Sydney - Sydney, which hosts the world's most famous gay and lesbian street parade, is not the queer nirvana that some imagine. Attitudes to gays and lesbians have changed little, with a new study showing homophobia as prevalent now as it was a decade ago. More than half of homosexuals surveyed by the New South Wales Attorney General's department reported some form of abuse or overt discrimination in the previous 12 months.
Even in inner-city Leichhardt, where the council is renowned for its progressiveness, the gay community can point to intolerance.
In October public toilets in a park were closed by Leichhardt Council because they were being used by men having sex with men. The block will reopen soon and the toilets will be unisex, according to the council, to deter those engaging in "anti-social" sex.
"(The toilets are) for people walking their dog or kids playing in the park," Leichhardt Mayor Jamie Parker protested.
Some locals don't like the idea of re-engineering to try and get rid of a well-known gay beat.
"I have gay friends who think the idea that a local authority would go out of its way to design their way out of it is offensive and not really their role to be doing," said local architect Andrew Nimmo. "If that's how people meet and there aren't other opportunities, that isn't necessarily something architects should be doing, to design out these things."
