This Catholic Priest Is Fighting To Get Rid Of The Most Ridiculous 'Gay Panic' Law Ever

In today’s so-ridiculously-archaic-it’s-kinda-terrifying-and-how-the-chuff-is-this-still-a-thing news, it transpires there is still a defence called the “gay panic” defence that basically means you can get away with murder if you say a gay man came on to you. In 2016. No seriously.

It’s not one of those dusty old laws that nobody really pays attention to either; just last month this defence was used to successfully grant a retrial to Joseph Lindsay, the killer of Andrew Negre.

One particular catholic priest (along with basically everybody else who isn’t homophobic) has had just about enough of this. Father Paul Kelly has labelled Australia as an “international disgrace” for continuing to allow this “homophobic, demeaning, dangerous insult” to gay people to exist. Six years ago, a man was murdered in Father Kelly’s courtyard and thanks to the “gay panic” defence one of the killers is ALREADY back on the streets and the other will soon be up for parole.

As a result Father Kelly said he has “made it my mission to see this revolting law abolished” and started a change.org petition which at the time of writing has over 250,000 signatures. He also teamed up with comedian Tom Ballard to make the below video, urging people to appeal to their attorneys-general to ask them to change the law.

People are already starting to take note too, Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has announced that they’ll be reviewing the law this month. Admittedly, they’ve said they’ll do this before and nothing happened but with Father Kelly’s petition gaining traction by the day, they’ll have to take note sooner or later right!? Sooner, it should be sooner.

Not only is this law outdated and horrible, it also propagates dangerous mentalities towards gay people and re-enforces stigmatisation so if, like Father Kelly, you think it “belongs in the dark ages” you can sign the petition here. Go do it, this kind of thing has got to stop.