South Australian LGBTQ+ community demands action after violent assault and comments from politician linking gay marriage to bestiality
South Australia’s LGBTQ+ community is calling for urgent legal protections after a series of homophobic and transphobic incidents, including the violent assault of a gay couple in Adelaide city centre and comments from One Nation’s state lead candidate Cory Bernardi linking gay marriage to bestiality.
The attack, which saw a gay couple beaten near a shopping centre, is one example of what advocates say has become a disturbing pattern of escalating hate. In regional South Australia, a burlesque performer reported being threatened with being “taken out to the bush and done away with”, while elsewhere drag performers and trans children have been subjected to harassment, slurs and targeted online abuse.
The remarks by Bernardi - a former Liberal senator now heading One Nation’s state ticket - drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. Greens MLC Robert Simms criticised Bernardi for fuelling “hatred and division”, while SA-Best’s Connie Bonaros labelled him a “Malakas”.
Yet for many LGBTQ+ South Australians, Bernardi’s words merely reflect an everyday reality. According to advocates, homophobic and transphobic harassment is widespread across workplaces, schools, universities and sporting environments.
Varo Lee, CEO of the South Australian Rainbow Advocacy Alliance (SARAA), said they are approached at least once a month by community members seeking help after experiencing abuse. Incidents reported to SARAA over the past year range from a drag queen having eggs hurled at her while being called a slur, to an 11-year-old trans girl facing intense online vitriol simply for taking part in school sports day.
Families supporting LGBTQ+ children are also increasingly targeted. One mother has spent the past 18 months being labelled a “child abuser” at school, sports clubs and online because she supports her trans daughter.
Even elected representatives are not exempt. South Australia’s two openly gay MPs, Simms and Labor MLC Ian Hunter, have both reported a recent rise in homophobic abuse.
The impact on community wellbeing is stark. Research from La Trobe University shows lifetime suicidal ideation affects 77% of LGBTQ+ adults in South Australia and 64% of LGBTQ+ young people, compared with 40% of the general population.
Despite this, South Australia remains one of just two Australian jurisdictions with no laws protecting LGBTQ+ people from hate speech or vilification. Advocates argue the state’s anti-discrimination laws have not been reviewed in more than 30 years, and South Australia still lacks LGBTQ+-specific legal services, despite being identified as a funding priority federally.
Trans women fleeing violence also continue to be turned away from some domestic violence services, told they “don’t help people like you”.
Even SA Police have acknowledged the scale of the problem, recently relaunching the LGBTIQA+ Liaison Officer Program in an effort to improve safety and reporting pathways.
This year marks half a century since South Australia became the first jurisdiction in the country to decriminalise homosexuality. Advocates argue that if the state once led the nation on equality, it must now reclaim that legacy.
“Fifty years ago, fairness and respect made South Australia a leader,” Lee said. “It’s time to honour that legacy and make our state a place we can all be proud of.”
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