Tuesday 17 May 2016

Comedian Tom Ballard calls out SA & QLD on "gay panic" murder laws


Unbelievably, despite it being 2016, both South Australia and Queensland still have the "gay panic" laws on their books. Basically the law says that if a straight person panics because a gay person came onto him/flirted with them, and the straight person killed the person in said panic, then that murder is OK.

I can't believe the laws were even on the books in the first place. 

*Petition here if you haven't already signed it
I’m a Catholic Priest and 8 years ago a man called Wayne Ruks was bashed to death in my Brisbane churchyard. Unbelievably, his killer's convictions were downgraded to manslaughter, using “gay panic” as a defence. 

It’s disgusting - this law is still valid in both QLD and South Australia. In these two Australian states, if someone who you think is gay makes a pass at you, the sheer panic you could feel is partial justification for murder. 

I’ve made it my mission to see this revolting law abolished - it belongs in the dark ages. I have no words to describe how offensive, harmful and dangerous it is that two of our governments uphold that a person can be panicked enough by gay people to justify murder. 

That’s why I am calling on the Queensland and South Australia to eliminate this "gay panic" law as a partial defence for murder. sign here  

 

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