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Gay beat

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Parts of the natural bushland of Sydney's North Head have historically served as a meeting place for gay men in Sydney.

In Australia, the term beat is used to refer to an area frequented by gay men, where sexual acts occur. This use of the word parodies the beat walked by a police officer or a prostitute. Most commonly, public toilets, parks, and nightclubs are used as beats, though sometimes suburban car parks become beats after nightfall. Sex researchers have found that a considerable proportion of men who use "beats" are men who have sex with men (MSMs) rather than gay-identifying. This is possibly because, while gay men have a plethora of venues for meeting legitimately, MSMs – who are often closeted – may not wish to risk being observed in (or reported as attending) gay venues.

History

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The underground toilets at Taylor Square, Darlinghurst, Sydney, were "...a popular beat in the heart of gay Sydney for decades until its closure..."[1] in 1998,[2] and "Now as part of Qtopia, The Toilet Block will host adults-only exhibitions exploring Sydney's gay beat, sauna and cruising culture of the 1980s and 90s.[1][2] 2025

Although little is known about beats in the early colonial and Federation periods, it is known that specific areas in larger cities, such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have recorded histories of use for this purpose through the 20th century to the present.[3]

Social and sexual behaviour in beats

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Presently, beats are actively used by men who have sex with men (MSM). Due to the casual nature and anonymity of most of the encounters, beats have been identified as areas of high risk for the transmission of HIV, syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections.[4][5]

Construction hoarding alongside Oxford street in Darlinghurst, Sydney that references the underground toilets in Taylor Square, Darlinghurst, indicating their connection to the queer community through it being a popular place for people to randomly meet and have sex.[1] 2025

Laud Humphrey's Tearoom Trade, published in 1970, was a sociological analysis and observance between the social space public "restrooms" (as toilets are euphemistically known in the US) offer for anonymous sex and the men—either closeted, gay, or straight—who sought to fulfill sexual desires that their wives, religion, or social lives could not.[6] The study, which was met with praise on one side due to its innovation and criticism on the other due to having outed "straight" men and risked their privacy, brought to light the multidimensionality of public restrooms and the intricacy and complexity of homosexual sex amongst self-identifying straight men.

Gay beat locations

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An underground toilet block located at the northern end of Taylor Square, Sydney, that was opened to the public in 1883,[2] was "...a popular beat in the heart of gay Sydney for decades until its closure..."[1] in 1998.[2]

In 2024 the underground toilet block became a part of Qtopia Sydney,[7][8] a museum that has an extensive collection of objects related to queer culture in Sydney[9][10] and the toilet block will now provide exhibtion space for the museum. Upon opening in 2024 the toilet block hosted "...adults-only exhibitions exploring Sydney's gay beat, sauna and cruising culture of the 1980s and 90s."[1]

Hampstead Heath in north London has been described as "...the most popular cruising area in London"[11][12] that has a long history of gay cruising going back to Victorian times.[13][14] A notable site used for gay sex on the Heath is the Fuck Tree, which was the subject of anti-cruising protests in 2025[13] and in response ACT UP posted notices in the West Heath that included a sign that said "take me to the fuck tree".[13]

In a 2006 article published in "The Independent" a person recounted their experiences of cruising on Hampstead Heath and they described how when a person is cruising there, there is a walking circuit on footpaths through the Heath which allows people to view other people who are also gay cruising.[15] They further described how it may take a while before you meet someone who is also cruising so there can be a lot of time spent walking[15] and using eye-contact is the most common way that people make an attempt to see if there is mutual interest between both people.[15]

George Michael has spoken about times that he has cruised for gay sex on the Heath,[16][17] an activity he then parodied on the Extras Christmas Special.[18]

Clapham Common in south London is well known for gay cruising and the TV drama Clapham Junction was based around the lives of gay men in the area and included scenes of cruising and cottaging.[19]

