Australia: Catholic priest leads campaign to abolish 'gay panic' law

Too late to save Wayne

In two states in Australia, killing a gay man because you think he has made a pass at you is an acceptable murder defence. The 'gay panic' law has been outlawed in most states, most recently in New South Wales in 2014, but its still on the statute books in Queensland and South Australia. A Catholic priest is leading a campaign to have this law abolished. His petition has already gathered more than 240,000 signatures.

Fr Paul Kelly writes: "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. Please sign and share my petition."

See the petition here: www.change.org/p/stop-allowing-gay-panic-as-an-excuse-for-murder-in-australia