Comedian Rhys Nicholson has shared that he was recently threatened with death while catching pubic transport in Melbourne.
The comedian posted the story to his Twitter account sharing that on Friday night he’d been catching a train, wearing his headphones, when he noticed four men board the train.
Soon one of the four began targeting Nicholson over his perceived sexuality. The comedian recounted that the man said he could always “spot a faggot”.
Soon the man was saying “Its looking at me, if it keeps looking at me, something is going to happen to it.”
Nicholson said the taunting lasted for around ten minutes and at one point the man threatened to kill him.
“If there was no one here, I’d bask you. Bash you to death.” the man is alleged to have said.
Nicholson said that one of the man’s friends then joined in the abuse saying that the Yes result in the marriage postal survey had lead to young boys being taught how to have sex with older men.
The comedian tweeted that he didn’t blame the Prime Minister for people like this existing, but he did hold Malcolm Turnbull to account for validating such opinions.
“I’m not blaming TurnbullMalcolm for these people existing. But I’m blaming him for letting them think opinions like this are ok.” Nicholson said in his post.
The Prime Minister and the Coalition government were heavily criticised for choosing to hold the marriage postal survey, critics have always argued that it would lead to an increase in homophobic abuse and assaults.
A recent senate report recommended that the government should never again consider putting a human rights question relating to a minority group to public vote.
The report also suggested that government consider adding to funding for LGBTIQ related mental health support services to help people cope with the effects of the postal survey.
The senate committee found that there had been a considerable amount of offensive posters, flyers and vandalism relating to the marriage debate.
One member of the public is quoted in the report as saying. “After the Survey was announced, my world becomes hell. It was the hate and vitriol of the 1990s that I experienced, but this time our Prime Minister gave this hatred a name—respectful debate.”
A survey by the LGBTI Health Alliance found that 90% of 10,000 people it surveyed said the postal survey had a negative impact on their mental health.
“The most shocking finding of the study was that LGBTIQ respondents said that experiences of verbal and physical assaults more than doubled in the three months following the announcement of the postal survey compared with the prior six months.” the LGBTI Health Alliance said in their research.
Government members on the committee published a dissenting report arguing that the postal survey had been a triumph.
Senator James Patterson and Senator David Fawcett argued that the coalition government had successfully solved the long running marriage debate, noting that the previous Labor governments had failed to bring about a change in the law. The senators said no additional funding was required for LGBTI mental health services.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently reflected on the postal survey process describing it as a “giant hug” from Australians to the LGBTIQ communities.
“It was like the nation gave same sex couples an enormous hug,” he said at the 40th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. “It was a vote for equality, a vote for respect and what a huge vote it was.”
Its not the first time Turnbull has portrayed the postal survey as a hug, he made a similar comment on the ABC’s 7:30 in December. Speaking to Leigh Sales, the Prime Minister said young LGBTI people should look at the Yes result of 62% as an embrace from most Australians.
“That is a very big affirmation. That is a very big hug, Leigh — and that’s what Australians have done.”
OIP Staff