George Michael

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The music video for the song "Outside"[20] by George Michael satirises the events that occurred during his April 1998 arrest for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet in Los Angeles.[21][22] In 2004 he commented that "I do think I was set up between Fleet Street and the Beverly Hills Police Force. I'm absolutely convinced... ...I found out things in the week after that arrest that totally suggest that there was corrupt, major corruption going on."[23]
The Fuck Tree is located in Hampstead Heath, a park in Camden, London that is a well known gay cruising area.[24][16][17]

Gay Cruising

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The UK popstar George Michael began cruising for gay sex when he was 16[22] and he said in an interview in 2004 that he felt that the video he created for the song "Outside" was a way of "lightening the stigma"[20] around cruising and he commented that "When I made the "Outside" video I knew I was helping a whole generation of 15-year-olds who are cruising and dying of shame about it...".[22]

In the same interview Michael further went on to comment that being able to keep his cruising for gay sex a secret was something that had been doing for "years",[25] saying "The vast majority of men were either married or in the closet... ...If you’re a suburban cruiser like my good self and you like guys that are really straight-acting, then most of the people you pick up... ...are not going to tell your secret because they’ve got one themselves."[25] As of 2004 when the interview was conducted Michael would still meet people for gay sex and he said that "It’s nowhere near as regular as it was but I constantly meet new people... ...When you meet somebody, see them a few times, and basically say, ‘who do you know that’s cool and tasty with a big knob?’ [laughing] and I meet people all the time that way.[26]

When asked if any of the people that he had sex with realised it was him, Michael responded "I think probably most of them did. Sometimes we’d talk about it afterwards and have a laugh...".[25]

1998 Los Angeles "engaging in a Lewd act" arrest

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In April 1998 Michael was arrested for "engaging in a lewd act"[27] in a public toilet in Los Angeles and he commented that "I got followed into the restroom and then this cop—I didn't know it was a cop, obviously—he started playing this game, which I think is called, 'I'll show you mine, you show me yours, and then when you show me yours, I'm going to nick you!'"[28] Whilst on the Late Show with David Letterman Michael commented that "...actually the police report said that he was simulating urination... ...if you tried to simulate urination doing that with your hand you'd get wee all over the shop is all I can say."[29][30]

Michael was not obligated to attend the court hearing in person which he did not do[31] and he pleaded "no contest" to the charge in court and was given an $810 fine and ordered to do 80 hours of community service and participate in sex therapy[31][32][33][32] Later that year, Michael satirised the events in his music video for the song "Outside"[21][22][20] and was sued by one of the officers in the original arrest for portraying him as non-heterosexual and mocking him. The suit was ultimately dismissed.[34][35][36]

In a 2012 LBC radio interview Michael also commented that "I mean I promise you the day that I got arrested in, in Los Angeles... ...the day that that happened, because it was all organized between um the News of the World and the, or the Sun, and the the LA police. Believe me, it was a setup, right?... ...But the day that they actually succeeded in outing me, the Sun newspaper closed down for the afternoon and had a party."[37] In a 2004 TV interview he commented that "I do think I was set up between Fleet Street and the Beverly Hills Police Force. I'm absolutely convinced that there was serious corruption going on. And I found out things in the week after that arrest that totally suggest that there was corrupt, major corruption going on."[23]

2006 "News of the World" story

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In July 2006 the "News of the World" published a story that alleged that Michael had been having sex at Hampstead Heath in London on the 18th of July 2006.[24][38] Whilst being interviewed for TV on BBC News 24 shortly after the "News of the World" story was pubished Michael commented that he had "..never ever seen let alone wanted to have any kind of sexual encounter with..."[39] the individual the News of the World alleged that Michael had sex with.

