Apparently Australia has its own version of a “Stand
your Ground” right to murder law. In Oz, all you have to claim is that a supposedly gay person grabbed
or propositioned you to justify beating that person to death. The “gay-panic” defense claims that the mere
exposure to gayness causes temporary insanity that lead to justified homoside.
I smell the stench on this one of Cardinal Pell’s foul black
robes regarding Jarrod Bleijie’s pussying out, backing down on ridding Queensland of this gay
hate law.
Maryborough priest Paul Kelly, who was one of the first on the scene when Mr Ruks died, was so affected by the man's death that he launched an online petition to remove the defence, that has since gathered signatures from all over the world.
In January this year, in what was hailed as "a victory for common sense", the former state government decided the Criminal Code would be altered to ensure that unwanted sexual advances could not be used to claim provocation, unless in exceptional circumstances.
Following the election, new Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said he had requested a brief from the department on the issue and would consider the recommendations made by the former Labor government.
But the Attorney-General announced this week that he would not be making the planned changes to the code, and the defence would still be available in violent crimes.
Fr Kelly and Ms Kujala have criticised the decision, saying it was out of touch with the community's expectations.
"This is not a matter of gay rights, it's a matter of human rights," Ms Kujala said.
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