Lesbians on the loose

Call Number
Nq 306.7663099441 LES
Created/Published
Newtown [N.S.W.] : Lesbians on the loose, 1990-
Issue
Vol. 3 No. 4 (April 1992)
Images
28
View Catalogue

Text

LESBIANS ON THE LOOSE  

APRIL 1992 ISSUE 28  

VOL. NO.  

FREE  

DYKE ATTACK FIGURES RELEASED  

report on anti-lesbian violence compiled by the Lesbian  

and Gay Anti-Violence Project shows large proportion of  

attacks on lesbians are part of ongoing harassment by  

someone known to the victim. In report due to be released  

in early May it is revealed that 25% of women who responded  

to the Off Our Backs survey conducted by the Gay and  

Lesbian Rights Lobby between December '9O and June '9l  

knew their assailant. Of all the attacks on the 45 respondents  

25% were verbal, 25% physical and 50% both physical and  

verbal. 50% of the women were attacked by groups of three  

or more men and 50% of the assaults were serious, i.e.  

needed medical treatment. significantproportion of attacks  

occurred around Mardi Gras events. Only 10% of  

respondents reported their assaults to the police, the main  

reasons being that there were no women liaison officers to  

report to in their area, they thought the police would be  

homophobic or that nothing would be done. 10% of the  

incidents were of police abuse. The women that did report  

were happy with the service they received from the police.  

Project co-ordinator Kerrie Cheers says the statistics have  

taken long time to compile due to funding and time  

problems. In the meantime the Count and Counter campaign  

has been collecting statistics via personal interviews that  

will be added to the Off Our Backs data. Some of these  

interviews reveal frightening stories such as woman who  

was nearly bashed to death by group of fundamentalist  

Christians after public speaking at the Domain. She has  

since been harassed by the group, has had to move house  

and change jobs. Kerrie has also received reports of lesbian  

streetworkers being verbally and physically abused. group  

of lesbians and gay men in Housing Commission block in  

Darlinghurst found knife planted blade up after they were  

told to take their AIDS virus elsewhere.  

Kerrie has set up consultative committee to compile the  

report- similar to Streetwatch -and make recommendations.  

These are expected to include resource manual for  

government departments, health care centres, educational  

institutions etc.; and encouragement for lesbians to report  

harassment and attacks. Kerrie would particularly like to  

find out more about rape against lesbians who she suspects  

go to Rape Crisis Centres.  

The Anti-Violence Project is currently waiting for  

government funding and provided it is received Kerrie  

plans to run campaign similar to Streetwatch, focused on  

dykes, and one-day forum to receive community input.  

survey similar to Off Our Backs was conducted by social  

work student at the Lesbian Conference. The survey had  

many more respondents 329 but also contains many  

similarities in its findings. It aimed at establishing levels of  

lesbian violence, and although it's likely that crime victims  

were more likely to complete the survey than others, it  

found that in the last 12 months 72% of women had  

experienced verbal harassment, 40% physical intimidation,  

15% physical violence, 10% sexual assault, 13% domestic  

violence, 20% property damage and 28% had experienced  

no harassment or assault. The survey also hints at lesbian  

domestic violence in that 85% of domestic violence attacks  

involved female perpetrators. Levels of reporting to the  

police varied according to the offence, but it was only in  

majority of property offences that reports were made. 28%  

of people who didn't report felt negatively about police  

while 48% thought the offence wasn't serious enough or  

that the police couldn't do anything. Of those that did  

report, 33% found the police unsupportive.  

These results are now in the hands of Sue Thompson, Police  

Gay Lesbian Consultant, who supplied them to LOTL.  

One of the more encouraging findings of the Off Our Backs  

survey was that 35% of women physically attacked fought  

back. If that's the option you'd prefer and you'd like to learn  

self-defence the Anti-Violence Project will conduct self-  

defence classes for lesbians and gay men on 4-5 April at  

Darlinghurst. Cost is $25/15 concession. For more  

information call Kerrie Cheers 360 6650. For those that live  

out west Blacktown Women's and Girls Health Centre will  

run lesbian only classes in May and June for the same price.  

For further details call Robyn McGrath at the centre on 813  

207 °.  

Frances Rand  

Older women march at IWD  

Photo: Dianne Fairweather  

inside...  

iwcL.annie ling...coogee pooL.mardi gras photos...  

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. NBQ 4194  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067386

APA citation

(1990). Lesbians on the loose Retrieved August 7, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067386

MLA citation

Lesbians on the loose Newtown [N.S.W.]: Lesbians on the loose, 1990. Web. 7 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067386>

Harvard/Australian citation

1990, Lesbians on the loose Lesbians on the loose, Newtown [N.S.W.] viewed 7 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067386

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  |
  | title=Lesbians on the loose.
  | year=1990
  | issn=1324-6542
  | issue=Vol. 3 No. 4 (April 1992)
  | location=Newtown [N.S.W.]
  | publisher=Lesbians on the loose
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067386
  | id=nla.obj-884067386
  | access-date=7 August 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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