A new report into historical crimes against gay men and trans women in NSW seeks to deliver justice for victims and survivors, and aid the ongoing healing process for loved ones and members of the LGBTI community who continue to be impacted today.

Produced by NSW’s leading LGBTI health organisation ACON, the report – In Pursuit of Truth and Justice: Documenting Gay and Transgender Prejudice Killings in NSW in the Late 20th Century – shines a light on the suspected anti-gay homicides that occurred in NSW from the 1970s and 1990s.

In delving into these cases, the report presents key themes surrounding the deaths and explores the factors that enabled a culture of anti-gay violence to thrive in NSW during this period. The report brings to the fore the failures in the criminal justice system in NSW at the time and highlights the lasting effects these shortcomings have had on members of the LGBT community.

Importantly, the report presents a series of recommendations aimed at achieving justice and healing for victims and survivors, enhancing current responses to hate crimes and strengthening ongoing efforts in violence prevention.

ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said the report brings a cultural and community lens to a tragic and dark period in Sydney’s and surrounding area’s LGBT history.

“We know that a wave of violence swept through Sydney between the late 1970s and early 1990s, which claimed the lives of some gay men. We also know that many more, including transgender women, were brutally assaulted and terrorised and some of these cases remain unsolved. Read more via ACON