In Sydney’s Darlinghurst district, a spate of violent incidents has occurred in recent weeks targeting members of the LGBTIQ community. These attacks have caused concern among the community, with some calling on police to do more to ensure safety on the popular strip known for its LGBTIQ establishments.
Last weekend, police increased their presence in response to concerns raised by independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich about incidents of bullying and harassment being directed at members of the queer community on the strip. However, this was not enough to prevent an incident in which Sydney drag entertainer Tina Bikki was verbally harassed by a group of men while taking a break at the front of a club.
Bikki was subjected to unprovoked verbal slurs before the men threatened to physically harm them. Despite being called, police did not dispatch officers to the scene, and it was only when police from a passing car intervened that the situation was resolved. This incident follows a similar attack on reality TV star David Subritzky, who was allegedly called a slur and punched outside of a kebab store on Oxford Street on April 17.
These attacks have raised concerns about the safety of the LGBTIQ community in spaces that are traditionally considered safe, and have prompted calls for increased police patrols. Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said that when attacks happen in the few places which LGBTIQ+ people make their own, it reminds us that our safety is always conditional and needs to be negotiated.
While police have encouraged victims of crimes to report incidents, some members of the community have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of reporting. Tina Bikki, for instance, said that while they did report the incident to police, no officers were dispatched, and no details were collected.
In response to the recent incidents, Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has called for police to expand their presence on Oxford Street to ensure the safety of the LGBTIQ community. The community, he said, deserves to feel safe going about their daily lives, and it is up to police to ensure that this is the case.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the NSW Police Force said that officers attached to the Surry Hills Police Area Command routinely conduct high-visibility patrols as part of ongoing efforts to target alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour. However, members of the LGBTIQ community say that more needs to be done to address the specific challenges faced by their community, and to ensure that incidents of harassment and violence are not tolerated.