‘Couple bashed’: Gay marriage and ‘bestiality’ comments reflect daily hate in SA
A gay couple violently bashed in front of the malls balls. The regional burlesque performer told she’d be “taken out to the bush and done away with”. Varo Lee asks why the SA government hasn’t made laws to protect the LGBTIQA+ community from comments like One Nation’s.
Last year, South Australia marked 50 years since landmark reforms to decriminalise homosexuality, a milestone that cemented our reputation as a national leader for social progress.
Half a century later, you’d be forgiven for thinking not much has changed. This weekend One Nation’s South Australian lead candidate, former Liberal Cory Bernardi, this weekend doubled down on comments linking gay marriage to the social acceptance of bestiality
The remarks drew swift condemnation across political lines, with openly gay Greens MP Robert Simms denouncing the politics of hatred and division, and SA-Best’s Connie Bonaros MLC branded Bernardi with the culturally appropriate term “Malakas”.
Let’s hope that unlike the common Kaurna term “Niina Marni” that welcomed him to Adelaide University last week, this is one Bernardi understands.
While the comments may come as a shock to some, for many LGBTIQA+ South Australians they reflect the hate and vitriol we encounter daily.
Over the last year, I’ve been approached at least once a month by ordinary South Australians seeking help after experiencing homophobic or transphobic abuse.
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A gay couple violently bashed in front of the malls balls. The regional burlesque performer told she’d be “taken out to the bush and done away with”.
The drag queen who had eggs hurled at her while being called a f*ggot on the main strip of Jetty Road. An 11-year old girl who was blasted by viral media backlash for running in school sports day simply because she’s transgender.
Our families are in the firing line too. One Mum has spent the last year and a half being called a “child abuser” by parents at school, trainers at the local sports club and strangers online, simply because she dares to love and support her 11-year-old daughter who recently came out as transgender.
Even our politicians aren’t immune. South Australia’s two openly gay MPs, Robert Simms MLC and Labor MLC Ian Hunter both report a recent rise in homophobic abuse.
It should come as no surprise then, that the mental health of LGBTIQA+ South Australians is in the gutter. Recent stats from La Trobe University tell us that for LGBTIQA+ South Australians, lifetime suicidal ideation is prevalent for 77% of adults and 64% of young people compared to 40% of the general SA population.
Bernardi’s comments are no isolated incident. This kind of hate is happening everyday in our workplaces, schools, universities, and out on the sports field.
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All this begs the question: if, as Mali puts it, these comments “were wrong then and even more wrong now”, why does South Australia remain one of only two jurisdictions with no laws protecting us from hate speech and vilification?
The absence of anti-vilification laws is just part of a broader void of protections for LGBTIQA+ South Australians facing hate.
Our anti-discrimination laws haven’t been reviewed in over 30 years, we have no LGBTIQA+ specialist legal services despite being named a priority in the most recent Commonwealth-State funding agreement and trans women in crisis are being actively turned away from domestic violence services who claim they just “don’t help people like you”.
Even SAPOL have recognised there’s a problem, recently relaunching their LGBTIQA+ Liaison Officer Program to improve community safety and help report crimes like hate-motivated incidents.
Meanwhile, a 16-month long Parliamentary inquiry that recommended South Australia adopt a Human Rights Act appears to have been quietly brushed aside for fear of igniting another round of so-called “culture wars”.
Ahead of the State Election, we partnered with Equality Australia to ask nearly 500 LGBTIQA+ South Australians what mattered most. The answers weren’t radical or revolutionary – protection from hate and access to healthcare topped the list. Some may dismiss this as the “woke agenda”, others will recognise it as the basic rights every South Australian deserves.
Yet with less than two weeks until polling day, neither Labor nor Liberal have made a meaningful commitment to act on what matters most to LGBTIQA+ South Australians.
Fifty years ago, the values of fairness and respect made South Australia a leader in equality. It’s time to honour that legacy and make our state a place we can all be proud of.
Varo Lee (they/them) is CEO of South Australian Rainbow Advocacy Alliance, the peak charitable body for LGBTIQA+ South Australians
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