Fridae

More than 100 Asian gay men, lesbians and transsexuals packed the second floor of the famous gay bar Stonewall at Oxford Street last Friday night to learn more about gay violence in the city.

"BLOW" is the first anti-violence event organised by The Asian Project of ACON (Aids Council of New South Wales).

"ACON is committed to the development and implementation of crime prevention strategies," said ACON president Adrian Lovney.

"We have commenced important projects with the Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project and "Blow" will ensure that the message is getting out to Asian men in the gay community."

Reports made through ACON and Sydney police lately have shown an increase in the number of gay men who have been robbed or assaulted. Many became victimised when they went looking for casual sex using phone line or chat rooms over the Internet.

In order to encourage more people to "blow" the night away, an entertaining and educational show was planned. According to the project co-ordinator, Palani, "this will enable young gay Asian men to come and enjoy the show but at the same time went home with the important message."

With witty hosts Myra and Paul Cordeiro, the audience enjoyed themselves with performances given by well-known Sydney Asian drag queens. The mood became more serious when Anti-Violence Officer Brad Gray came onto the stage and stressed the seriousness of gay violence in Sydney.

"The victims were mostly non-gay identifying, older or younger men or men who do not speak English as their first language. The perpetrator probably targets these groups as they are less likely to report any incidents to the police," said Gray. He also provided information how to be safe on the streets and where one could seek help if attacked.

Two victims were also invited to share their experience, followed by a police officer who provided more helpful information.

"It's a great show of support from people to come here. I am glad it's crowded and for sure I will be looking forward to the next party," said Andy Quan, who is a strong supporter of Asian gay projects.

With the success of BLOW, ACON is planning to organise more educational parties in the future.