On the 27th of July 2006 after the story had been published Michael commented further that "I went out last Tuesday night and uh, came off of Hampstead Heath, I don't even remember if I got any action right...".[16] As he was walking back to his car he came across two photograpers who took photos of him and he said that he thought to himself at the time "...I don't suppose this will be much of a of a story. Which I don't suppose it would have been without the addition of a completely fabricated encounter...".[16]

Michael has further commented that "...the absolutely normal thing to do, is to do it at 2:00 in the morning because... ...if you cruise um out of sight of the average individual or an individual who's not involved in that cruising then you are in, within the parameters of the law..."[40] During the BBC News 24 interview Michael further described his gay cruising as being "de facto" private, saying "...it's private that's the point, what I was doing was private... ...I don't know anybody that actually goes to Hampstead Heath at 2:00 in the morning for anything other than the reason of playing about... ...If they are there at 2:00 in the morning then they're a little bit strange or they just don't know the local area...".[24][41]

Law

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Engaging in sexual activity in a public place is against the law in all states and territories in Australia. Police have been criticised for excessive patrolling of known beats, and the defence of entrapment is commonly used by those caught when charged. People using beats are also more likely to be subject to homophobic hate crimes and other general crimes than gay men who do not use beats,[42] prompting some to welcome the police presence (Moore 1995). In Sydney and Melbourne at least, gay beats have attracted some attention from some sections of the media. This has led to a police presence at those identified.[43] There is currently a NSW Parliamentary inquiry into hate crimes (public submissions closed 7 November 2018).[44][45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Jordan Hirst (22 April 2024). "Qtopia Sydney has transformed the Taylor Square substation". Q news. Retrieved 26 March 2025. The historic Underground Men's Conveniences were built over a century ago at Taylor Square. The public toilet was also a popular beat in the heart of gay Sydney for decades until its closure in 1988. Now as part of Qtopia, The Toilet Block will host adults-only exhibitions exploring Sydney's gay beat, sauna and cruising culture of the 1980s and 90s.
  2. ^ a b c d "Taylor Square Substation No.6 & Underground Public Conveniences". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01700. Retrieved 14 October 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  3. ^ Moore, Clive (1995). "Poofs in the Park: Documenting Gay 'Beats' in Queensland, Australia". GLQ. 2 (3): 319–339. doi:10.1215/10642684-2-3-319.
  4. ^ Iveson, Kurt (2007), Publics and the city, Wiley-Blackwell, p. 107, ISBN 978-1-4051-2732-5
  5. ^ Dowsett, G W; Davis, M (1992), Transgression and intervention : homosexually active men and beats, Macquarie University, AIDS Research Unit, OCLC 221628532
  6. ^ Humphreys, Laud (2011). Tearoom Trade: a study of homosexual encounters in public places. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-0-202-36942-6.
  7. ^ Douglas Magaletti (27 March 2024). "The Substation At LGBTQ Museum Qtopia Sydney Now open". StarObserver. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Locations". Qtopia Sydney. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Australian-first queer museum Qtopia opens as Sydney WorldPride kicks off". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  10. ^ "The Polson Effect". Star Observer. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  11. ^ "George Michael Interview on Cruising, Homophobia, and the Press (2006)". YouTube. Frontline by ITN. Event occurs at 20:08. Retrieved 20 June 2026. ...the position I put myself in at, at 2:00 in the morning, a mile from my house right in the most popular cruising area in London...
