Gay Sydney: Last News

A chilling new video released by the NSW Supreme Court captures the moment Sydney resident Scott White discusses with police detectives about the 1988 murder of 27-year-old gay American mathematician Scott Johnson.Trigger Warning: This story had details of homophobic slurs and the murder of a gay man, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Johnson’s naked body was found on the morning of December 10, 1988 at the base of a cliff at Blue Fish Point, near Manly’s North Head on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Pushed to explain his stance ahead of the elections, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has said he will support a ban on “harmful” gay conversion practices in the state. Days after he claimed that the legislation was a “matter for the cabinet”, Premier Perrottet said that if re-elected, his government would provide “in-principle” support to a ban on practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Independent Sydney MP Alex GreenwichOut gay Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich had last week announced that a law to outlaw gay conversion practices would be part of his omnibus Equality Bill. NSW Labor leader Chris Minns declared the party’s support for the legislation.Greenwich had said that his support for a future minority government would depend on them supporting the law in Parliament. “I’m grateful for the Premier’s support to end LGBT conversion practices in NSW.

Dear LGBTIQA+ visitors to World Pride 2023,Welcome to Australia from every corner of the globe for what is sure to be an enjoyable World Pride 2023.But I want you to know something about Sydney few of you will hear from World Pride organisers and spruikers: you are travelling to Australia’s most homophobic and transphobic city for an event that perpetuates the dangerous myth Sydney is Australia’s queer paradise.In the 2017 national survey on marriage equality, the lowest Yes vote was recorded in the city’s suburbs. The national vote was 61.6% but some voting divisions in Sydney returned less than half that. This low level of support for LGBTIQA+ equality reflects in Australia’s worst queer laws at a state level.The state of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, has Australia’s least effective laws against LGBTIQA+ discrimination.

Trigger Warning: This story discusses transphobic comments, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Deves, co-founder of the Save Women’s Sport group that aims to stop trans women from competing in female sports, is a Liberal candidate for the crucial seat of Warringah, which is currently held by Independent Zali Steggall.News.com.au reported that in social media posts Deves had described trans kids as “surgically mutilated and sterilised” and in another post had said she was “triggered” by the LGBTQI Rainbow Pride flag.In one of the posts, Deves shared a photo of a trans teenager, who had their breasts removed.

NSW government and ACON on Wednesday announced that it was setting up the first state-funded health care centre for the LGBTQI community. Schembri said that he felt “uncomfortable” as a gay patient. Schembri was speaking at the launch of the LGBTQI Health Strategy at Kinghorn Cancer Centre at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney.Earlier this year in January, he was diagnosed with “a rare and random life changing illness” and spent eight weeks  “in and out of hospitals across the public and private systems”. Schembri said he had come out at the age of 14 and had lived and worked for over 25 years in clinical, managerial and chief executive roles in the New South Wales health system.“I thought I knew our public and private systems well. What I wasn’t prepared for was the number of times as a patient, I was asked if my wife was coming to pick me up after a procedure or whether my partner –  pronoun, ‘she or her’ – was joining the consultation,” said Schembri, who rejoined work last week. The historic NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022-2027 is built on the voices, experiences and insights of over 1,600 LGBTIQ+ people across the State and more than 750 NSW Health staff.

 Or going on a “bush walk” with a Grindr date, which is actually a thinly veiled excuse to give each other a gobby on the go, in between dodging tree roots and fellow “bush walkers”, who are mostly out to actually walk the bush. It’s a common theme the people that anonymously contributed to this piece shared between them and seemingly one of the main attractions to this particular kink, the technical term for which is Agoraphilia.Agoraphilia, which is a Greek word made up of a combination of the word agora, meaning public place or assembly, and philia, meaning love or attraction – hence the urge to park a car and go down to the woods today, where you’ll be sure to find a big surprise!But other, less obvious issues can arise.Like the shocking self revelation one contributor had about how much time one can while away whilst waiting for a toilet door to open. “It occurred to me out of the blue one day while sitting in a city toilet, waiting and willing the door to open and for someone, anyone to come in so that I could get my release and move on with my day, just how much time I spent in the pursuit of hot urinal action with a stranger and an erection,” said one contributor. “It actually really shocked me when I added it all up, enough to make me stop for a long time, though I sometimes can’t help walking into a random toilet hoping that I’ll be greeted by a burley gentleman with rough hands and a rougher disposition, who is lingering a little too long”Beaches, not all of them nudist, can attract a certain crowd too.

