Call for stronger LGBTIQA+ anti-hate protections in wake of attacks
Just.Equal Australia has called on the federal government to introduce laws prohibiting vilification against LGBTIQA+ Australians after shocking reports of IS terror attacks on young gay and bisexual men in Sydney.
Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, ruled out extending anti-hate protections to LGBTIQA+ people when he proposed them for Jewish Australians in January.
Just.Equal spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,
“Passing laws against only one kind of hate means other forms are seen as less illegitimate and less deserving of a response.”
“One important lesson from the Bondi tragedy is that the Government shouldn’t wait until attacks escalate before taking tough action against hate.”
“We call on the Federal Government to introduce national vilification protections for LGBTIQA+ people, as well as stronger penalties for hate-motivate attacks.”
An extremism expert at Deakin University, Dr Josh Roos, told the ABC, “we are at risk of seeing these attacks...turn deadly. It's only a matter of time before a young man or men are killed."
According to Dr Roose, LGBTIQA+ Australians are the most likely to be killed by violent extremists, after Australian Jews.
For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
