People from LGBTQ communities experienced harrowing levels of hate-motivated violence during the 1970s through to the 1990s, and the impacts of this violent period continues to be felt today. Justice and recognition of these LGBTQ hate crimes are important for our communities.
ACON has been working with a range of community partners to address the ongoing impacts of these terrible events on survivors, victims’ families and loved and broader LGBTQ communities.
Connect with these resources to find out more about the history of LGBTQ hate crimes and violence in Sydney in the 1970s through to the 1990s.
In Pursuit of Truth and Justice
In May 2018, ACON released the report In Pursuit of Truth and Justice: Documenting Gay and Transgender Prejudice Killings in NSW in the Late 20th Century, a report into historical crimes against gay men and trans women in NSW. The report presents a series of recommendations aimed at achieving justice and healing for victims and survivors, enhancing current responses to hate crimes and strengthening ongoing efforts in violence prevention.
To read the report, click here
Inquiry into Gay and Transgender Hate Crimes Between 1970 & 2010
The inquiry into Gay and Transgender Hate Crimes between 1970 and 2010 was launched in 2018 by the NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues. It sought to look into institutional responses to violence carried out against people in sexuality and gender diverse communities in NSW during this period. After concluding in February 2019, it was again established in October later that year.
The Interim Report was published in February 2019. It found that "indifference towards violence and hostility directed at gay men" in the period prior to the mid-1990s impacted on the protection of victims of hate crimes. The second and final report, released in May 2021, includes a range of findings and recommendations that aims to foster healing and deliver justice for loved ones of victims and survivors of these historical crimes.
To read the Interim Report, click here
To read the Final Report, click here
Bondi Badlands Podcast
Launched in October 2021, Bondi Badlands is a five-part podcast series from the SMH and The Age. It is produced by author, journalist and Good Weekend deputy editor Greg Callaghan, and is based on his acclaimed 2007 book of the same name. The podcast explores the series of murders and disappearances of four gay men – WIN TV weather reporter Ross Warren, barman John Russell, Thai national Kritchikorn Rattanjurathaporn and Frenchman Gilles Mattaini – all of whom met their deaths at the bottom of the cliffs between Bondi and Tamarama beaches in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The podcast is sponsored by ACON and Waverley Council.
Listen to the podcast on Apple | Google | Spotify
Deep Water
Deep Water is a multimedia network event produced by SBS and released in September 2016. Exploring the wave of murders and disappearances in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in the 1980s and 1990s, it comprised of a documentary, a four-part drama series and an online investigation. The drama and documentary was produced by Blackfella Films, Screen Australia and Screen NSW.
To watch Deep Water, click here