  12. ^ "Gay venue search: Pink UK". pinkuk.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  13. ^ a b c "Hampstead Heath hampstead heath dog walkers homophobic cruising campaign". The Daily Telegraph. 9 March 2025. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Gay venue search: Pink UK". pinkuk.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  15. ^ a b c Howard, Patrick (30 July 2006). "Personal Column: 'I go with gay strangers. We have our own code'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2026. There's a lot of walking around involved in cruising. On the Heath, there's a sort of circuit and you can go round on your own or with a friend, though loud talking is frowned on as it seems to break the spell. Alternatively, you can sit on the sidelines and watch the circuit go past you. When you see someone you like, it's a case of eye-contact, move on, come back for more eye contact. There are very strict unspoken rules of respect in a cruising situation: it's simply not done to force your attentions on anyone who's not giving welcome signals. When you have established that you're both interested, you move in. Again, talking is not encouraged. A raised eyebrow, a half-smile as you move in to touch a buttock, maybe, or the front of the jeans. If you've got it all wrong, two little pats on your arm politely get the 'not interested' message over.
  16. ^ a b c d "George Michael Interview on Cruising, Homophobia, and the Press (2006)". YouTube. Frontline by ITN. Event occurs at 3:40. Retrieved 20 June 2026. I went out last Tuesday night and uh, came off of Hampstead Heath, I don't even remember if I got any action right,... ...and my car was parked right by the public foot, footpath off of Hampstead Heath, or one of them, because I have nothing to hide. I don't worry about people seeing my car there you know I walked straight off a public pathway on my own... ...[There were] two photographers who have been tailing me for the best part of 6 months, almost 24 hours a day... ...went home, thought at least I was wearing a nice shirt you know, I talked about this before, [that he cruises for gay sex in public areas] I don't suppose this will be much of a of a story. Which I don't suppose it would have been without the addition of a completely fabricated encounter with I suppose a very deliberately chosen very unattractive man in order to try and somehow turn what is for me uh, perfectly nice summer evening under the stars into some act of desperation, you know.
  17. ^ a b "George Michael Interview on Cruising, Homophobia, and the Press (2006)". YouTube. Frontline by ITN. Event occurs at 20:08. Retrieved 20 June 2026. ...the position I put myself in at, at 2:00 in the morning, a mile from my house right in the most popular cruising area in London... ...the problem is... ...that there are people able legally to follow me around 24 hours a day... ...as long as they have cameras, that to me is the issue...
  18. ^ O'Donovan, Gerard (28 December 2007). "Last night on television: Extras Christmas Special (BBC1) – Battleship Antarctica (Channel 4)". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 1 January 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  19. ^ Teeman, Tim (July 21, 2007). "Progress, what progress". The Times. The drama set for the most publicity is Clapham Junction, about a disparate group of gay men whose lives cross one day after a civil commitment ceremony. They are all in some way compromised by their sexuality: they go to Hampstead Heath, Clapham Common and public lavatories for sex.[dead link]
  20. ^ a b c "George Michael - Outside (Official Video)". Youtube. George Michael. 24 November 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  21. ^ a b "George Michael: RARE Throwback 1998 Australia Interview". youtube. Sound Museum. 1 May 2025. Event occurs at 17:15. Retrieved 17 June 2026. Interviewer: You've had some fun with the video, haven't you, with "Outside"? Michael: Oh, yeah. Interviewer: There's a lot of, a lot of gagging going on there. Michael: Absolutely. But there had to be, didn't there? Interviewer: Take us through some of the images and some of the lyrics in the song. Michael: It's about the fact that, that, you know I got arrested in a public place, which, you know, public depends how you want, what you want to call public. Of course, it was a public place. It was a stupid thing to do, but there was nobody around regardless of what the police arrest report said. There was absolutely nobody else around. And um so really what you're talking about is what I thought was a private situation, right? And then and, and ultimately you're still just talking about sex and sex is sex, whether it's in the middle of a park or in a bedroom or on a table or whatever. You know, it was really I suppose just drawing attention to that immediately, was saying, "well, look, you know, this is really about where it happened, not what happened.
  22. ^ a b c d "George Michael's candid 2004 interview with Attitude". Attitude. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026. When I made the 'Outside' video I knew I was helping a whole generation of 15-year-olds who are cruising and dying of shame about it. I felt that lightening the stigma around cruising was the most immediately beneficial thing I could do. I know for a fact that when I was 16, 17, when I started cruising, that watching the 'Outside' video would have taken some of the weight off my shoulders.
