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 Following reports of a gay Hobart couple suffering harassment, the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group (TGLRG) has called for greater funding to tackle homophobia.
According to the Hobart Mercury, Chilean couple Juan and Pedro have suffered homophobic abuse from their neighbours to such an extent that authorities have placed them higher up the public housing list so they can be moved to a safer area.
The couple live in the notorious Stainforth Court, a public housing complex noted for violence, drunkenness and drug abuse. Juan and Pedro have had their clothes slashed on the clothes line, stones and bricks through their window and say they lock up the house and hunker down in the bathroom every night for protection.
“The police have told Housing Tasmania these guys need to be moved, but Housing Tasmania haven’t acted on that yet,” TGLRG spokesman Rodney Croome told Gay TAS. “There seems to be some problem with them recognising Juan and Pedro as a couple, which is strange because under Tasmanian law they have to recognise them. I’ve yet to get to the bottom of that one.”
Croome said anti-gay abuse is widespread in Tasmania and the government has failed to follow through on its anti-discrimination policies.
"The abuse suffered by Juan and Pedro is part of a much more widespread problem of harassment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Tasmanians by their neighbours," Croome said.
"The State Government has enacted strong anti-discrimination laws but has failed to follow this up with adequately-funded education programs in schools and workplaces."
Croome said the state government had allocated $50,000 for anti-homophobia education in secondary schools, but has done nothing since then.
Project Male Call, the national gay mens health and wellbeing survey, showed verbal and physical abuse of gay men are more prevalent in Tasmania than other states.
"Tasmania risks a return to its old reputation for homophobia if the Government continues to think it's done enough," Croome said.
The news comes less than a week after Tasmanian Attorney General Lara Giddings celebrated the tenth anniversary of Tasmania’s Anti Discrimination Act.
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