QLD's 'gay panic defence', global outrage

I've never heard of such a thing. This is incredible:

Queensland is copping a lot of deserved flack lately for its “homophobic” stance concerning numerous matters faced by LGBTI community. One of those is the “gay panic defence.” Further cementing itself as a backwards state, current Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie has confirmed that he would not proceed with the changes to the laws that were recommended by the previous Queensland Government.

Catholic priest Paul Kelly, whose parish church was the scene of a violent crime in 2008, has pledged to continue an online campaign against Queensland’s provocation laws, which make it possible for those accused of violent crimes to alledge their victims approached them in an intimate homosexualy way, prompting them to ‘lash out’. Similar archiac laws have been removed in several other Australian states and in New Zealand recently.

Richard John Meerdink and Jason Andrew Pearce who were jailed for the manslaughter – not murder – of Wayne Robert Ruks on the grounds of Maryborough’s St Mary’s Church in 2008.

With the announcement that planned changes to the law have been dropped, the Queensland priest is renewing his campaign for the state to remove the so-called “gay panic” defence to homicide.

The online petition has received more then 180,000 signatures, including international support from English comedian Stephen Fry and most recently American actress Sophia Bush of One Tree Hill fame
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WTF is going on up there? And to think I was actually considering moving up there. No fuckin way in the world would I go near the loony place now. What, if I smile at someone the wrong way then that's an excuse for them to bash me to death?

Queensland has recently elected a new conservative gov. Unfortunately the voters wiped out the Labor party nearly completely, leaving the state without a opposition capable of doing anything. In short they voted to end democracy up there. Now the conservative state gov can do whatever it likes, with no checks and balances. QLD doesn't even have an upper house, which I was surprised at. 

Anyway, I invite all concerned people, from anywhere in the world,  to join with me and vote in this online petition organised by the Catholic priest himself, to ditch the "gay panic" defence from QLD law. 

The Petition:

 A loophole in Queensland law allows people accused of murder to defend themselves in court by claiming “gay panic” -- that is, if someone who they think is gay “comes onto” them, the sheer panic they feel is partial justification for murder. 

This law belongs in the dark ages -- but it was enshrined in Queensland law in 1997, when a man responded to “gentle touching” by ramming his victim’s head against a wall until he was unrecognisable, then stabbed him to death. 

The killer’s argument was this: “Yeah, I killed the guy, but what he did to me was worse.” 

Just over two years ago, a man was killed in my church’s grounds, and one of his killers used this same “gay panic” defence. They were eventually acquitted of murder. I’m utterly appalled that a law that so revoltingly and openly discriminates against gay people is still tolerated in a modern society. Laws like the “gay panic” defence are a crucial part of legitimising and reinforcing a culture of hate which means that 73% of gay and lesbian Queenslanders are subjected to verbal abuse or physical violence for their sexuality. 

While almost all other state governments have abolished similar laws, and refuse to admit evidence of non-violent homosexual advances in murder trials, nothing has changed here. Queensland is now one of the last states upholding the idea that a person can be panicked enough by gay and lesbian people to justify murder. That’s why I am calling on the Queensland parliament and LNP leader Campbell Newman to eliminate this law as a partial defence for murder, and forbid non-violent homosexual advance being treated as evidence in any murder trial. 

This situation cannot go on. Please sign and help eliminate this antiquated, 17th century defence from our law books. 

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