the fun few who have told me to kill myself #TheyGetToVote
— Rhys Nicholson (@rhysnicholson) September 14, 2017
Mardi Gras morning, I see car stop on oxford street-4 men jump out. Push a gay to the ground, break his teeth. They drive off #TheyGetToVote
— Josh Thomas (@JoshThomas87) September 13, 2017
The girls in high school who called me a dyke and the man who told me I just needed a good dick to turn me straight #TheyGetToVote
— Jasmine 🏳️🌈 (@weareunpersons) September 13, 2017
A man follows me into bathroom, pounds the stall door, shouts "just cause you're wearing a dress doesn't mean you're a woman" #TheyGetToVote
— Jordan Raskopoulos (@JordanRasko) September 14, 2017
I held a boys hand at school and was pelted with rocks then they threw me in the urinal. Teacher told me to, "be more aware." #TheyGetToVote
— BM (@macleanbrendan) September 13, 2017
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