  23. ^ a b "George Michael on Coming Out As Gay (2004)". Youtube. 14 June 2026. Event occurs at 0:10. Retrieved 18 June 2026. ...I do believe in retrospect that there were three entities, you know, um planning that particular uh fall from grace, let's say. Um, and I think it was I do think I was set up between Fleet Street and the Beverly Hills Police Force. I'm absolutely convinced that there was serious corruption going on. And I found out things in the week after that arrest that totally suggest that there was corrupt, major corruption going on.
  24. ^ a b c "George Michael in BBC NEWS". YouTube. 2Funkyangel. Event occurs at 2:15. Retrieved 20 June 2026. ...it's private, that's the point. what I was doing was Private... ...I don't know anybody that actually goes to Hampstead Heath at 2:00 in the morning for anything other than the reason of playing about... ...If they are there at 2:00 in the morning then they're a little bit strange or they just don't know the local area..."
  25. ^ a b c "George Michael's candid 2004 interview with Attitude". Attitude. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026. Interviewer: Weren't you worried all the time about someone going 'oh my god, I've just picked up George Michael' and then hopping off to the papers and selling the story? Michael: Well, that's the wonderful thing about cruising. The vast majority of men were either married or in the closet. So you have a mutual secret and that's pretty water tight. Especially if you're cruising outside London. If you're a suburban cruiser like my good self and you like guys that are really straight-acting, then most of the people you pick up, whether you take them home or do it there and then, are not going to tell your secret because they've got one themselves. I mean, fuck, it worked for years. Interviewer: Was there a moment when people would double-take and realise it was you? Michael: I think probably most of them did. Sometimes we'd talk about it afterwards and have a laugh...
  26. ^ "George Michael's candid 2004 interview with Attitude". Attitude. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026. Interviewer: Was cruising your secret place? Michael: One of the things about cruising and having a secret sex life for so long is that I think it helped me keep my feet on the ground. Because I was constantly in contact with people that I had a shared secret with, well, that was totally levelling. And it meant that I was constantly meeting ordinary people... ...Because at the end of the day you both want the same thing out of it. Sex is very levelling. And I still believe that with the people I meet for sex. It's nowhere near as regular as it was but I constantly meet new people via people that I know are cool and I can trust. When you meet somebody, see them a few times, and basically say, 'who do you know that's cool and tasty with a big knob?' [laughing] and I meet people all the time that way.
  27. ^ "George Michael TV Special (BIO Channel)". YouTube. Sound Museum. 1 August 2025. Event occurs at 0:56. Retrieved 22 June 2026. Michaels was arrested for a violation of 647A of the penal code 'engaging in a lewd act'. George Michae: In a way, it's the best thing that ever happened to me. What I was embarrassed by was the kind of stupidity of it. Um, and then it took me a long while to realize it wasn't just plain stupidity. There was an undercurrent of real self-destruction there. Um, and it takes a long time to admit to yourself that...
  28. ^ Rex Wockner George Michael's Tearoom Tale Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Gay Today, 9 November 1998
  29. ^ "George Michael Explains His Outdoor Nookie Arrest Letterman". youtube. Letterman. 16 May 2024. Event occurs at 8:47. Retrieved 17 June 2026. Letterman:so this this guy actually drops his pants there in front of you? Michael: No he didn't have to drop them. He had his... he had his the important equipment... Letterman:...all right so uh the guy standing there trying to engage in some sort of activity... Michael:He said, he said, actually the police report said that he was simulating urination... ...if you tried to simulate urination doing that with your hand you'd get wee all over the shop is all I can say.
  30. ^ "George Michael Explains His Outdoor Nookie Arrest Letterman". youtube. Letterman. 16 May 2024. Event occurs at 8:47. Retrieved 17 June 2026. The point being and the point being, ultimately the point being that I think it's kind of irrelevant in terms of the law what my general behavior is, even though I've admitted to to you know similar sort of behavior, um point is, the police are not allowed to do something illegal in order to make you do something illegal, you know, it was definite entrapment.