A rainbow pathway in Newtown may be just around the corner, after a motion to begin plans for a new pathway in time for next year’s Sydney WorldPride event was carried unanimously by Inner West Council last week.The motion, which was moved by Independent Pauline Lockie and seconded by the Greens Liz Atkins, noted that installing a rainbow crossing in Newtown would be “a visible sign of pride and support for our LGBTQ community”.“Symbols representing our community make it clear that queer people are welcome in our community and, are in fact, to be celebrated,” Cr Atkins told Star Observer when asked about the significance of installing the new rainbow pathway.Cr Pauline LockThis follows a previously resolved motion by council in December 2019, where prospects for a rainbow crossing at the intersection of King Street and Enmore Road in Newtown were being investigated.Although the motion was then approved by councillors, an installation required the approval of Transport for NSW, who “advised Council that it would not support a rainbow crossing in this location and is also unlikely to approve other locations for on-road rainbow crossings”.“That’s quite a complicated intersection anyway, there are multiple sets of lights; multiple crossing points; emergency access points; a train station there”, Cr Lockie told City Hub.Alternative options suggested in the motion included lighting one of the pathways in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park with rainbow lights, painting one of the existing pathways in the park in rainbow colours, and painting a rainbow pathway outside Newtown Town Hall.Two amendments were moved by Cr Mat Howard, who called on council to “submit a request to the Geographical Names Board to rename the public square

The NSW Police have apologised to  ‘78er Barbara Karpinski for ejecting her from the Sydney Cricket Ground stadium where she was watching the Mardi Gras parade on March 5. In response to questions from Star Observer, a NSW Police spokesperson issued the following statement on Friday: “The NSW Police Force is taking this matter very seriously and is conducting inquiries to determine why and how this incident occurred and ensure it is not repeated.”   “We apologise sincerely to the 78er who was asked to leave and to all 78ers and the LGBTIQA+ communities broadly. Our dialogue and communication with the LGBTIQA+ communities will continue to build on the solid relationship we have established together.”Barbara KarpinskiWhen Star Observer informed Karpinski of the apology last night, she thanked both the NSW police and Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger for their swift apologies, but she said that action rather than more apologies are needed. She said that although sceptical, she remains hopeful that communication and openness are the way forward.This is not the first time that NSW Police have apologised to Karpinski who was arrested as a schoolgirl in 1978.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chief executive Albert Kruger has called for a full NSW police investigation into the circumstances that led to the ejection of one of the original ‘78ers Barbara Karpinski from her seat in the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday night. He has also initiated an internal Mardi Gras investigation. Kruger told the Star Observer that he is in no doubt that the incident happened. He said that the police action was “unacceptable” and that he is “upset about it to be honest”. Karpinski was removed after standing briefly in the stadium seating area holding a handmade poster calling for peace and an end to the war in Ukraine.

As Mardi Gras festivities set their place onto my calendar I always save some space to hold my annual “camp” film festival. Camp films are an integral part of LGBTQI culture, and while “camp” films are often mistaken as bad films, this isn’t entirely correct. Many “camp” films (including some on this list) are excellent but are considered camp due to highly exaggerated elements, particularly in the script or performances.

The Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre has issued a public apology after posting transphobic content to its page.Image: Then on February 28, they posted a link to an article titled, “J.K. Rowling Writes About Her Reasons for Speaking Out on Sex and Gender Issues.”Image: “We seek to understand where this fits in to their services.

Actor Sam Elliott, has made headlines after going on a foul-mouthed tirade over the critically acclaimed film The Power of the Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. Elliott appeared to be particularly incensed by the homosexual subtext of the film.Elliott, 77, was appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast on Monday when Maron asked about his thoughts on the film.

9 to 5 The Musical, which is as campy and as dazzling as the showcase 9 to 5 set piece – featuring a pretty tricky alarm clock – is a fun night out at the theatre. The musical relies heavily on crude and outdated humour but it works, maybe because the ’80s seems like such a quaint time, compared to the hells-cape we’re trapped in currently. But it does it in a way that proves that if dated dick jokes that we’ve all heard and seen before are delivered with a twinkle in the eye, the right amount of wood and a big dash of chutzpah, you can still get a laugh from an audience in 2022.Erin Clare, Marina Prior and Casey Donovan in 9 to 5 The Musical.

A week after the NSW police deleted photos of its officers posing with ‘nuns’ at Mardi Gras Fair Day, the Order of Perpetual Indulgence has finally broken their silence. Sr Rowena Keeper of the Holy Doyley, who was tasked with responding to our queries, told Star Observer that the Holy Order was surprised by the controversy that erupted over a seemingly innocuous photo shoot.  Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence delivers the opening blessing for Sydney Mardi Gras Fair Day 2022.Image: Supplied.Sr Roweena revealed the photo with NSW police officers was in fact a photo bomb.