  31. ^ a b "George Michael: RARE Throwback 1998 Australia Interview". youtube. Sound Museum. 1 May 2025. Event occurs at 18:23. Retrieved 17 June 2026. Interviewer: Obviously, the judge thought differently because he's given you some sex therapy. Micheal:...For God's sake, the judge and he's going to throw me in jail next time. You know, homophobia, there's no other word for it. Homophobia and ponceing about in front of the world's cameras is what I call it. So, he made his little speech and he gave me double the um, the penalty that people normally get in a similar situation. It was all total rubbish... ...Interviewer:It must have taken a lot of testing and fortitude to get up there and say, "Yep, that's what happened. Yep, I did that and yes, I am." Michael: I think that takes much less bravery than than not bravery. No, it doesn't seem brave to me because it was completely obvious to me that's what I had to do. But um, it I know for a fact that it would have been much much more difficult and much more humiliating and um, wrong just to sit back and let people carry on with their own misconceptions and to let the, just let the press have a field day.
  32. ^ a b Hall, Allan (15 May 1998). "George sentenced to sex therapy". Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland).
  33. ^ "BBC News - UK - Court fines George Michael for 'lewd' act". news.bbc.co.uk.
  34. ^ A. Wallace Tashima (3 December 2002). "Marcelo Rodriguez v Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou" (PDF). United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit. Archived from the original (.PDF) on 27 June 2006. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  35. ^ "George Bust 'Bad Karma' Says U.S. Cop", Sunday Star, 5 March 2006
  36. ^ Cole, Mike (2000). Mike Cole (ed.). Education, equality and human rights: issues of gender, 'race', sexuality, special needs and social class. Routledge. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7507-0876-0.
  37. ^ "Fascinating interview with George Michael (Part 1/2)". Youtube. 15 February 2017. Event occurs at 9:52. Retrieved 18 June 2026. ...I mean I promise you the day that I got arrested in, in Los Angeles at the beginning of all of this, the scandal and my coming out, the day that that happened, because it was all organized between um the News of the World and the, or the Sun, and the the LA police. Believe me, it was a setup, right? I mean, I've I've admitted to to people before that I was part of that setup and I did it to myself. But the day that they actually succeeded in outing me, the Sun newspaper closed down for the afternoon and had a party.
  38. ^ "George Michael". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  39. ^ "George Michael in BBC NEWS". YouTube. 2Funkyangel. Event occurs at 0:28. Retrieved 20 June 2026. ..never ever seen let alone wanted to have any kind of sexual encounter with...
  40. ^ "George Michael Interview on Cruising, Homophobia, and the Press (2006)". YouTube. Frontline by ITN. Event occurs at 4:55. Retrieved 20 June 2026. "...the absolutely normal thing to do, is to do it at 2:00 in the morning because... I'm no longer breaking the law in any way. I've said I enjoy cruising and cruising now if you cruise um, out of sight of the average individual or an individual who's not involved in that cruising then you are in, within the parameters of the law... ...the law has changed I'm, I'm with well within the law and I should not have to worry about people following me about uh and jumping out at me with cameras at 2:30, uh at the side of hampstead heath.
  41. ^ "George Michael Interview on Cruising, Homophobia, and the Press (2006)". YouTube. Frontline by ITN. Event occurs at 20:08. Retrieved 20 June 2026. ...there are people able legally to follow me around 24 hours a day... ...as long as they have cameras, that to me is the issue...
  42. ^ Callaghan, Greg (2007), Bondi badlands: the definitive story of Sydney's gay hate murders, Allen & Unwin, p. 168, ISBN 978-1-74114-619-6
  43. ^ Harnett, Sonya (13 February 2012). "Sex and Secrets in Public Parks". The Monthly. Australia.
  44. ^ "NSW Parliamentary inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes" (PDF).
  45. ^ Kaladelfos, Andy; Fileborn, Bianca; Featherstone, Lisa; Robinson, Shirleene; Smaal, Yorick (18 December 2018). "Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crime could improve how police and communities respond". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
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